Saturday – August 5, 2017
The moon was barely visible last night as dense fog enveloped the M.S. Rotterdam. I slept very well despite the ship’s fog horn blaring intermittently through the night. When the purring engines stopped this morning at seven o’clock, the stillness woke me up. We had docked alongside the harbor in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It was a bright gray day with a soft breeze blowing – 66 degrees F. We’ve traveled 678 nautical miles from Boston.
Sidney, Nova Scotia is located on the easternmost tip of Cape Breton Island off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. It boasts a rich history of Gaelic heritage and British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. The Scottish-born inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, lived and worked here. His house and museum are impressive and fun to visit.
At eight o’clock an announcement stated the gangways were in place and people could disembark. Jeff and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the Lido Cafe. We took our time leaving the ship because we had planned to walk around and explore on our own. Sydney is a small town with a few historical sights near the cruise port. I stuffed my daypack with a rain jacket and umbrella (just in case), Off insect spray & wipes (someone mentioned black flies), a “head net” (another black fly deterrent), and my camera.
As I walked down the gangplank, I heard bagpipe music. Passengers were greeted by a bagpipe player fully dressed in formal Scottish attire, playing tunes. A giant 30 foot fiddle, known as Fidheal Mhor A’Ceilidh, was built near the cruise terminal to commemorate the unique musical heritage of Cape Breton. It’s a local tradition to have your photo taken in front of the fiddle. A Tall Ships Festival was being held this weekend and several historic sailing vessels were in port.
We walked up the hill to St. Patrick’s Church and Museum, the oldest Roman Catholic church in eastern Nova Scotia. It was a small stone white-washed building with an array of tombstones out back. Inside there were folding chairs and cabinets with historical artifacts. An older man sitting on a raised platform played a guitar and sang sea chanties and lovely folk songs. He had a lovely voice which echoed across the stone room of the former church.
Well maintained colonial wooden houses overlook the harbor. We continued walking to the Jost Heritage House Museum built in the 1780s. A youthful costumed guide gave an informative tour and talked about life in Sydney during the past two hundred years. A family lived in the house until 1991 when it was given to the city of Sydney to become a museum. Historical tool and artifacts were donated to the museum and the original kitchen was uncovered in the basement.
Across the tree-lined street was the Cossit House built in 1787. The young woman dressed in a colonial costume who greeted us at the door immediately began to tell us about her passionate interest in finance and the NY Stock Market. There was another young woman in the colonial kitchen telling the story of the family who lived in the house.
Down the street was St. George’s Anglican Church which is the oldest building in Sydney. Several volunteers told tourists the history of the church but we didn’t stay to hear stories. We were enticed by a sign pointing to a “Craft Sale” behind St. George’s. On the next street we noticed loud music and many people with Rainbow flags and banners. As we watched, two local vendors from the craft market began to talk to us and we learned that the people were preparing for the Annual Gay Pride Parade which was planned to start soon.
We walked back to the main street which was closed to traffic and decorated for a festival. Each intersection was painted with large swatches of Rainbow colors, vendors had set up tables to sell crafts, and several food trucks had long lines of people waiting to buy snacks.
Families, men, women, children, and crowds of people lined the parade route. Many wore rainbow face paint or colorful outfits and carried balloons and banners. It was a lively celebration!!
Afterwards, we returned to the cruise terminal. We had heard about the free wifi available in the building on the dock. We entered to find a couple hundred people quietly sitting and staring at their mobile devices. I guess I wasn’t the only cruiser suffering from wifi depravation! I joined my fellow passengers and crew members and sent emails to my family. I miss communicating with everyone.
We went up to the highest deck to watch the Rotterdam slowly pull away from the dock at five o’clock. In a few minutes the ship was in the channel and chugging out into open waters.
Later in the evening, Jeff and I went to dinner in the dining room. We were willing to share a table and sat with four people who had homes in Florida. Dan and George lived in Tampa year round when they weren’t sailing on some cruise ship. Dan logged 207 days on cruise ships this past year. Linda and Bill spent summers in New Jersey and winters in Delray Beach when they’re not cruising. Holland America has a star merit system which awards frequent sailers. We learned there are 400 Five Star Cruisers and 500 Four Star Cruisers aboard this ship for the Voyage of the Vikings. That’s a lot of frequent cruisers on a ship with 1,400 people!
