Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island

We agreed to meet our neighbors for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. They knocked on our door at 7:00 and said that they were ready. No problem. We just hurriedly got ready. We had a nice breakfast in Picou, NS and discussed similarities in our lives, Nova Scotia must sees and general life philosophy. We returned to purchase some lobster, and found the store open when we arrived a little earlier than it was supposed to open. Great, we could buy our lobster and get on our way. Then we drove to Cape Breton Island. We saw cashmere goats (we used to raise them) and lavender farms much like home. The tall hills and pine forests along coastal ways also reminded me of Whidbey Island. There were many charming towns such as Gosling Glen and Duckling Dell which were near each other. I was also fascinated to see that most place names were marked with bi-lingual signs; not French, but in English and Gaelic. Names that take one or two words in English seem to take four or five in Gaelic.

We camped outside of Baddeck, NS and I went into town, about 4:00 p.m. to see if I could get a haircut. I went into one shop and the woman sitting there said that the beautician had gone home. I thought she left a little early, and asked if there was another place in town she could recommend. She gave me a look that said “I can’t believe you are asking this”, and said, “not at this hour”. I went back to the campground and asked about the time only to learn that we had missed a time change when we entered New Brunswick. No wonder our neighbors showed up so early in the morning and the lobster shop was open. We had functioned for three days on the wrong time!

Disintegrating roads here too!

Bras D'Or Lake

                                                             Common sight!

                                                      Wind blown old farts!

The next day we drove around Cape Breton Island, a trip of about 180 miles. We saw beautiful beaches and took a long walk on Ingonish Beach. We went over a pass by White Hill that at 1745 feet is the highest point in Nova Scotia. We stopped at galleries, view points and one ice cream store that DID have milk shakes. It was a wonderful day.



I went to an AA meeting that was very interesting. Prior to the meeting I asked a gentleman what people did in the area to earn a living. He said that most of the people there worked in the coal mines. Checking on-line after the meeting, I learned that Cape Breton Island has two underground coal mines. I don’t know where they are; we didn’t see any sign of them. The same gentleman had to cough after every two words. I suspect he has lung problems from coal dust. So sad! The accents at the meeting had so much brogue that I only understood about half of what was said, and much of what I did understand included an “eh” at the end. I loved the meeting. Attending meetings is such an opportunity to really see what the local culture is like.

I hated to leave the Island. In some ways it is so much like home with lavender and fish and beaches, but it also has more snow, which I miss on Whidbey Island and the people are very colorful. I could easily live there if the Canadian government allowed me to and my family agreed to move with me. I must visit again!