Meet friends

(Quickly: The word 'friend' includes friend, buddy, acquaintance , colleague.)

The night was once again much too short. Breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. because we have to start our first sporting activity at 8:30 a.m.

The breakfast offering is exceptionally extensive. My wrap with egg, bacon, cheese and fried potato pieces was super tasty and you can tell there was a lot of attention to detail here. By the way, you can notice this throughout the house and not just in the food. You notice it when you interact with the guests, you almost feel like you're with friends.

Unfortunately it's time to check out. Our 3-hour kayak tour on the North River takes 20 minutes. It's a good thing that our squeaky yellow car has all-wheel drive, which we switch on straight away for the steep, rain-cracked exit from the B&B. And it's good that the access route for kayaking is also a gravel road. By the way, Shahaatz is driving the car today in his partner look.

So far we have been able to leave our mosquito spray in our suitcase, but as soon as we stand at the water they come in droves, the black flies (😋 fresh blood) and thank God the suitcase is in the car.

I'm a little excited because our last kayak tour in New Zealand involved a lot of effort. And always the pressure to keep up with the young, dynamic people who also kayak with us. However, my excitement suddenly fades when I see the other participants. A mixed German-Canadian group between the ages of 30 and 65 and of all fitness levels. The chances that we won't be paddling behind the whole time are quite good.

François or Frank (whichever you prefer), our tour guide, explains to us in detail how to paddle, what we might see, that we should stay within earshot and, if possible, not capsize. And then it starts.

The first hurdle of getting into the kayak would be overcome.

We're keeping up well, even though Shahaatz always steers to the outside and it feels like we're making twice the distance.

With François it looks so easy, he does 4 paddle strokes and then glides over the water without paddling, we do the same and it feels like we stop straight away. Tobias from Hamburg is also in our group.

He is currently taking a 2 month break and traveling alone through Canada, the USA and the South Sea Islands to New Zealand. And as always, it becomes easier and easier to speak your native language and so the three of us hang back. Tobias works at Lufthansa Technik as an IT engineer. We exchange travel experiences and find out how Tobias's flights are going as a Lufthansa employee.

So far the tour has been relaxed.

There is no breeze, the water is as smooth as glass, everyone is paddling relaxed and enjoying the view. Every now and then François tells us what we see on the bank or in the water and so we sail along and after 1.5 hours take a short break at a small waterfall.

Break means going ashore and getting out. Getting in is easy, just drop it in, but have you ever just pulled apart a press fit? Because my childbearing pelvis was placed in the kayak seat without a gap. The only advantage of this exit is that we can't capsize on land. Things look different later, we have to get out on a platform floating in the water.

François was cute when he said he needed about 5 minutes to prepare our snack (home-made banana bread with home-made strawberry-rhubarb jam and tea) and that we could explore the area in that time. The stone beach with waterfall where we pause is perhaps 15 meters long and 5 meters wide and the waterfall is protected by fallen trees. 😂😂😂 so much for “exploring the area”.

After everything has been eaten and we are all back in our kayaks without any accidents, we head home. I continue to hone my hitting technique and Schahaatz continues to work on his steering.

The wind has picked up a bit now and is blowing lightly in our faces. After a good 2.5 hours we reach the starting point. Now comes the finale - an accident-free exit with an increased level of difficulty. I managed it without a drip, but I would say with a B-grade deduction for artistic merit.

And as it happens after such dynamic group events, photos have to be taken and numbers exchanged. And what's also normal is that you stand and chat for a longer time with likeable people. At around 1:00 p.m. we say goodbye to Tobias and drive back to the Chanterelle Inn in our runabout because we were allowed to put something in the fridge there. Schahaatz just wanted to get the things and I went back to the WiFi (network reception isn't available everywhere in Cape Breton) and less than 2 hours later we said goodbye to Holger, our host.

Holger is a really likeable person with an interesting life story. As a civil engineer, he emigrated from Germany and lived and worked in the Dominican Republic for 18 years. He met and fell in love with his wife (from Bremen) there and has been in Canada, in beautiful Nova Scotia, since 2019 and runs the Chanterelle Inn here with a lot of commitment. I found it really exciting what motivates someone to leave Germany. Also, find out first hand (and not just from Google) what the holiday paradise is really like when you live there. Just to get some insider information. I could have asked Holger questions for hours, but we still have to move on to the next accommodation.

❤️ Thank you so much for the great time, even if it was only one night 🥰.

The sun is shining - time to remove the roof and convert the Jeep into a semi-convertible.

Cool and pretty drafty on the neck.

The drive takes just under an hour to Ingonish Beach, our next accommodation.

I had actually planned a 10 km hike for the afternoon, but there wasn't enough time for that. We just talked too much.

Well, we can still hike enough tomorrow.

Now we're moving into our new semi-detached house. (after we received an instruction on the television and the air conditioning remote control when registering) And, oh joy, a brand new grill. Then all we need is something to grill. Unfortunately, today is Labor Day, a holiday and many shops are closed. 😩😩

Facts

“Labor Day” has its origins in the USA.

Since 1890, this day has been considered the “Day of Fight of the Labor Movement” in Germany and Europe. The actual origin lies in the USA: On May 1, 1886, around 400,000 workers in several cities went on strike and demanded the introduction of an eight-hour day.

Violent clashes broke out in Chicago on May 3rd and 4th as part of the strikes. During the so-called Haymarket Riot, several demonstrators and police officers died. Eight strike organizers are charged and executed.

In 1889, at the Second International Workers' Congress in Paris, trade unions and workers' parties decided to call for an international demonstration on May 1 to commemorate the victims of Chicago. The central demands here are also an eight-hour day, as well as higher wages and better working conditions. A year later, strikes, demonstrations and the so-called corn walks took place in Germany on May 1st to fight for workers' rights. Around 100,000 people are taking part. In October 1890, the SPD decided to make May 1st the day of the workers' movement.

“Labor Day” or “Labor Day” is now a public holiday in many countries around the world. While May 1st has prevailed in Europe, Labor Day is celebrated in September in the USA and Canada. However, “Labor Day” has lost some of its significance as a day of struggle for workers’ rights. For many, it is now primarily a welcome day off from work. On Labor Day, numerous actions and rallies traditionally take place all over Germany. (Source NDR)

So today we're having fish and chips and a Pepsi in the restaurant on the main street opposite.