First off, I have to say that blogging is so much fun! I recommend that you all start your own blog. Basically, it works like an online journal which can be private or public- and it's so easy and fun to post. Best of all, it's free! Blogging with a guestbook is even better. We really love hearing from everyone, checking our guestbook reminds us how lucky we are to have you in our lives. Don't be shy- post once, post twice, post often!
A few things I forgot to add last time in our 30-minutes-of-free-internet-time-limit haste:
We did make it to Magnetic Hill. For those who have never heard of it, basically it's a small hill that is said to have magnetic strength so it pulls you backwards up it once you have descended it. It was pretty cool, though probably more so for those a tad younger than us. It's funner to do it if you haven't heard much about it, so we'll leave it at that.
We also took a trip to the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck which highlights the many crazy and amazing inventions this guy dabbled in throughout his lifetime. The first discovery of the science of the telephone was the most interesting to us, though that might seem like a rather normal reaction. Oh well, it's pretty amazing how Bell and Watson figured it out. We would have liked to have visited the mansion he called home for the last 37 years of his life, but it was tucked away in the wilderness and is still inhabited by a 97 year old descendant who is not interested in hordes of nosey visitors (what a party pooper!). Him and his wife Mabel are buried somewhere on the outskirts of town, though this is another site visitors aren't exactly directed to. The closest we got to either was seeing them on a large screen in the museum which showed a short bio of the inventor's life.
The last big adventure of Nova Scotia that I neglected to mention last time was Louisbourg. It's a 17th century French village that has been recreated for our modern day enjoyment (kind of like America's Colonial Williamsburg less the over-the-top consumerism aspect). The daily life of settlers is reenacted to give you a real sense of the history. The actors don't step out of character for a moment and if you let yourself forgive the little inconsistencies (like pop cans in the garbages and the fact that everyone is speaking in a rather modern, and English, tongue), you can feel like you've stepped back in time. The town, situated on the coast, is complete with soldiers, innkeepers, workers, and of course, the small crowd of drunks who walk around insulting whomever gets in their way. You'll get hassled if you're wearing red, the colour of the enemy (the English) as Magi found out upon reaching the first gate into town. She was accused by the drawbridge guard of being a spy and finally after believing that she wasn't involved in espionage, asked if we had any talents that would contribute to life in Louisbourg (why else would they let us in?). So, we changed our story about being tourists and pretended we were visiting family. That suited the guard and we were allowed in. They take their history seriously in Louisbourg!
One last thing before we go, we had a comment recently in our guestbook from our good friend Hillary who said that her husband Owen would never, EVER, try camping (silly Brooklyn boy!). Everyone really should give it a try at least once (and preferably for enjoyment, not work). It is very humbling and soothing for the soul.
That's it for now, time for bed.
tothesea,
k&m