Back in Nova Scotia

     We are back in Nova Scotia, for the last leg of our trip, exploring the Cape Breton Island.  We started the day driving to Wood Islands to take the Ferry from PEI, through more pretty landscapes.  

As I said yesterday, all of PEI is pretty. Even the ferry terminal area is pretty, surrounded by a bay where herrings gulls swim ( these are common, but new to me, so I was excited!).  We arrived early (what a surprise!), so walked around the three lighthouses at the point (one of which is still working,the other two stopped being used in 2007 and were moved to this site to form this cute little family. 

   

 

 

 

Again, the day was great for a ferry ride (we have been so lucky with the weather!), and we continued on toward Cape Breton, along beautiful highways going through forested and farmland areas. 

Our goal was Baddeck, at small town on the shore of the Bras d’or lake. This large lake cuts Cape Breton in half, has a small opening to the ocean, making it half fresh  and half brackish water as well as tidal. This makes its ecosystem unique, and, for instance, you can catch both trout and cod in it.  It is a UNESCO unique ecosystem designated area, and is very pleasant.  The top picture is the view from our little chalet.

 Out room was not ready when we arrived, so we did something very unusual for us on such a sunny day: we went to a museum:  The Alexander Graham Bell museum: Bell spent a lot of time in Baddeck, where he had a summer house, and a lot of his later work was done here.  It was very interesting.  Two things I learned that were a surprise:  Before inventing the telephone, he was a dedicated teacher and speech therapist to the deaf. He created and taught at  several schools for the deaf, including an integrated one (both deaf and hearing student), and developed ways for deaf people to communicate.  Indeed, the invention of the telephone was a side effect of these studies: he had realized that sound could travel along wires, and was wondering how this could help deaf people.

The other thing I learned is that he built the first manned aircraft in Canada, shortly after the Wright brothers (see picture of full replica above).  Our hotel, the Silver Dart is named after that plane.

 

So there! We should go to museums more often, because you learn interesting things!

 

 

The weather is continuing to be glorious, we had dinner at the tiny harbor (crab cakes and smoked salmon - we are back to our sea food only streak).

Tomorrow, we go around the Cabot trail, which goes along the entire to peninsula and into the Cape Breton Highland national park. The weather is supposed to be great again!