Ceilidh and Cabot's Trail

The ceilidh experience last night was a good one. About 85 people packed into a little hall to enjoy traditional Celtic music and dancing performed (and taught, in the case of the dancing) by local artists. (Reserved seats were available. You simply went to the door about an hour ahead of time, got a sticky note, and put it on a chair!) The guitarist was amazing, and we found out later that he taught jazz guitar at a university somewhere. They played fiddle, guitar, did step dancing, and taught a type of square dance to lucky volunteers. (No, don’t even imagine it.) It was all pretty informal, including a time when one of the guests (from Quebec) got out his violin and played a few tunes, and the time when a local skateboarder wheeled by and dropped in to sing a song in Gaelic. The audience was quite international – USA, Australia, Switzerland, and of course all parts of Canada. It will probably come as no surprise to you however, to hear that about halfway through the evening I turned around and spotted Sherry Argue – Grant’s high school band teacher! It turned out that we were staying in the same inn and we had breakfast together this morning as well.
After breakfast we hit the Cabot Trail. The weather was beautiful and the drive was very scenic. We stopped at a number of look-offs (remember, there is no such thing as a look out here), and at one beach called “Cabot’s Landing”. It was not at all well marked on the map, and it’s a wonder John Cabot found it at all. This was our first ‘dip’ in the Atlantic (getting drenched by Atlantic water on whale watching - I mean whale searching - doesn’t count.) The Cabot Trail winds though a variety of countryside, and up some very steep grades. It also passes through Chéticamp, an Acadian village where almost all the signs are in French. Rob informed me that my French classes have been almost useless, as I was not able to do too much translation. We stopped at a local restaurant (see photo of lighthouse-shaped building) and had traditional local food – fishcakes and meatpie. You can guess which one of us had which meal. It was also at this location where I think I may have had the opportunity to win the photo contest by taking a picture of Rob with a hooker. Relax…… this village is famous for its rug hooking and there was a demonstration going on in one of the shops. Anyway, the opportunity was missed, perhaps all for the best.
After finishing the Cabot Trail drive, we decided to drive one more hour and visit the coastal city of Sydney. We went for a great walk down more historic streets and along the harbour boardwalk, beginning and ending at the giant violin, which, by the way, continually broadcasts Celtic fiddle music.
By eight o’clock we were back at Baddeck, had a leisurely meal at our Victorian Inn(photo of reddish buildings) , and are now ready for a rest before heading off to Prince Edward Island tomorrow.