A trip to downtown Sydney

I went to downtown Sydney today! I'd never been before, it and it was a fabulous day. Even now, as I write, I'm trying to decide what I should write about.

First thing's first. There is a giant fiddle in downtown Sydney, right on the harbor. It's about 17 meters tall, made of steel, and weighs eight tons. The fiddle was built to honor the opening of the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion, which is the building directly behind it. The giant fiddle is a must-see for anyone who visits the island. In the summer, it even plays music!

My companions for the day were Becca, Maile, and Jaime. Maile is from Calgary, and studies history and ethnomusicology at CBU. She's a closet communist and a wicked fiddle player. Jaime is from Switzerland and studies history and Celtic stuff. And if anyone who reads this blog doesn't know who Becca is... shame on you.

After a visit to the fiddle, we wandered around to a few shops, including the Cape Breton Curiosity Shop, the Cape Breton Fudge Co., and the Cape Breton Center for Craft and Design. All of these stores were fabulous and will probably take more than a little of my money by the time I leave. However, our most exciting visit was Gala.

The Gala is a wonderful vintage/consignment shop in downtown Sydney. The owner is Rick Jessome, a deeply fabulous local man who knows more about clothes than anyone I've ever met before. With his guidance, Jaime found some great skirts and shirts, Becca found an awesome coat for less than $20, and Maile bought a beautiful party top. But I struck gold.

This is a 100% cashmere Gloria Sachs suit. It probably cost around $2500 in the eighties, when it was made. However, I managed to talk Rick down from $99 to $70. A mere seventy dollars for a classic suit, whose fabulousness is not properly showcased in this photo. I also found an adorable pencil skirt and a cute top, but this suit stole the show.

To round out the day, we visited a used bookstore and a coffee shop. It was an absolutely fantastic day of exploring Sydney. Tonight, I'm headed over to Maile and Jaime's apartment and we're going to try making butterbeer. Yes, as in Harry Potter butterbeer. Wish us luck.

Keep reading!

Love,

Maggie