One of the other guests here at the B&B picked up some beach glass at a beach that I'm not even sure had a name. It was definitely out of the way. I actually encountered a large pothole full of water (water everywhere!) and made the decision to zoom through the side of it. It worked! I got through.
I did not find one piece of beach glass, except some recently broken beer bottles, but I did find lots of shells and some of nature's most beautiful beach art.
These were fascinating - very thin rocks kind of sandwiched in-between a couple of boulders.
Most of the beach was rocks, large and small, and a ton of squishy seaweed. I sunk down to my ankles more than once. Eeeewww!
I walked out on these rocks as far as I could. Ran out of rock!
Beautiful view.
The co-owner / chef at The Lobster Pound learned that I liked lighthouses so he told me how to get to one that was not on my list. "Drive to the Seal Island bridge, but don't cross it. Pull off to the side of the road, run across the highway quickly, find the unmarked dirt path, follow it and you will come to McNeil Beach Lighthouse." I was up for the challenge. I only thought about backing out one or two or three times, as I was basically walking through the woods by myself.
I came to the end of the trail, which was directly under the Seal Island bridge, but I saw NO lighthouse! Darn. Climb back up the path, and as soon as I started crossing the bridge I looked over to my left and there it was, and it was pretty. I couldn't pull off onto the side of the bridge, and since it was a major highway, everyone was driving super fast. I had to get to the other side until I could get any kind of view of the lighthouse.
It is to the right of the bridge. Pretty bridge, huh? More water!
Here's a picture I found on the Internet. Pretty little lighthouse.
Later I found out that it's on an island (go figure) - Boularderie Island.
I thought I was on the mainland!
On the recommendation of Jane (B&B), I drove to the Gaelic College, which was real close to the Seal Island bridge. The Gaelic College is in St. Ann's. Colaisde na Gàidhlig is first and foremost an educational non-profit institution, offering year-round programming in the culture, music, language, crafts, customs, and traditions of the immigrants from the Highlands of Scotland. Currently, students are able to choose to study from over ten traditional arts, including Cape Breton fiddle, piano, guitar, step-dancing, and piping, highland dancing, weaving, and of course Gaelic language. The only institution of its kind in North America, students of all ages and skill levels visit the College every year to study under some of the finest instructors in Nova Scotia Gaelic culture.
I love all things Scottish, so it was worth the visit. AND, I got there in time to witness my first ceilidh. How do you pronounce it and what is it? Pronunciation: Kay-lee. Not at all how it looks like it should be pronounced. What an incredibly difficult language to learn. What is it? It's a "visit," a party, gathering, or the like, at which dancing, singing, and storytelling are the usual forms of entertainment. We got to hear a bagpiper, piano, fiddle as well as watch some dancing and listen to some singing. I'm thinking that if more people would do this kind of "visit" with their friends and neighbors worldwide, we'd have more people find peace and happiness.
This hall is an exhibit on the Scottish people and their culture - music, language, weaving, etc.
All of the halls serve at least two purposes, one of those purposes being dorm rooms.
Love these "washroom" signs.
My first ceilidh! Toe-tapping fun!
Onward down the road, well, quite a ways (thank goodness for GPS and Google Maps), I ended up in Baddeck. This is a fun little village, totally designed for tourists. Lots of quaint hotels and bed & breakfast establishments, some fun shops, a marina, a yacht club (so unpretentious), and restaurants. AND, a lighthouse.
Kidston Light from land.
The village of Baddeck from the end of the wharf.
Kidston Light from the water.
Jane (B&B) recommended that I try and take a sail on the Ameoba so I went to the end of the wharf where they dock. I had just missed the 2:30 sailing, so I waited around - had a lobster lunch - and went back down to catch the 4:30 sail. Well, the 4:30 sail was a private sail, for a tour company, so I was super disappointed. But, one passenger did not show up, so I made it on to the boat! $25 to take a 90 minute sail around Kidston Island and to view Alexander Graham Bell's property and the house in which he lived.
Our pirate captain taking on another pirate captain!
Watching a bald eagle come scoop up some food we threw out into the water,
On Bell's property - a reading room with a westerly view for a great sunset.
Alexander Graham Bell's home. He was born in Scotland, moved to Boston, did not like the heat of Boston, and moved to Cape Breton / Nova Scotia. This house is still in the family and a granddaughter was recently living there. The owner of National Geographic also lives on the property.
Having a good time with a group of very elderly tourists.
I have been having a odd feeling not being able to see the sunset into the water. It feels backwards. Oh, and I just learned on this day that I'm not in the Eastern time zone but in the Atlantic time zone, which is four hours difference from home. Been here three days and did not know that!
Anyway, I went in search of a sunset and found it, where else, at a lighthouse! It took me a little over an hour to get from Baddeck to New Waterford, but it was worth it.
Low Point Lighthouse - one that actually had a working light!
Aaaah! A sunset into the ocean.
I love the picture you took lighthouse from land, with the flowers in the foreground and the sailboat in the distance. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThat was my favorite picture too!
ReplyDelete