Sydney, Nova Scotia, and Charlottetown, Prince Edwards Island

The town of Sydney, on Cape Breton Island, which is part of Canada's Province of Nova Scotia, is not really a destination in itself - although the island is stunningly beautiful.  Most of the attractions required a car, which we decided we should rent for the day - Tuesday, September 10, 2019.  Some of the attractions were closed for the day due to power outages from Hurricane Dorian, so we were not sure what we would be able to do.  We found the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site open in the charming coastal town of Baddeck on the beautiful Bras d'Or Lake.

Alexander Bell was quite an amazing inventor!  I found the connection he had to Helen Keller quite interesting and insightful regarding his fascination with sound.  After visiting the museum, we walked through the quaint little town of Baddeck and stopped at a little cafe for lunch.  The area was just charming with its shingle homes, lush greenery and lake.

On our return, we drove a portion of the picturesque Cabot Trail, a scenic roadway that looked like there was a car ferry that would cross over the bay and take us back to Sydney.  But when our GPS said the ferry was closed, we turned back and returned the way we had come.  When we got to where the ferry crossing was, we saw that it was operational.  Oh well, better safe than sorry I guess.

The symbol of Sydney is the fiddle, which represents the Celtic Heritage which still lives on in the lives of Scottish immigrants.  This is the only place in North America where Gaelic is still spoken.  Near the port is a Big Fiddle, made of steel, which is 17 meters tall and weighs 8 tons. 

That evening I snapped a couple of photos of the cruise production.  The quality of the nightly entertainment was quite good on this ship.

On Wednesday, we arrived at Charlottetown, Prince Edwards Island without a clear plan of action.  Besides being the Anne of Green Gables home, and the provincial capital of P.E.I, it didn't hold any particular interest for us.  Perhaps it was the overcast skies and light drizzle that dampened our day, but we set out on a walking tour to see the town anyway.  Here's a picture overview of what we saw, starting with the Canadian Mountie and ending with the Government House.  I do think it was a sweet town, with a mix of urban vibe and country charm.

 

Probably the best thing we did that day was to stop and enjoy one or two (or three or four?) of the famed "Cows" 32-flavors of ice cream.  Sadly, I have to admit that it topped good ole' Texas Blue Bell ice cream without a doubt.