It was very windy on the stern deck, even under the enclosure. Must have been some storm last night - the Canadian flag was wrapped twice around the flagpole. You could only see the maple leaf and one red stripe!
I put my hood up, tied it and thought about getting my jacket as I sat on the windy deck. Soaked from last night's rain, it should dry in this wind! French and German flowed around me as passengers chatted to each other. Noon brought a break in the clouds and a ship passed in the distance. I thought I heard wind chimes but it turned out to be the lifeboat tags on the starboard side of the ferry. The port tags were strangely silent. The sun was now shining in earnest.
Thirty minutes to go and a red and white bell buoy tolled our arrival in Cape Breton. The red, right, returning mantra surfaced in my head. Why had I never heard this bell buoy before? It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in North Sydney as we entered the Sydney River. Our speed markedly decreased as we approached the harbour area. Amazingly, we'll arrive on time, even with the storm last night and the fog. It was strangely quiet on the ferry. The trip away from Newfoundland is always quieter, more somber. This one was no exception. It was as though we were all leaving our homeland. Hmmmmm.
As I waited on the auto deck, I struck up a conversation with the girl in a car with BC plates. She had a mixed border collie/pit bull dog with her who had border collie markings. The dog had been a stray that adopted her at home. Not wanting to leave her in a kennel, she brought Sophie along for the trip. She was a really good dog! The girl had traveled to Newfoundland by car to see Canada's easternmost province with a westernmost eye. A week on the Rock was way too short, she said, and predicted she'd be back. I could have predicted that!
Ahead of me, there was a group pf Orthodox Jews, two Dads and two kids. I hadn't expected that! I had never seen any Orthodox Jews in Newfoundland and I wondered why they were visiting Newfoundland. It was my turn to ask the question always asked of me - DO you have relatives in Newfounfland? LOL! But i never did get to ask it as our line was set to leave the ferry. I followed the old station wagon out to the TCH, where I passed them.
My ride through Cape Breton to Baddeck was pleasant. I pulled over to catch a photo of the Englishtown ferry crossing. The scenery is one reason why I love this place. The other two reasons are the music and the people. |
