Day Sixty Six
We made plans in the evening to possibly drive the Cabot Trail, assuming the weather improved in the morning. In the morning the weather forecast was calling for more rain. We altered our plans and decided to head into Sydney for the day, saving the Cabot Trail for a better day.
Sydney is forty minutes east from where we were staying. We packed the pups up, figuring the day would be cool enough for them in the truck, and headed for town.
Sydney was a steel town before; and during WWII. After the war, the decline in steel plunged the town into a steep depression. The government had to step in and nationalize the steel foundry to provide sustainability to the region. Today the primary industries are customer support call centres, and tourism.
We drove down to the pier for a walk along the boardwalk. At the pavilion, Sydney has the worlds largest fiddle. Made from solid steel, the monument stands at sixty feet and is a tribute to the folk music and traditions of the province’s Celtic community.
Further down the boardwalk, there is the monument to the convoys that gathered here prior to leaving to Europe in support of the war effort. A total of 177 convoys sailed from Sydney during the Battle of the Atlantic. 48 of these convoys were successfully attacked by German U-Boats, resulting in the sinking of 226 ships.
From Sydney, we drove North to Glacé Bay in hope of some beautiful walks along the coast. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in finding any. We did stumble upon the remains of the Marconi Station used in the first ever wireless transmissions across the Atlantic Ocean. After a quick tour around Glacé Bay, we headed home for the balance of the day.
