June 21, 2023
We were supposed to travel across PEI to the south-eastern shore and cross over to Nova Scotia (NS) on the ferry. However, we were notified that the sole ferry was out of commission that day, so we needed to travel the long way, going back over the Confederate Bridge and on to Nova Scotia from the west side.
We arrived at the small fishing village of Pictou, located on another large inlet, the Pictou Bay. We stopped at the Hector Heritage Quay & Museum. The replica of the three-mastered cargo vessel was the first ship to directly transport passengers from Scotland to Nova Scotia, which marked the beginning of a massive wave of immigration. So, Pictou was called "the birthplace of New Scotland" = Nova Scotia. Inside the museum, hung the tartans of each of the original Scottish families. We had a tour guide who shared the history of the area.
We then traveled on to the small town of Baddeck, located on the shores of the Bras d'Or Lake, in the center of Cape Breton Island, on the north east side of Nova Scotia. The lake was beautiful. There was a very large resort on the lakefront, and our hotel was across the road from the resort. This was the worse accommodations we had on the entire trip. Sort of Motel-6-ish. Our dinner, however, was in one of the event rooms at the resort, so we got to walk along the lakeside and explore a bit.
In the evening we went to the Gaelic College for an evening performance of Celtic music, called a "ceilidh". The musicians were really good, and lively. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the entire performance, as the bus driver was limited to the number of hours he could be in the bus. Oh well, go with the flow.
I can't get over the amount of coast line there is on NB, PEI and NS. They are islands, or big peninsulas, all with long inlets and numerous lakes. All beautiful. Yet, very few houses and boats along the shores. Nothing like the lower Maine and MA coastlines.
Photos:
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| Scottish tartans of the original families of Pictou |
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| Hector replica-being refurbished |
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| Pictou harbor |
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| Pictou |
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| Bras d'Or Lake, Baddeck, NS |
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| Bras d'Or Lake |
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| Nova Scotia countryside |
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