Telephones, Lobsters, and History!

September 7, 2023 and September 8, 2023

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was rainy and cold so we just stayed in and read and rested in the afternoon. Today it’s sunny, there’s still a small chill in the air but it is a nice day to go and explore the historic town of Baddeck. Baddeck is known for its connection with Alexander Graham Bell. He and his wife had a home in Baddeck and spent lots of time there. Their homestead now has the Alexander Graham Bell Museum on it as well as some gardens that you can walk around that his wife, Mabel, was famous for. Unfortunately, the museum does not allow dogs, we hadn’t checked into our Airbnb yet and it was too warm to leave Zorro in the truck so I had to miss the museum tour. Nikki, Bob, and Sharon went inside and had a great time. I will let Nikki write about the museum and what she learned.

We all know Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone but there was so much more to this inventor than that. His grandfather, father, and brother were all involved in speech therapy and his mother and wife were both deaf. He started inventing at an early age and at 12 he invented a dehusking machine that was used on the neighbours' farm for many years. He was very affected by his mothers' deafness and that led to him studying acoustics, and teaching the deaf - which led him to his wife, and the eventual invention of the telephone. 

The range of Bell's inventive genius is represented only in part by the 18 patents granted in his name alone and the 12 he shared with his collaborators. These included 14 for the telephone and telegraph, four for the photophone, one for the phonograph, five for aerial vehicles, four for "hydroairplanes", and two for selenium cells. Bell's inventions spanned a wide range of interests and included a metal jacket to assist in breathing, the audiometer to detect minor hearing problems, a device to locate icebergs, investigations on how to separate salt from seawater, and work on finding alternative fuels. The plane he invented was the first plane to fly in Canada on February 23, 1909. He was a curious man with an inventive mind I would recommend reading one of the many biographies on him to learn more about this amazing man who impacted all of us! 

I enjoyed a nice walk along the boardwalk with Zorro. I parked by the pier and walked along the boardwalk that follows Water Street through Alexander Graham Bell Park. Along the way, I met this nice couple sitting on a bench and they looked after Zorro for a while. 

We went for an early dinner at the Baddeck Lobster Supper restaurant and what a feast we had, it was delicious. We then headed to our Airbnb which was just outside Sydney for a much-needed rest. 

The next day we explored the Fortress of Louisbourg, which was built in the 1700s by the French and is a National Historic Site of Canada

This fortress was built to house an entire community within its walls, the French came here in 1713 and started building the fortress in 1719 and it was only completed just before the first siege in 1745. For a time this was a critical port for France and the salted cod that was caught in Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island - the only remaining French-controlled areas in Canada, was brought here to be shipped back to France. 

Unfortunately for the French, the fortress was not easily defendable because of the geography and it was captured by the British in 1745. It was returned to the French in a treaty in 1748 and then fell to the British in 1758 and this time the British decided to destroy the walls so that it could never again be a fortified city. 

This is one of very few old forts that didn’t have a modern city built upon it and in the 1960s the Canadian government started a $25 million restoration that spanned over 20 years now it is a National Historic Site which is impressive and allows you to explore history in a very personal way with the staff in full costume and with a character they portray while at work. 

Unfortunately, we thought it would be ok to bring the dog as usually these forts are all outside and we have been able to take Zorro however, he wasn’t allowed on the grounds so I went over to the Louisbourg Lighthouse with Zorro to have a walk around some of the trails. It was such a beautiful area. I found some Adirondack chairs that looked out to the Fort on the other side of Louisbourg Harbour. I went back and picked up the crew and took them over to see it as well. We had lunch at a nice picnic area looking out over the harbour. 

On our way back we stopped in Sydney to have a quick look around, what a great city. We headed down to the harbour to walk along the sea wall and check out some of the sites. We came across oversized instruments and chairs as well as some cool sculptures. After which we headed back to our Airbnb for the night. 

Come back soon and read about the rest of our trip as we head to Chester to visit with Bob’s Uncle and we even get out for a sail. 

Thanks for following along.