Sydney, Nova Scotia - Sept 18th - 20th

We left Halifax at 9 am for our long drive to Sydney NS. As forecast, we had sprinkles for the first hour and then the skies lightened and the roads dried all the way to Baddeck. 

Ray made the decision to take the highway that seemed in better shape. This way, we went through Baddeck which is on our list to visit and see the Alexander Graham Bell exhibit. The hotel texted and said not to check in before 4 so we had plenty of time. 

We had lunch first at the Freight Shed Bistro. Ray went and took some pictures while waiting for our meal.

Where we had lunch.

Another lobster roll for Ray and I ordered scallops with prawns.

This will probably be the last of the seafood for us for awhile. Gas here is $1.98 a litre and diesel, which the fish boats use and the truckers for freight, is at a all-time high of $2.70 per litre.Those costs will be transferred to the customer .... ME! Seafood prices are already high. A lobster roll is between $30 to $35 now.

Next up the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Picture from Google.

Be inspired by the fascinating life and work of Alexander Graham Bell – inventor, scientist, teacher, and devoted family man. Wake up your own spirit of innovation through diverse experiences, as you explore his inventions that helped shape our modern world.

Marvel at full-scale replicas of the Silver Dart airplane and HD-4 watercraft, take the White Glove Tour for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the genius of Bell, or Come Fly a Kite overlooking the beautiful water views of Baddeck Bay.

This contraption he designed to help his daughter breath. I imagine it was the beginning of the "iron lung".

It took as an hour or so to see all the exhibits. What stuck out in my mind was that in school we were taught that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Most of the exhibits were his other inventions, especially to do with flying.

Early Life and Work with the Deaf

• Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3, 1847.
• His mother and his wife, Mabel Hubbard, were both deaf, which deeply shaped his interest in sound and communication.
• He taught speech to deaf students in Boston and opened his own school.
• He also tutored Helen Keller and remained her lifelong friend. 

Inventing the Telephone

• Bell experimented with a harmonic telegraph to send multiple messages over a single wire at different frequencies.
• This work led him to believe he could transmit the actual human voice.
• On March 10, 1876, Bell spoke into his device to his assistant, Thomas Watson, saying: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you".
• Watson heard him clearly through the wire, marking the birth of the telephone.
• He patented the invention in 1876 and co-founded the Bell Telephone Company shortly after.

Other Inventions and Later Life

• Bell invented the photophone to transmit sound using light beams and improved the phonograph.
• He also helped develop an early metal detector to find a bullet in U.S. President James A. Garfield.
• Later in life, he focused heavily on aviation, hydrofoil boats, and kites.
• He served as president of the National Geographic Society.
• He died on August 2, 1922, at his estate in Nova Scotia, Canada.

It's really interesting and took about an hour to go through.

Baddeck Lighthouse.

Our arrival was right at 4 pm. Check-in somewhat difficult. You have to call them and wait for them to open the door. Have all your luggage on the doorstep before they let you in! Then you must take off your shoes ... no outside shoes allowed on their floors. It took about 10 minutes for her to "sign you in" and give you door codes. At least all our luggage was carried upstairs. What a pain. Ray certainly wasn't enamoured after a long day. Fortunately the place is very nice. This is a hotel that has been in business since 1785 and is the oldest hotel in Canada. and this family has run it for over 50 years. Hopefully our further interactions with the hostess is limited.

It is no wonder they don't want your shoes on though. The original floors are gorgeous. Picture from google.

Our room, look at that headboard.

We were in bed by 9:15 pm after a long day. Both of us are hurting units. At least this is a king-size bed so we should sleep somewhat better.

Goodnight from Sydney NS.

Saturday morning we were off about 8:30 am. Today's adventure would take us the 45 minutes into Louisbourg to visit the Fortress of Louisbourg.

First though a stop at A & W for breakfast.

Our first glimpse driving up. We were quite bundled up as the wind is howling. 

The Fortress of Louisbourg is a tourist attraction as a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
The Fortress of Louisbourg is historically significant as a major 18th-century French military stronghold and commercial hub that played a pivotal role in the struggle between France and Britain for control of North America.

Strategic Military and Economic Role

Guardian of the St. Lawrence: Built by France in 1713 on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the fortress guarded the entrance to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence—the primary shipping and access route to French settlements like Quebec and Montreal.

Center of the Cod Fishery: It protected France's hold on the Grand Banks, one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, serving as the economic engine for a lucrative transatlantic trade network.

The "Gibraltar of the North":

Because of its massive fortifications and strategic value, it was heavily fortified, earning nicknames like the "Gibraltar of the North" or the "Dunkirk of America".

Key Historical Conflicts

The 1745 Siege: New England colonial forces launched a surprise religious and military crusade, capturing the fortress in 46 days, though it was later handed back to France via treaty.

The 1758 Siege: During the Seven Years' War, a massive British force besieged and recaptured the port. This defeat broke France's maritime defense line and directly cleared the path for the British capture of Quebec.

Demolition: Convinced it should never threaten them again, the British systematically demolished the stone fortifications between 1760 and 1768.

Cultural and Archaeological Legacy

Diverse Colonial History: The town was a melting pot of Mi'kmaw, French, Basque, German, British, and African peoples, including figures like Marie Marguerite Rose, recorded as Canada's first free Black businesswoman.

Massive Reconstruction: 

Designated a National Historic Site, roughly a quarter of the original walled town was reconstructed by Parks Canada beginning in the 1960s, making it one of the largest historical reconstructions in North America

Here is a rendering of what the fortress was supposed to be like and a brochure of the place now.

Needless to say it's a lot of walking in 2 hours lol. They also had people dressed up in character strategically placed to answer any questions.

Making lace for fancy dresses.

Although it looks like a "Moat" around the walls I was told it was a ditch so the cannonballs could not reach the base of the walls under fire and destroy the foundation.

The Governor's Rooms

Most of the furniture was aquired from France for period correct pieces.

This site opened at 9:30 am and that is when we arrived. Good timing as the parking lots were full when we left just before noon.

Lunch is at Spoondrift Cafe. Time to warm up. Ray had chowder and I had vegetable soup and chicken salad sandwich.

 

After lunch we did a little driving tour through Louisbourg and then to the lighthouse.

Time to head back to the hotel. It just started to sprinkle briefly on our drive back. The leaves are starting to turn here. Frost warnings for a couple of days so I'm sure the red will pick up even more.

Since it's so windy, with white caps in the harbour, we knew we wouldn't be walking on the waterfront so I drove us to the "Big Fiddle" to take a picture before going to the hotel. This place gets real busy when a cruise ship comes in. Today most of the shops were closed.

For Dinner tonight we chose an Irish Pub a couple blocks away. They have live music, so it was a nice stop for a bite.

Sunday morning we woke to sunny skies but OMG Cold! only 4C outside and our room is the same it seemed. This old hotel doesn't have it's heat on yet. I think we are mostly sitting around today and recovering from all our walking.

As I got out of the shower (to warm up) the fire alarm sounded. At first I thought it was a test. Ray opened the door and smelled smoke.  I hurriedly dryed and threw my clothes on, grabbed my phone, purse and coat and was headed out the door. Just as we were opening the door to the stairwell one of the guests came up and said no fire. Carmen started a fire in the fireplace and the smoke backed up into the room instead of up the chimney. Whew. We realized after, we forgot the car keys. lol It was a good practice though.

For breakfast we walked a couple of blocks to the Selkie's Neighbourhood Diner. There's a 20 minute wait but it was worth it. Delicious. Eggs Benedict for Ray and for me French Toast with fresh picked blueberries made into compote. Yummm.

Back to the hotel for a bit before deciding what to do next. Finally we decided to walk the waterfront boardwalk as the sun's out and it's quite a bit warmer. Warmer than our room as the boiler heat had not been turned on yet.

2 cruise ships in today. That is why we went to the Fortress yesterday. 

At the pier there's a public market only open on cruise days. We walked around and started talking to a lady about a lighthouse that turns out is only 15 minutes outside town. She's so friendly she actually wrote out the directions for Ray and gave him her phone number in case we had trouble. So nice!

Back to the hotel to get the car and off we went. This is called the Low Point Lighthouse. I may have bought a sweatshirt from her with the name on it. lol Great reflection in the puddle Ray! Fabulous clouds today as well.

There is a bunch of these old wood frames down on the beach. I think it is for ballast to keep the bank from eroding.

A short but a bit muddy walk to the lighthouse. Back in the car to stop at the Fort Petrie Military Museum. A pretty small representation compared to the other batteries we've seen recently. This is all run by volunteers.

We just parked and Ray walked to the overlook and this happened. Run Ray Run!

Outside displays

We've been so fortunate with the weather. Today's sunny and about 12C but the wind is minimal. By 1:30 the clouds came in thicker getting ready for some rain overnight.

Time to go back to the hotel and park the car. Today's late lunch is at the Govenor's Pub. It's too busy yesterday for dinner, so we went at 3 pm today instead.

Back home at 4 pm. Our room's still really cold. We crawled under blankets and had a nap, what else do you do?

At 5 pm I texted Carmen and she turned on the boilers. By 6 the room is nice and toasty. Yay!

Tomorrow off to Ingonnish overnight and then on Tuesday we drive the Cabot Trail.