Travels in Canada (Cape Breton)

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Badeck is located just off Highway 106 about halfway between Port Hastings and Sydney. The main reason for going to Badeck is to tour the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. This museum chronicles the life and times of this great man and there is a lot to see. Many remember him as the inventor of the telephone, however he should be remembered for much more than that. He was a teacher of the deaf and devised a type of code whereby he could communicate with his students. He fell in love with and married one of his students and this marriage lasted for many years until their deaths at advanced ages. Since he owned a home in Cape Breton, he experimented with hydrofoils in the area and even built one which successfully worked. He also experimented with flight and built huge kites and other flying machines. Another pastime he endeavored to pursue was the breeding of of a better type of sheep. He thought that he could help the local economy by doing this. Originally born in Scotland of modest means, this man made his home in North America and contributed a lot to mankind. This museum has a replica of the hydrofoil that he built as well as a section of the actual one. There are videos, photographs, and other exhibits here for the visitor to see.

Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Park is located south of Sydney on Route 22. One has to drive through the scenic town of Louisbourg in order to reach the visitors center. From here, a bus takes tourists over to the site. This place is a partially reconstructed fortress/town which depicts what the place would have looked like in the 18th century. The fortress was built to repel an assault by sea so it wasn't difficult for the British to take it from land. They took it from the French somewhere in the middle of the 1700s and then returned it. After taking it again, British engineers demolished the place to prevent the French from ever returning. The site covers a huge area and there are cannon laying all over. Parks Canada personnel are presented in the clothing of that period and talk to visitors as if they were living in that period of time. There are streets and various buildings which serve as storage areas, hotels, restaurants, etc. One encounters sheep grazing in lots as well as chickens strutting around behind a fence. This is quite an interesting and educational place to visit.

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