Getting to know Sydney, Nova Scotia

Our ferry crossing from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia was uneventful, but it made for a long day yesterday.  We slept long and hard last night.  This morning we woke up early, took a walk around our campground to acquaint ourselves with Ben Eoin Beach on beautiful Bras D'Or Lake, then planned our day.

The weather was iffy, so we decided to play tourists in downtown Sydney and then do some necessary grocery shopping.  Sydney's waterfront has been improved for pleasant recreation and strolling, and the tourist information center is located down there, so we made that our first goal:

The tourist information center is located at the cruise terminal, where Sydney accepts very large cruises.  The wharf boasts the world's largest fiddle, a sculpture in steel titled, "The Big Cheilidh Fiddle," or "Fidheall Mhor A Cheilidh" in Gaelic.  A "cheilidh," in Irish or Scottish Gaelic, means a social visit.  The custom of fiddling grew up in Gaelic households -- both in Nova Scotia and in the Old Country -- in connection with these social visits, which are also often referred to as "kitchen parties."  Someone would always have a fiddle to pull out, and whoever was around would join in the step dancing to the sound of one or more fiddles.  The sentiments that a fiddle produces in the Nova Scotia Gaelic community can be summed up in this passage from "Headin' for Halifax," by Alastair D. Macdonald:

"One thing I know, wherever I go,
My heart's in Cape Breton:  it will always be so.
Whenever the fiddler rosins the bow,
My first and last thoughts are for home."

So how could we not join in the fiddlin' and take a selfy with that beloved big fiddle:

We wandered into the cruise terminal, only to find a giant model of a lighthouse, inside of which was a small theater that plays a video telling the history of fiddling in Nova Scotia:

We stopped at the info center, picked up a walking map, and started our own walking tour through the center of town.  Truthfully, it was not a long walk, because the historic and interesting part of Sydney amounts to a 1-mile stretch, two blocks wide, along Charlotte Street and the waterfront.  In this neighborhood, the streets are lovely and tree-lined, with maybe a dozen historic buildings sprinkled among well-kept clapboard frame houses and more modern 2- or 3-story office buildings.

The one historic building that took David's fancy was the Anglican Church of St. George:

David likes unique architecture, and both lighthouses and churches embody this, so he is always eager to include photos of those structures in his blogs.  One of sayings is, "A lighthouse and a church a day keep the architectural blahs away."

We wandered further along Charlotte Street until we found our lunch spot, The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse:

It seemed to us that a traditional pub like this, with an Irish theme, couldn't be bad, and we were right.  The mural on the wall says it all:

Kathy celebrated the occasion with a pint of that good old Guinness -- on nitro!

David had a pint of a local beer, but particularly savored the seafood chowder and Irish soda bread.  No more details or you may get jealous.

Thus re-energized, we found the far end of the waterfront boardwalk and strolled along it the mile back to the visitor center where we were parked:

Along the way, we stopped to contemplate the memorial to merchant seamen.

The historical marker with the sculpture revealed that 276 merchant marine boats were sunk by the Germans as they attempted to deliver supplies to the Allies during World War II.  Many seaman survived multiple sinkings, only to ship out again on another boat to run the same risks again.

Earlier in the day, at breakast in an unpretentous diner across the road from our campground, we learned that the local Heritage Arts Theatre in Sydney was performing a musical comedy called, "Kitchen Party" tonight, and it looked like fun.  It is stated by the Heritage Arts Theatre, which is housed in a local historic church building:

We really enjoyed the performance.  It was based on original compositions and traditional music expressing the culture and spirit of Nova Scotia.  The play also explored the modern dilemma of somany Nova Scotian Cape Bretons about whether to stay on the islands, where there are no jobs but many family and cultural ties, or whether to leave the Island for jobs in Toronto or Alberta.  We were touched by the performance, and we're only disappointed that others outside Nova Scotia will not see this jewel of a musical.