14th September 2022
Today we leave Nova Scotia and have a long drive to Prince Edward Island. An early start is required, so it is breakfast at 7 am and on the road by 8 am. Cape Breton has been amazing, but I think we have had enough of Ingonish. Unfortunately, because it is mostly National Park, there are very few places to stay along the way.
Most of todays drive is inland, although we do spend some time following the edge of a large inland lake, Bras D’or Lake. Our only planned tourist stop is at a town on the lake, Baddeck where Alexander Graham Bell spent much of his time and a museum covering his many achievements is located. Baddeck was the location of Bell's summer residence, and where lived his final days.
The museum is a bit of an eye opener, as Alexander Bell was a prolific inventor and it is full of the many projects he worked on as well as his invention of the telephone and founding AT&T. His exploits into aviation and hydrofoil design were aspects of his life I was unaware of. There was a lot to take in and we spent a good amount of time there before continuing our trip to PEI.
A Hydrofoil boat designed by Bell and a colleague which was a precursor to one that became the Worlds Fastest Boat
Two options are available to cross the water to PEI from Nova Scotia, a ferry or a toll bridge. We decided we would try the ferry over and take the bridge back as that seemed to be the shortest option for us, even though the ferry takes 75 minutes. We planned to meet the 1.30 pm ferry requiring us to be at the terminal by 12.50pm. The charge for the trip was a bit bewildering. You could book a spot on the ferry, which guaranteed that you would sail at the nominated time for $84, or you could turn up, hope you get on board and travel for free. It is not peak season, so we opted for the latter and had no problem getting a spot.
Food was available on board with a reasonable selection unless you wanted seafood chowder, which they had run out of. This has been a common experience so far, but we will get some chowder somewhere.
It was a very smooth trip and once berthed on PEI we only had about a 45 minute drive to our hotel in Charlottetown. We noted on the trip across the water that there were 2 cruise ships berthed in town so some of the tourist spots will be busy. We arrived at the hotel at around 4 pm, and once settled in, there was a rush for the hotel laundry where one washing machine was available for guests to do their own washing. We managed to get some done and ran out of time to use the dryer so our room looks like a Chinese laundry.
Dinner tonight is a short walk away at the Claddagh Oyster House. A small restaurant attached to an Irish Pub. It was crowded so we were glad we had booked. The food, and beer, were excellent, with a wide selection of local oysters, seafood and a good range of meat dishes. We tried the oysters and are pleased to report the Australian Oyster industry is not under threat from here. The fish was very good and we washed is down with a d’Arenberg Viognier.
Tomorrow we will spend sightseeing, before heading back to the mainland on Friday.
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