Single Older Woman – Canadian Vacations- Viola Desmond and Cape Breton Island, Outings #15

July 2023

Today I would travel to New Glasgow and then on to Cape Breton Island.

My initial plan was to take a detour to New Glasgow, before returning to Truro, after the Ferry trip on the Friday. Alas, I spent the day driving, after the Ferry Fire.

New Glasgow is where Viola Desmond made that fateful choice in 1946, to sit in the white section of the movie theatre #Roselandtheatre and was subsequently arrested and spent a night in jail. I learned about her story, when I visited the Museum for Canadian Human Rights in Winnipeg, MB. Part of this vacation would include a trip to this part of Nova Scotia to see where it all began. For me, it was about coming full circle. The theatre is now a landmark site and the street was renamed to Viola’s Way, in her honour.

Footnote: in August 2022, a plaque was erected 2 blocks from this Site, in honour of Ms Desmond. This plaque was done on behalf of Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

I stopped for a quick snack and water break, then made my way back to the highway for my hours long drive to Cape Breton Island.

By the time I made it to Island, it was already mid afternoon. To say that I did not plan this trip out so well, is an understatement…..So with only a couple of hours to explore, I decided I would only make it one of the places on my list – the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, in Baddeck #ParksCanada.

It was near closing time for the day, the staff in the Museum were kind enough to grant me free admission. I wandered the displays and galleries and then headed outside, where I could at least stroll the gardens and the lands.

On the Parks Canada website, visitors to their National Parks and Historic Sites are invited to sit on the big red Muskoka chairs and share their photos online.

So I did!

I made my out of the park and headed off the Island, for the return trip to Truro.

Tomorrow, I shall conquer one more beach from my list – Martinque Beach, NS.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye