An Chlachan Gaidhealach| The Highland Village

Chuir sinn air dòigh an chungaidh againn ann an car agus chuir sinn na maillaidean aig An Fadalach ann an car. ‘S e loma-lòn a bha an car ach bha a h-uile rud ann. ‘S e Tetris-Master a th’annam!

Thòisich sinn a Ceap Breatainn is an Chlachan Gaidhealach. Chunnaic sinn an Chaolas Chanso agus Cheap Breatainn às dèidh dà uair. Chaidh sinn a thairis an chabhsair agus chaidh sinn air seachran a dh’aon ruith… a-rithist. Chan eil mi math leis an timcheallanan, a-réir coltais.

Chuir sròn ar chàir air ais agus bha sinn air an slighe againn a-rithist. Dhraibhig sinn suas an Slighe Mabel is Alexander Graham Bell gu Whycocomagh. Bha for againn air na soidhnichean leis an t-ainm Gàidhlig agus Beurla aig na bhailtean agus b’ fheudar dhuinn stad airson dealbh.

Ràinig sinn aig an Clachan Gàidhealach le da uair mus thòisicheadh an caithream ciùil. Chaidh sinn timcheall air an bùth tìodhlac ré greis agus cheannaich sinn tìodhlac, agus leabhraichean, agus godsagan airson tidseadh an cùrsa againn ann an Virginia.

Chaidh sinn ath air cuairt ann an chlachan. Bha iomadach toglaichean an-sin agus bha gach togail dè linn diofraichte ann eachdraidh Ceap Breatainn.  Bha an Taigh Dubh a’ chiad. Bha an Taigh Dubh an taigh aig na Albannaich mus Na Fuadaichean. Tha taigh treiseag agus thog e le cloich. Bhitheadh an ainmhidh a’ fuireach anns an taigh leis na daoine. Bha an teine anns an taigh gum bu a’ dubhadh an siomal. Cha robh ach leabaidh agus bòrd beag anns an taigh. A-muigh, seinn an croitear puirt á beul dhuinn agus dh’innse an bean gum bu teaghlaichean air an sgaradh a chionn ’s chan eil airgid gu leòr aca a ceannaich aisir.
 

Chunnaic sinn deannan taighean eile. Bha gu leòr de fiodh aig an tuinichean ann an Ceap Breatainn agus rinn an ath taighean aca de bùird. Chuir iad gàrraidh airson biadh agus thoisich iad a’ tog spréidh. Bha caoran is each is muic aca.

Ghabh gaol mór agam air an taigh-saoir ann sabhal. ‘B e seo liuthad tailmean sean corr a bha ann!

Foiteag! ‘S ann fada a tha an post. Anns an ath post dh’innsidh mi leibh mun an caithream ciùil! 

We are here! We arrived in Cape Breton today!

We organised our stuff in the car and we put An Fadalach’s bags in the car. The car was full but everything was in it. I’m a Tetris-Master!

We started for Cape Breton and the Highland Village. We saw the Canso Strait and Cape Breton after two hours. We crossed the causeway and we got lost immediately… again. I’m not good with traffic circles, apparently.

We turned around and we were on our way again. We drove up the Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell Way toward Whycocomagh. We were noticing the signs with the Gaelic and English names for the towns and had to stop to get a photo.

We arrived at the Highland Village with two hours before the concert would start. We went around the gift-shop for a little while and we bought gifts, and books, and tid-bits for teaching our course in Virginia. 

We went on a walk in the village next. There were many buildings there and each building was from a different period in Cape Breton history. The Black House was first. The Black House was the house the Scottish had before The Clearances. It is a little house and it is made of stones. The animals would stay in the house with the people. There was a fire in the house that would blacken the ceiling. There was only a bed and a small table in the house. Outside, the crofter sang mouth-music for us and the wife told us that families would be separated because they didn’t have enough money for passage.

We saw a few other houses. The setllers had enough wood in Cape Breton and they made their next houses from boards. They planted gardens for food and they raised livestock. There had sheep and horses and pigs.

I fell in love with the woodshop in the barn. There were so many great old tools there!

Phew! This is a long post. In the next post I will tell you about the concert!