One of the reasons I chose this cruise was an opportunity to visit the Canadian Maritime provinces. After a sea day spent sailing along the southern coast of Nova Scotia, we arrived at Sydney on the province’s northern end: Cape Breton Island. 

Cape Breton is where Scottish first settled in the mid 1700s, finding a land with a similar landscape – forests and long slender lakes. In fact, Nova Scotia means “New Scotland”. 

They brought with them the Gaelic language and culture and settled according to their Scottish clans. For my excursion, I chose to visit a Highlands restoration village in the middle of Cape Breton Island on Bras d’or Lake. 

After an hour long bus ride through beautiful lakeside scenery, we arrived at the village. Actual structures were imported from other parts of the island and assembled on a hilltop overlooking the lake and the only place where you can see all 4 of Cape Breton’s counties.   

They are arranged by era, from the mid 18th century to the early 20th century. Most of the buildings have re-enactors dressed in period costume to explain life in that time period. And a special treat – a couple of highland cattle were grazing on the hillside – Scotland’s legendary “Hairy Coos” 😁

I was struck by how proud the islanders are of their Gaelic heritage and how fiercely they are trying to maintain it. When a language dies, so much history dies with it, so it made me very happy to see that they actively are trying to maintain the tradition. 

I spent a little bit of time in the port we docked in, Sydney. Interestingly, it was established at the same time as Sydney, Australia and was set up with a similar street plan and street names. It certainly has not grown like its sister, but an interesting time capsule from the 1780s. And I found the Tim Horton’s, as I always do in Canada (which is never very hard lol)

I loved learning about the Gaelic traditions and meeting the people of Cape Breton Island.