JoAnne Gelowitz | FindPenguins

Ireland Traveler
Trinity College
May 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We went specifically to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library. The Book of Kells was written in 800 a.d. by some monks
They rewrote James and Matthew's gospels in Latin. The book was not meant to be read but rather was to be used as a decorative piece for the altar. The book is encased in a glass box and a page is turned about once a month. It sounded like a painstaking process. A poem was written by one of the monks about how his hand was shaking and that it was difficult to write clearly.
You were not allowed to take photos of the book. I was a little jealous of the guy who managed to take one on his cell phone while the security guard was not looking. I was tempted to ask him to send it to me.
The Old Library is a long high room with first editions of so many books. The books don't have to be Irish to be housed here. The library has acquired some of Shakespeare's original works and had a special display for these. The books in the library can be and are used by the students at the college.
At the very end of the library was a fake copy of the Book of Kells, so I got a picture of that 🙂Read more
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Ireland Traveler
EPIC Emigration Museum
May 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Started the morning with a Hop On Hop Off bus tour to get ourselves oriented. Had a really good guide who used a lot of Irish humour to describe the sights. Once that was done we went to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. This museum explains why the Irish have been leaving Ireland for so many years, decades, even centuries. One of the first reasons people started leaving had to do with the British. When Britain was taking over the area the Irish had to pledge allegence to the queen and become Protestant rather than Catholic. Those who wouldn't do this were forced to leave. Frickin British Empire😕
This was a great interactive museum that explained a lot of Irish history and the influence the Irish has had on the world.Read more
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Ireland Traveler
Dublin
May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Got to Dublin around noon Ireland time, which I think would be 5:00 am Regina time. Right now everything feels very familiar. We checked into our apartment and instantly took a nap. Then we found a bar that Dad wants to see. Then found a place to eat that didn't need reservations.
My first pictures are from Calgary Airport. I always appreciate the things they have to look at while you wait for the plane.Read more
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Ireland Traveler
On our way!
May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We are off to Ireland to see the emerald isle. Looking forward to learning about Ireland and seeing the sights. Its our 30th anniversary. What a great way to celebrate our marriage 😀❤️
TravelerHave a wonderful trip!!! I can’t wait to hear all about it!!
5/13/23Reply
TravelerThanks. We are looking forward to seeing the rest of the UK.
5/13/23Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Mahone Bay
August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Stayed at Mahone Bay for a couple of nights. It's a lovely place that gets you easily to Lunenburg and not as touristy, but still touristy.
We've had some really nice stays at really nice B&B's. Cathy our last host was by far the most accommodating.
Our breakfasts were interesting being shared with a young couple from Scotland (she's actually Canadian who now calls Scotland home), a couple from Germany and a couple from Australia. Lots of stories being shared about everyone's travels.
Oak Island update - we never did eat at the Mug & Anchor because it is closed for supper on Mondays. We sat on the deck of a pizza place and enjoyed the view. During supper we had some Oak Island celebrity sightings. Gary Drayton drove by in his big black jeep. Steve Guptill walked by. Paul Troutman drove by. Then Billy Gerhardt in a very new, very bright yellow truck. Then Steve Guptill walked by again!
And now off to Halifax so we can come home.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Oak Island Update
August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
So the reason for staying at Mahone Bay was to make the pilgrimage to Oak Island. Much to our surprise you can now drive onto the island. Thinking we would have to get out of the car just before the causeway we didn't have our cameras ready. When you get onto the island there is a nice guy telling you the Visitor's Center is closed and the most you can do is make a U-turn in the parking lot. While Gerard was making the U-turn I was scrambling to get my phone out so the pictures are not very good.
However, we do know that there is a great view of the island at the Oak Island Resort (this was not the name last time), so we drove over and took some pictures from there.
Now off to the Mug & Anchor to have a drink with Rick and Marty ☺️Read more
TravelerToo bad you didn’t make it to the island! Mahone Bay is on my list as there’s a great hand-made pewter shop there. My aunt collects Amos Pewter ornaments.
8/30/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
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Blue Rocks
August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Our B&B host realized that we are mentally finished with the trip and just need a day of relaxation, so she suggested that we go to Blue Rocks. It's a very pretty point and it was very relaxing just to hang out there for a little while.Read more
Traveler That is bizarrely soothing!
8/29/22Reply
TravelerThose are fantastic photos.
8/29/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Annapolis Royal
August 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C
Annapolis Royal is the oldest/first settlement/town in Canada. It is rich with history- a lot of history that is not taught in school.
Last night we had supper at a funky little restaurant called the Crow's Nest. Everyone was double and triple parked. I was concerned that we had blocked someone in but it was fine. We sat at a table looking out to the parking lot, so part of our entertainment was watching to see how this problem was dealt with. It was all pretty calm and noone was blocked in for long.
After supper we took a stroll along the shore and the sunset was quite spectacular.
Our B&B served us a very good breakfast. The fluffiest omelettes ever.
After breakfast we toured the shopping area. Surprise- even though this is a tourist town, many of the shops are closed Sunday and Monday. However, we did find a few that were open. The most interesting one was an antique shop that has Tibetan antiques, acquired in Nepal. The collector was having fun showing us singing bowls, bells, gongs, etc. used for meditation. I commented on how one large gong with a very loud low chime was all consuming. He responded with, "Yup, it opens all the chakras". I would have liked to have purchased something but oof it was expensive.Read more
TravelerOhhhh I love the sound of singing bowls and gongs!!
8/28/22Reply
TravelerI thought of you when I wrote that ☺️
8/28/22Reply
Traveler💗
8/28/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Port Royal
August 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We didn't intend for this trip to be so educational but it was. We made a stop at Port Royal and learned about how differently the French were approaching the new land. The French wanted to come and negotiate business with the Mi'kmaq, rather then take over their land. It was peaceful and cooperative. The British and every other country were going to new lands with the intention of taking over, with the result being wars. Port Royal was initially a French port set up to negotiate trade. Then the British came and created war and expulsion of people who did not cooperate. Even if they were peaceful - everyone had to assimilate into British culture or they would have to leave our die. F*ck*n' British Empire. I am just beginning to realize just how much devastation they caused all over the world.Read more
TravelerIn soooo many places.
8/29/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Annapolis Royal Historic Garden
August 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
This morning's walk was a stroll through the Annapolis Royal Historical Gardens. What a lovely way to start the day.
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Grand Pre
August 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Made a stop at Grand Pre to see what this place is about. It is Canada's newest UNESCO Heritage Site, so we decided to find out it's significance. This is the site of expulsion of the Acadians in the 1700's. Today I finally learned this story. The Acadians were descended from France but considered this place their home and no longer considered themselves French. They called this area Acadie. They were farmers and took an oath as a people to not bear arms, they were neutral in the British and French wars over the area. The British finally gained control over the area and wanted the Acadians to fight for them but they refused. So over the course of 8 years they expulsed the Acadians. They were moved to many different parts of the British Empire but some managed to hide and stay here.
Grand Pre means large meadow. Its a beautiful area with such a sad story.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
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Victoria Park
August 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
We stayed the night in Truro and visited Victor, a friend of Gerard's. This morning we went to Victoria Park to see the falls. It was a very peaceful walk in a very beautiful park. Once we got to the falls a local person us that March is the best time to see the falls. It was still very pretty and a nice way to start the day.Read more
Traveler Cool double falls
8/28/22Reply
Traveler Double double toil and trouble
8/28/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
John Cabot Provincial Park
August 26, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The last place we went in PEI was John Cabot Beach. We stumbled on it the last time we were here and found it to be very pretty, so we wanted to see it again. Once again we managed to turn a 2 hour drive into an all day event, but that's no problem, is all part of the plan. Not to much to say about it except that there were some gulls that kept floating by for their photo shoot.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
The Inn at Bay Fortune
August 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
One of the reasons we took this particular drive was because it took us to this inn. It is owned by Chef Michael Smith. I first heard of him on The Food Network. When I was teaching food studies I discovered he had some really good instructional videos I could use in my classroom. Gerard uses a couple of his recipes and particularly likes his Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. We cannot afford to stay at this Inn or indulge in his Fireworks Feast (both are crazy expensive) but the staff let us have a look around the farm and the grounds. It would be cool to stay there and take in the whole experience, maybe after we win the lottery. 🙂Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Points East Coastal Drive
August 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Today's adventure was a drive on the Points East Coastal Drive. We made quite a few stops. First was Montague. We stopped at a very pretty park by the water. There were a number of sculptures in the park. The one most striking to me was done by Abe Waterman. I'm guessing by what the tourist information people told us if you've seen any really good sand sculptures on the internet it's probably his.
We then went to a 'national' historic site for Jean Pierre Roma. It was pretty low key so we walked one of the trails. We really haven't encountered any mosquitoes for the entire trip. We figured out why-they all live at Roma. Anyways, it was a nice little trail that took you down by the water to a hidden beach. At this point I've seen so much water I'm never sure what it is in looking at-river, seaway, bay, ocean, who knows.
We then stopped at Georgetown to have a picnic lunch at the A A MacDonald Memorial Garden. He was from Georgetown and was one of the founding fathers of Confederation. Again very pretty.
We then went to Bay Fortune. That's got it's own separate post.
From there we went to Souris Beach. It was low tide so you could walk quite a ways on the ocean floor.
Then on to the beach at Basin Head Provincial Park. That was a very pretty beach that has areas with both white sand and red sand. People were having a great time jumping off the bridge into the water. There were signs saying not to do this but there was a life guard stationed right there watching and saying nothing. However, he did tell people get off the dunes if they started climbing them. The dunes seem to be highly treasured/protected and that is a good thing.
The last stop was Greenwich which is part of the PEI National Park. The park is just all in chunks. We took a very interesting trail through a forested area, then a clearing that looked towards a bay, then a forested area, then a boardwalk through a fragile area, then on the longest floating dock over what I am calling a bog, then on a very clearly marked path up over a dune to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean. One of the most varied trails I have ever been on. By this time the sun is setting, we didn't make plans for supper and we are now lost looking for a pizza place🙂Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
PEI National Park
August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We spent the evening taking long walks on the beaches of Prince Edward Island National Park. The park is a strip of sand dunes along much of the north shore of PEI, which are being protected. The beaches are made of nice soft sand. We got there at the Golden hour so had some opportunities for nice shots. Too bad neither of us brought a camera🙃Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
All Gender Bathrooms
August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
I have no pictures for this post just a story.

Since we have arrived in the Maritimes I have seen many all gender washrooms. My experience with this type of washroom could be going better.
First experinece. We went to The Guild, a theatre in Charlottetown, to see The Ross Family Caliegh. The concert was very good. At intermission I went to the washroom, there were two doors. Both said All Gender. I started to walk towards one and a man came out. I thought to myself this might not be a good idea. Just as I had this thought a woman came out of the other door. So I thanked the universe for pointing me in the right direction. I went in and it was clearly a woman's washroom. Three stalls and an area away from the sinks just for doing makeup. Another thought went through my head, is this what it is like in the other washroom? It would be quite uncomfortable if a man was in here, but maybe the people of PEI are more advanced in this type of thinking. As I left the washroom I noticed the fine print on the sign. it said 'ALL GENDER without urinals'. Yup the universe really did take care of me. I just about walked into the 'with urinals' bathroom😶. There were people who worked at the theatre who more than likely were watching where I was going, can't imagine what they were thinking. Lesson learned - read the fine print.

Second experinece. We went to the Olde Dublin Pub for lunch. Gerard wanted $1 oysters, which he said we're very good. He's really been enjoying the seafood since we got to the Maritimes but has particularly enjoyed it since we have gotten to PEI, but I digress. Anyways, the bar had the type of bathrooms that were one toilet behind a door with a women/man sign. Nothing complicated and something we all have seen before. Once again there were two doors. I watched someone go into the first. The second door was closed but being the person I am I checked the knob to see if it was locked. Nope not locked. To double check I knocked on the door. No answer. I opened the door still there was no sound. Once I stick my head in I saw a man in the bathroom. I didn't actually see anything but he was using the toilet. He was embarrassed, I was embarrassed. I closed the door and waited, hoping the other door would open and I could that toilet instead. But nope, the universe was not protecting me this time. The man came out all he could say was "I'm sorry" over and over. I couldn't even make eye contact with him. I just put my head down and covered my face. Lesson learned - I think I did all the right things, except maybe show some patience but really what if that bathroom wasn't being used? I think the lesson is if you are in a private public bathroom acknowledge the person on the other side if you hear the door knob rattling or some knocking.Read more
TravelerHa! I understand urine a pickle! Don't worry, pee happy!!
8/25/22Reply
TravelerYou're so punny🤣
8/25/22Reply
Traveler😂🤣
8/26/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Charlottetown Photo Challenge
August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
The Charlottetown tourist guide has a photo challenge. We decided we would use it as a way to see the sights of this cute little city. I'll explain each picture.
1) Before I Die is a chalk board in the downtown area where you are supposed to use chalk to finish the sentence. We saw this last time also. The answers then were hilarious.
2) The Bluefin Bullet is a sculpture of a bluefin made is stainless steel. The fins are spoons.
3) A short of Victoria Park from the floating dock. It was a little windy when we walked into the dock. I have decided that I have good prairie legs that keep me upright in high winds. However, I don't have sea legs that keep me from like I will fall over when the sea is moving underneath me.
4) Cows Ice Cream, PEI's Milky Way.
5)2022 structure. Not sure what this is about.
6) Love-lock exhibit on the wharf.
7) St Dunstan Basilica. Kind of thought we were in Scotland again.
8) Sydney St at night.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Tatamagouche
August 23, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
Today we traveled from Pictou to Charlottetown PEI. There was a ferry fire a few weeks ago that put one of the ferries out of commission. We heard from a couple of B&B hosts that the wait times for a ferry were really long. Last night's host convinced is that driving was the far better option. It wasn't hard to convince Gerard to drive for an extra hour or two.
We left Pictou at about 9, we didn't stay to look around and were on the road a little earlier than usual.
Drive by a couple of places/shops that we thought might be interesting but nothing was open until noon. The Caldera whiskey factory was on the road we took we decided to go check it out but it was closed until 11. We wanted to stop there because Gerard and Bryce each got a bottle of this whiskey the last time we were here. The bottle says batch number 1. It would have been cool to check out but the distillery was in the middle of nowhere and there was nothing to fill our time so onward we went.
Next stop was Tatamagouche, another recommendation by last night's host. The recommendation was to have lunch there but we were still having the problem of leaving too early and nothing being open. However, we found a museum that was pretty cool. It seemed to me that they took all the mutations in this town and combined them. It was in an old creamery so there was lots old creamm/butter making equipment. My favourite thing was the Boiler Bob who lives behind the shifted boiler. It was hallogram/video thing and was pretty cool.
As we were leaving we spent some time talking with the young lady at the reception desk who said she was born in Saskatchewan. She wrote a book and I had to buy it. After our visit to the museum the restaurant was open, we had lunch and we were off to Charlottetown.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Baddeck
August 22, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
This morning we got up and went straight to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. This was another must see for our trip. Turns out AGB didn't just invent the phone. He started his career teaching deaf people how to talk. He then invented the phone, which set him up financially for life. His residence was a self-sufficient sustainable farm creating employment for the area. His big accomplishment after the phone was being involved in the development of the plane used for the first flight in Canada.
When we were done we had lunch on the pier. This is kind of an area for those who can afford it to come and sail their very fancy sailboats. Because of all the sailboats the harbour is quiet and peaceful.
After lunch we went to Uisge Ban Falls. Not even trying to pronounce this. Another thing I've this trip is that the Gaelic language only has 18 letters. So letter combinations mean different sounds. That's why Gaelic words are look long but are never that long to say. I digress. So we went for a little hike and the falls were very beautiful. Glad we did this walk too. Now off to PictouRead more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
White Point
August 21, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Today we drove from Bay St Lawrence to Baddeck. We made a few stops for shopping but the most interesting site was White Point. It is not part of the National Park but was suggested by the park guide as a great place for a short hike. She was not wrong. It's very rocky and cliffy but it's beauty makes the wonky walk worth it. Just walking on the many trails and seeing the point from different angles is amazing. It's all the same point but the views are spectacular no matter what angle you look from.
We also stopped at the Groovy Goat. It's a soap shop and petting farm. I talked to the father of the owners for quite a while. He said that they get most of their animals from Saskatchewan. They got two donkeys for the price of one from SK. A donkey had arrived last November and was gaining weight. They thought she was just eating alot of food. One morning in the spring they got up and there was a baby donkey in the barn!! I didn't get a picture of the baby because he was moving around to much.Read more
TravelerHa!! Gotta love 2 for 1!
8/22/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Black Brook Beach
August 19, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
This is in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Not sure where the brook is but I am sure it has something to do with the waterfall. It was just so beautiful I had to give it it's own footprint 🙂
TravelerVery beautiful!!
8/20/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
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Off to the Wedding!
August 19, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Today's journey takes us from Sydney to Bay St Lawrence. It's a two hour drive that took us about 7 hours. We took the Cabot Trail, which takes you along the coast of Cape Breton and passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. So we got to do one of my favourite things-hike a trail in a national park. We can now check off another national park that we can say we spent some time exploring. The trail took us out to the point. The tide was coming in; it is always interesting to me to watch the Atlantic Ocean slam itself against the rocks. And there were seals!! They were playing with the waves so it was hard to get a picture.Read more
Traveler Beautiful picture!
8/19/22Reply
Traveler Thanks
8/19/22Reply
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Sydney Fiddle
August 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
After viewing the fortress we drove back to Sydney and really needed gas. In our quest to find a Mobil station (Gerard wanted the points) we found the Sydney Fiddle. It sits right on the Port of Sydney where the cruise ships dock and there was one there. Since I have no desire to ever travel on a cruise ship I don't think I have ever seen one or taken notice how big they are. This one had twelve floors 🙄. I really have no desire to travel on a cruise ship now after seeing it. That is to overwhelmingly big.
We took a look at the shops around the Fiddle then took a walk through Old Sydney, had some supper and then took an early evening stroll along the port. It was a nice way to end the day.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
Fortress of Louisburg
August 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Today we went to see one of the planned places on this trip, the Fortress of Louisburg. Learned the difference between a fort and a fortress. A fort is strictly military, whereas a fortress is more of a town protected by a wall and the military. It was built by the French. And around 1740ish the British took it over for five years. Then the French got it back for ten years. Then the British got it back and decided to destroy it. It took 10 more years to pillage the place and destroy the fortress. One fifth of the fortress had been reconstructed. Pretty interesting place see.Read more
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Nova Scotia Again Traveler
St Peter's to Sydney
August 17, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
What a rainy day!! We had planned to go for a walk a on few trails in around St. Peter's and possibly Battery Provincial Park, but it was pouring rain. All day!!
So instead we went to the St Peter's Canal Historic Site and Learned about how the locks worked. We also learned that brackish means a combination of salt water and fresh water and Bras d'Or Lakes are brackish. And we learned that Bras d"or Lakes is an inland sea not a lake.
We then went to the Nicolas Denys Museum. He founded three settlements, one of them being St. Peter's. The museum does not have any of his stuff but rather a lot of artifacts from his time. It was interesting. The most interesting artifact that is in the museum is a book bound in human skin. Yuch!!! They had it DNA tested and it originates from the Spain/Portugal area. Still Yuch!!!
We then went to the Wallace MacAskill Museum. He was photographer and took pictures when everything was in black and white. His claim to fame is that he took the photo of the Blue Nose that was used for minting the dime.
After doing all that we could in St. Peter's we drove to Sydney.
On our drive we saw a sign for the UNESCO Cape Breton Biosphere. We drove for a while before figuring out that the biosphere was not a specific place but the area around Bras d'Or Lakes. However in the unceded Mi'kmaq territory of Potolak. That's where we found Chapel Island. It seems that this island is a sacred place for the indigenous people in Nova Scotia.

After we settled into our "old school" motel, we went to the Marconi Historic Site and Museum. We learned that Marconi was inventor who is known for inventing the radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. Morse code was to communicate messages with this system.
So it was a day little to no pictures but lots of education. We are hoping that we can get outside tomorrow, see some sites and take some pictures.Read more
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