After leaving Baddeck and the Cabot Trail we moved location to the Arm of Gold Campground just outside of Sydney, Nova Scotia.  The distance between Baddeck and Sydney is about 70KM.. haha… not a very long drive but we wanted to be near the city and check it out without driving back and forth to Baddeck.

We drove downtown, saw the giant fiddle at the Cruise Ship Terminal and watched people fish for mackerel off the pier there.  A fellow who fishes there all the time let a young oriental girl reel in the mackerel and then they left it on the pier while we watched a otter come up and whisk it away right in front of everyone.  The joy she exhibited while reeling in the fish, the amazement as a little critter scurried from behind the wall and grabbed the fresh catch and then ran off to feed his family was something that she and her friends will never forget.  What a simple gesture that meant so much.

We drove out to Glace Bay and toured the Coal Mine and went on a tour beneath the sea in a coal tunnel.  It was dark, wet, and cramped.  I never want to go see that again.  I have such admiration for the men who made their living this way.  What a horrible job they had, with poor working conditions and low wages.

We drove out to The Fortress of Louisbourg and wandered the grounds and the buildings.  It was free admission because of Canada’s 150th Birthday.  The Fort was founded by the French in 1713 and partial reconstruction began in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  The project employed coal miners and they used some of the original stonework.  I love walking back in time and imagining how the people lived, worked and survived the elements 300 years ago.  They were tough, hardworking, resilient people.

Firing the cannon at Fort Louisbourg.

Making nails and other tools at Fort Louisbourg.

a Seagull looking for treasures at Fort Louisbourg.

Garden at Fort Louisbourg – where you can pick carrots, beans, and beets and eat them if you wish.