Gadding About in Cape Breton With My Longtime Friends (75 year friendship).

Arriving in Cape Breton Island. 

This is a continuation of my last post.  We did so many things on this trip to Nova Scotia I couldn't cover it all in one post.  Late on Wednesday we arrived at the house, and very soon after our arrival had a nice visit from friends Catherine and Michealette.

Up early on Thursday to head to Sydney via St. Peter's stopping at the post office in West Bay to see Linda, friend and post mistress. St. Peter's is a pretty little town and a trip there always means a visit with my friend Frances.  In Sydney we visited down at the waterfront where there is a giant fiddle that welcomes visitors.

In front of the Giant Fiddle in Sydney.  

We returned to the house via The Cedar House where we ate a late lunch and stocked up on their wonderful baked items: bread, oatmeal raisin cookies, Aussie cookies, oat cakes and blueberry pie.  They were out of strawberry rhubarb pies, my favorite.

Friday we were up early and made our way over to Cheticamp and drove up the Cabot Trail as far as The Bog where Pat W. and I hiked out over the wooden walkway suspended on the bog.

The Bog along the Cabot Trail. 

In the afternoon we headed back down south to Inverness and the Cabot Links Golf Course.   The Panorama Restaurant that overlooks the 18th hole at the Golf Course is a favorite place to have dinner.  We arrived a few minutes before Panorama was open, but I very nice gentleman took us up to the back in his golf cart where we could enter the Restaurant without climbing the steep stairs.  He let us in and we each ordered a dessert to have while enjoying the beautiful view.  The gentleman turned out to be the Assistant Manager of the Food Services and when he learned that we were celebrating the year we all turned 81 he brought us champagne on the house.  And after our desserts he took us down to our car in his golf cart.  What hospitality!!!!

Our ride to the Panorama to avoid the stairs.  Great hospitality. 

Here's to our 81st year. 

Cookies and ice cream. 

Looking out over the 18th Hole. 

On Saturday we went over to Iona to visit the reconstructed Highland Village.  The church that is there was moved by water from Malagawatch. 

The pulpit of the church.  

Sunday we just stayed around the house, slept late and enjoyed the beautiful view.

The house.  

Our neighbor Patt Up (I'm Patti Down) had beautiful flowers planted in our window boxes.  

Before we left for Halifax I made one last breakfast where we enjoyed the cinnamon buns from the Cedar House Bakery and frozen wild blueberries with banana slices.

Cinnamon buds from the Cedar House Bakery 

Lunch at the Panorama at Cabot Links

Enjoying lunch at Panorama. (L to R Jesse, Shelley, Pat, Mary, Dan) Photo by our waiter, Cassie, using Shelley's camera.

On our return from the trip around the Cabot Trail Monday, we stopped at the Cabot Links Golf Course in Inverness to have lunch at their restaurant, Panorama.  Dan and I were familiar with the restaurant because we celebrated my birthday there last year.  We were happy to introduce our friends, Mary, Shelley, and Jesse to this wonderful restaurant.

It was difficult for me to choose from the menu, but I finally decided on the lobster salad and it was a good choice.

Lobster salad.

Mary likewise chose the lobster. Dan chose the seafood chowder, Shelley opted for the Orzo Pasta Rustica (Roasted Chicken, Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomato & Fennel) and Jesse had the 15th Hole Club Sandwich.  They were all happy with their choices as was I.

Shelley's choice, Orzo Pasta Rustica.

The real dilemma was in selecting our desserts.   Mary who did not have dessert, but had a taste of each of ours rated them.  Her first choice was the Granny Smith Apple, Maple & Pecan Bread Pudding with chantilly cream & caramel sauce that Jesse chose.

Apple, maple, pecan, bread pudding garnished with almond lace cookie.

 Shelley's choice of Cape Breton Blueberry Cobbler with wild blueberries & Cabot's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Mary judged a close second best of the three. (I had this last year when we were here for dinner, and I can vouch for its deliciousness.)

Blueberry cobbler.

However,  Mary and I were a bit disappointed in my choice of the Butterscotch and Chocolate Mousse.  We prefer the light and fluffy mousse as opposed to mousse that is thick and creamy.

Chocolate and butterscotch mousse.

Panorama is without a doubt one of the premier Cape Breton restaurants, and husband and wife team, John Haine and Tracy Wallace are among the top chefs in the Province.  I'm looking forward to another visit to Panoroma before the summer is over.