Another Unknown Paradise

A couple of years ago, I posted a footprint entitled “The most Wonderful Place You Never Heard Of.” I could have done the same thing today as we landed at Cap-aux-Meules (pronounced cap-o-moles) off the coast of Nova Scotia. The French name of this place literally means “grindstone cape.” A large boulder in the middle of the big island here looks like a grindstone and gave the island its name. The 13,000 residents here called this archipelago “the Madeleine Islands.” The small English population here calls them the Magdalen Islands, or just “the Maggies.” These maritime islands are windswept, bare, and beautiful. Most of the residents here are fishermen for part of the year and then have other jobs when fishing is not permitted.

When we arrived this morning, the temperature was about 55° and there was a 25 mile an hour wind blowing. It felt frigid, the wind blowing the sea oats and the wild, treeless seascape looked like something out of a Winslow Homer painting. Two lighthouses here are still operational, standing watch as they look out to sea. The language here is a strange dialect of French known as Acadian. All of the residents here are descendants of the Acadian French, who were here 200 years ago. When the English arrived, they deported these people away from the islands. Some went to French possessions in the Atlantic, others went to the Caribbean, but a few wound up in Louisiana. There their name was corrupted from “Acadians” to “Cajuns.” Since then, some of their far-flung descendants have returned.

Our excursions today were fascinating. In addition to seeing some of the more beautiful flora and fauna of the region. We visited a micro brewery that flavors its beer with native wildflowers. We also visited a winery that makes a local moonshine, flavored with wild blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries, and the flavors are delicious.

The simple culture here is charming with its own little local festivals. One festival involves putting on costumes and masks and then visiting neighbors’ houses. The costumed visitors can only nod yes or no, and the host tries to guess who they are. Once a year, there is also a sandcastle construction competition. Each family builds its own sandcastle on the beach, and local officials award a prize for the best castle. There is also an annual boat-building competition. The local government provides contestants with $200 which they use to build a boat. The boats must float, and race is held. The winner of the race gets a prize and the status of a local hero for one year.

It’s not easy to reach the Magdalene Islands. You can go to Prince Edward Island and take a ferry, or you can fly to Quebec and board a smaller airplane to bring you here. Many of the residents have a large camper trailer outside their home. During the summer tourist season, the family will live in the camping trailer and they will rent their home out to visitors. No wonder tourism is now the second largest industry in the Madeleine Islands. If you want to get away from it all on your vacation, there is no better place to come.En savoir plus