Pictou & Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

One edifying piece of information we learned about Canada is that California has a larger population than the population of Canada as a whole. The lack of density, except for the dense forests, allows for much breathing space in the provinces. The crisp, fresh air is downright intoxicating.

We disembarked our ferry from PEI in Pictou, Nova Scotia, where we stayed the night. Pictou is called the “Birthplace of New Scotland.” The boats carrying the first waves of people emigrating from Scotland landed here. The owner of the nautically decorated B & B where we stayed, Michelle, gave us some helpful tips on what to see in Nova Scotia. Her mom, an amazing baker and cook, made all the mouth-watering scones, muffins and breakfast casseroles. At breakfast we chatted with interesting people from all over – England, Saskatchewan, Pennsylvania, Ontario.

Then we were off to Baddeck Bay on Cape Breton Island, where we took Michelle’s advice and went on a sailing tour. We sailed Bras d’Or Lake on the Amoeba. There we saw up close bald eagles and the homes of Alexander Graham Bell (Beinn Bhreagh, meaning “beautiful mountain”), the creator of National Geographic and the lead lawyer who defended BP after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The weather was, once again, beautiful, in the high sixties.  Our salty captain, whose father built the boat, had a bawdy sense of humor.  We laughed and laughed.  See some of his comments in the gallery.

Afterward, we toured the Alexander Bell Museum in Baddeck. Emigrating from Scotland to Canada, he had homes in Washington, DC, and in Baddeck.  He had to work his patents in DC; but being a Scot, he could not take its muggy climate.  He spent more and more time at his home in Cape Breton, his final resting place. He invented things by night and worked by day with the deaf. Helen Keller visited him frequently and was thankful that he opened up the world to the hearing impaired.  Both his wife and mother were deaf. He, like Leonardo da Vinci, was also a Renaissance man. He worked on many inventions in addition to the telephone, receiving a total of 18 patents. These included 14 for the telephone and telegraph, four for the photophone, one for the phonograph, five for aerial vehicles, four for “hydro-airplanes” and two for selenium cells. Bell’s inventions spanned a wide range of interests and included a metal jacket to assist in breathing, the audiometer to detect minor hearing problems, a device to locate icebergs, investigations on how to separate salt from seawater, and work on finding alternative fuels.

After our sailing experience, we traveled northerly on the island to Ingonish, where we stayed in a picturesque cabin for two days.  Ingonish is a lovely place near the world-famous Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We spent time following its coast and hiking its trail.  Wow, what a beautiful part of the world.