Our Travelogue
Canada/New England Cruise on Crown Princess
Day 7 – Sydney, Nova Scotia
The Crown Princess arrived once again under gorgeous blue skies, today in Sydney, Nova Scotia. As we entered port, the sun was rising on the horizon and was an extraordinary color of brilliant pink. We each had breakfast delivered in our cabin by room service as we had to be ready to leave the ship and tender into port by 8:30 a.m.
On the pier in Sydney is an enormous fiddle and bow. The city wanted something to commemorate their Scottish heritage. We boarded our coach for our tour of Sydney as well as a coastal drive and the tour guide began to tell us of the history of Sydney and its coal and steel industry. We drove past the “company store, where he told us a story of the men working in the mines during the week. When they needed to purchase something from the company store, they would go here and sign a ticket. By the end of the work week they “owed their souls to the company store” – remember that song? Each section of town that we passed through was dedicated to a certain sector of workers in the mines. The first was for the company leaders, the second for the white collar workers and then one of the regular workers. You had to have one man in the house working in the mine in order to live in one of these houses. Each of these houses today is well kept. There are no fences in Nova Scotia. The homes sit on probably about ¾ of an acre surrounded by mowed lawns and colorful gardens. I saw several people out mowing their lawns with regular, gas powered mowers – no ride on tractor mowers here! Behind the homes was a forest of trees. And they were all turning colors of red, gold, yellow and everything in between. This was the most changing of the colors that we have seen on our cruise so far. What was truly unfortunate was that once again, the driver would not stop for us to take pictures. The pictures Nola and I have taken have been distorted by the reflections through the coach windows. But, we have the memories – blurred but beautiful.
Our first stop today was at a Jewish Synagogue which is a lovely museum now, The Whitney Pier Historical Museum. Nola got to ride upstairs in a chair lift. At the top, we were greeted by very friendly locals all very welcoming. The hall was full of all sorts of period collectibles including sewing machines, old stoves, dolls, and thousands of other items. The ladies were dressed in long dresses with white aprons and matching bonnets. They served us coffee, tea or lemonade along with an oat biscuit. And, I got the recipe!!
Joan’s Oatcakes Recipe
Provided by the Whitney Pier Historical Museum
1 cup shortening
1 cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water.
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
Directions:
Cream first four ingredients. Add soda mixture. Add dry ingredients and mix. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll out to desired shape and thickness. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown.
As I walked outside after enjoying a cup of hot tea and biscuit, I was greeted with the sound of music coming from across the street. As I walked up to the gingerbread house, a gentlemen came down the steps and greeted me. Casimer Siepierski (Cas for short) was all smiles. He told me he had lived in this house all his life. His mother built it from the basement up and worked in the steel plant. He is 78 years old and said he plays music for the synagogue. One of the songs that played while we talked was “Good Night Irene”. On the side of the narrow steps leading up to his porch was a flat wooden plaque with a horse and covered buggy. When I left, his hands were both waving in the air and he blew me a kiss!
We traveled from there out along the coastline to the Fort Petrie Historical Museum. This was dedicated to the men who fought in World War I and World War II. The building is right on the waters’ edge and very picturesque. From there we moved on to New Waterford and Colliery Park, a memorial to the coal mine explosion that closed the mine. Off in the distance at the tip of the island, we could see Low Point Lighthouse. We then passed by the Lingen windmill farm where there were several windmills turning around and around. Each one supplies electricity to about 6,000 homes. Marconi Point is where Alexander Graham Bell’s friend sent the very first telegraph signal to Great Britain. The road was windy and full of beautiful color in the trees.
Our 3 hour tour came to an end all too soon. Once back at the cruise pier, we tried to catch a taxi, but because today was the Canadian Thanksgiving and a good number of the businesses in town were closed. We did walk up into town and past a church where they were having a Craft Fair. We made a full circle around and eventually walked along the main street along the water back to the pier. The breeze really picked up and by the time we got back to the pier, it was really blowing. Once inside, we grabbed a light lunch and then Jim and I walked through some of the shops while Nola took advantage of the free wi fi in the terminal building and caught up on her emails.
We caught our tender back to the ship and then came upstairs to the buffet and enjoyed our window table overlooking Sydney. There is a heavy chop on the water below with white caps. The skies remained clear all day with just a few puffs of white here and there. What I find so charming about this area is that the islands do not have large mountains but are rather low rolling hills. As the hills gently reach the ocean, the houses follow the mountain up to the ridgeline. You can see the large lawns and each distinct farm. It is a charming area and one I hope I can return to someday.
Tomorrow we shall be on Prince Edward Island and we’ll be in Charlottetown – the home of Anne of Green Gables. Till then…
