3.10.18 Rain, Rain, Rain - Cape Breton's East Coast

I wake up 6 hours ago, thick clouds hang outside. We get up shortly after 7 because breakfast is only from 8 to 9. Of course, in a B&B, the lady of the house doesn't want to fry eggs for possibly 8 guests for hours. The beds were very comfortable, it was nice and warm. All batteries - including human ones - are charged. When we sit down for breakfast, it starts pouring rain. The breakfast with a quiche, toast and jam, coffee/tea is delicious and we chat with a couple from Illinois. It's amazing how quickly one is at Trump and his embarrassing behavior. We had decided not to bring up this topic definitively, because you never know which side Americans are on. But the two of them openly talk about their horror and their actions to now convince people in their environment to vote differently in the midterms. The second couple at the table comes from Tennessee and drove up here by car in 10 days!

At 9:00, we pack our few belongings, throw them into the car in pouring rain and head south. Logically, we don't see much of Cape Breton's east coast today. 2.5 hours of just windshield wipers and simply no view. About 10 km past Baddeck (emphasis on the last syllable!) we turn off towards Hunters Mountain. The Hunters Mountain Cottages are run by a Swabian who has been living here for 27 years and operates this small collection of holiday cottages and apartments. The whole thing is located on a large area that even offers some signposted/described hiking trails. Since our large apartment with kitchen, bathroom, living/dining room and two bedrooms is slightly elevated, we (only theoretically today) have a wide view over the valley. On the terrace there is a large grill and a table with 6 chairs - so when the weather is warmer and nicer, this is a fantastic place.

We decide to buy something to eat and have a cozy evening at home. Because it's still relatively early in the day, we drive back to Baddeck. A small town consisting of a main street about 250m long with some shops and a waterfront road. Hoping for better weather tomorrow, we postpone a walk until tomorrow. The visitor center is still open, we get some information and drive to Sydney. That's another 70 km, but there's a Wal-Mart. What else can you do today? So maybe we can go shopping there. When we arrive there after 45 minutes on the highway, we don't really find anything there except some groceries for the evening and I get a t-shirt. After a coffee at Tim Hortons and refueling once, we make our way back to Hunters Mountain, put our cans in pots and soon we're in sweatpants with wool socks in the well-heated living room in front of the TV.