Nova Scotia: Cape Breton

I am so far behind.  It's August 5th -- almost August 6th -- and I left Nova Scotia on July 29th.  :(  I even had Nicky write my last two entries for me and I'm still behind.  :(  Anyway...

After leaving PEI, I explored two parts of Nova Scotia:  Cape Breton, which is the northeast corner, and Halifax, which is the capital and along the southern coast of the province.  I apparently became really accustomed to how small PEI was, because when I got to NS, I was surprised to discover how big the province was and how far apart everything was!  That damn road atlas keeps fooling me.  On the paper, all the states and provinces look like they are the same size!  But they're not!

So my time in Cape Breton was shorter than I would have liked.  The good news about that, though, is that I would gladly go back to see more.  More of Cape Breton and all of NS, for that matter.

I spent the bulk of my day in and near Cheticamp, which, like much of PEI, is an Acadian refuge.  I'm sure not sure if Cape Breton is more folksy or less folksy than PEI, but suffice to say, one of the main attractions in the area is this dude's giant collection of really ugly scarecrows.  They just hang out on the side of the road, wearing clothes that Goodwill rejects.

"The Wedding Party."

I also stopped at a local museum, half of which was dedicated to the history of the area and its people (mostly old fishing villages) and half of which was dedicated to ... hook rugs.  Apparently, hook rugs are a respectable art form, and indeed some of the rugs on display (both old and new) were quite intricate and attractive.

A young artist, practicing hooking.

A few more:

A traditional fishwife.

I know all about art; I just don't know what I like.

While camping on PEI, a fellow camper gave me some tips about Cape Breton, notably that it is an area well-known for its live local music.  So I headed out that evening to an inn about 40 minutes away (nothing is close by up there) for a pretty nice (but expensive!) dinner and some music.  It was kind of celtic, I guess.  I wish I'd written down my impression of the music at the time, so I could better describe it now.  Quite pleasant, without fading into the background.

And for those who like to know what I eat, I had something new here.  A risotto made of barley.  Yes.  It was a tad salty for my tastes, but otherwise was quite good and seemed pretty healthy too.  The gingerbread cake after dinner was perfection, and extremely healthy.