7. CAPE BRETON ISLAND
A ferry sails you to Cape Breton Island. Known to the French as “Isle Royale,” this island changed hands between colonial powers several times, creating a unique culture that blends Acadian and Gaelic traditions. Journey through a dramatic landscape that echoes the Highlands and the great shoreline cliffs of Brittany in France; enjoy some panoramic views of the Canso Causeway at lunch today. Travel through Baddeck, a village on the coast of Bras d’Or Lake, which is an inland sea ringed with cliffs and rolling mountains – it’s a favorite fishing spot for bald eagles. Drive north to Ingonish and the Keltic Lodge, a Tudor-style château nestled on a cliff surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, where your accommodations are at the Inn at Keltic. Meals BLD
Cape Breton Island is the only place in North America where Gaelic is a living language and culture; the Cabot Trail winds through the island. Visit
Sherbrooke Village for a look at 19th-century life in Nova Scotia
8. NATURE WALK / COOKING DEMONSTRATION The greeters wear kilts at the Keltic Lodge, a sign of what’s in store at this outstanding resort which offers first-class hospitality with a Highlands flair. Spend the entire day as you please. There are a variety of optional activities at the resort (some at an additional cost), including links golf, tennis, and whale watching; hike the beach or the nature trail, or perhaps enjoy time at the spa. Late afternoon, learn about the indigenous wildlife at a presentation given by a naturalist. Get a good “taste” of what Nova Scotia cuisine is all about at a cooking demonstration prior to dinner this evening. Meals BLD
country estate. Depart New Brunswick for Prince Edward Island over the Confederation Bridge, spanning eight miles of blue water, and arrive at Charlottetown late afternoon. A charming small-town of a city known as “The Birthplace of Canada,” it is also the capital city of Prince Edward Island. You’ll be spending the next two nights at the Delta Prince Edward, overlooking the harbor. Dine at your leisure at the hotel’s restaurant, one of the city’s finest. Meals BLD
6. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES / PEI NATIONAL PARK Prince Edward Island is truly a storybook setting where you’ll find yourself immersed in picturesque, inspirational scenes of Victorian farmsteads, green rolling fields, and red sand beaches reposing between seas and skies of vibrant blue. See the scenic fishing town of North Rustico (“Rossicot”), home to a thriving Acadian population. Visit the farm (“the wondercastle of my childhood”) where author Lucy Maud Montgomery created her beloved fictional orphan Anne Shirley – the house is a museum with rooms preserved as they were in 1908 – you’ll also visit the Green Gables farmhouse in Cavendish that served as actual inspiration. Lunch in New Glasgow at a family restaurant where the locals like to eat, specializing in fresh lobster that is prepared the island way. You’ll end the afternoon exploring the dunes at Prince Edward Island National Park, where you’ll experience an ecology so fragile that a few wayward human steps could alter the future of the landscape forever. Meals BL
92
9. THE AMAZING CABOT TRAIL / NATURE HIKE Experience breathtaking coastal landscapes on the Cabot Trail, a serpentine highway that is one of the world’s most exciting and scenic drives. The winding road is carved into the side of mountains along unforgettable ocean vistas, ascending to the plateaus of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Drive through a landscape rich in rugged barrens, waterfalls, cliffs, and panoramic views of canyons, highlands, and seacoast. You’ll visit Chéticamp, an Acadian fishing community on the Cabot Trail, before returning to Keltic Lodge. Music is synonymous with Cape Breton; this evening, take part in a unique, lively Cape Breton tradition – a “kitchen party” at Keltic Lodge, featuring local cuisine, spirits, tastings, and Celtic music. Meals BLD
10. GAELIC COLLEGE / BELL MUSEUM A highlight of this trip is today’s visit to the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts at Englishtown, where you’ll learn about Nova Scotia’s Scottish Gaelic culture. See North America’s first Gaelic language short film, The Wake of Calum MacLeod; watch a kilt-making demonstration, and learn a little Gaelic – through song – while learning about the fabric milling tradition. Return to Baddeck, home of Alexander Graham Bell and a museum dedicated to his achievements; there was a lot more to this tireless inventor than the telephone. Explore Sherbrooke Village, a recreation of a 19th-century Nova Scotia town, and discover what life was like during the industrial boom times of the island, between 1860 and World War I. Arrive at the Liscombe Lodge, a rustic lodge nestled in a romantic wooded setting. The lodge is famous for its home-style local cuisine; before dinner, you’ll be introduced to their signature specialty, planked salmon, via a cooking demonstration in the traditional art of preparing it. Meals BLD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120