I apologize to my Scottish Gaelic speakers for mangling the spelling of the above heading, but I’m not sure how to find Gaelic letters on my phone.
Anyway, today we visited a Scottish living history museum. The Scots were the first Europeans to settle in Cape Breton. They were pushed out of their native Highlands by the British, who imposed high rents and took over their land for sheep farming.
The Scots brought their Gaelic language and culture to Cape Breton, and it has thrived here ever since.
The living history museum sits high on a hill overlooking Bra D’Or Lake. The building with the grassy roof represents the kind of home that the Scottish would have lived in in Scotland in the late 1700s. As you can see, there were also folks dressed up in period costumes.The interior of the stone house above.The log cabin was the first type of house that the Scots built after arriving on Cape Breton. They were primarily farmers, growing many of the same crops that they had grown in Scotland, such as potatoes.As time went on, they were able to build a more substantial home.It seems like every house had a loom on the second floor for weaving. Even the men helped when it came time to soften the wool. They soaked it in urine, sat at a table, and sang Gaelic songs while pounding the wool cloth rhythmically on the table.The school house. This must have been after the government required them to teach English in the schools. Speaking Gaelic was frowned upon by then.Malagawatch Church, built in 1874. Most of the Scots were either Catholic or Presbyterian. This was a Presbyterian church.The interior of the church The general store and post office Here is where they did the wool carding.
The ferry…again!
We took another ferry back to the Cabot Trail. This time we were first in line.
Neither of us had noticed the guide rope the first time we had done this.Our view while on the ferry crossing to the other side
Lobster!
After arriving back at the camper, we both took showers. The power had been out when we woke up in the morning, including the water. Greg had to go out and buy coffee for breakfast. Apparently, someone down the road had run into a pole.
After getting cleaned up, we headed off for a much anticipated lobster dinner.
Seriously, you can never have too much lobster. This lobster dinner reminded me so much of my father when he used to cook lobsters for us at the Jersey Shore. They were so tender and tasted so good with melted butter.
Ceilidh
Apparently, no visit to Cape Breton would be complete without an old-fashioned Scottish ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee).
A ceilidh is an informal social gathering where people dance, sing, and tell stories. Although there was no dancing at the ceilidh that we attended, there was plenty of lively music and storytelling.
Then it was back to the camper for a much-needed rest.
Meanderings & Mind Munchies 