Eastern Shore, Peace By Chocolate + Wheel Pizza in Antigonish and across the Canso Causeway onto Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton in our sights :)

We drive the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia and then cut across the island to the Town of Antigonish. The signs are beginning to show Cape Breton so we know we are getting close. 

Town of Peace By Chocolate 

The Town of Antigonish has been on our radar for months now as last fall we saw a film called 'Peace By Chocolate', which told the true story of the Hadhad family. 

Current Peace By Chocolate store front

After a 2012 bombing destroyed their chocolate factory in Damascus, Syria, they were forced to flee and spent three difficult years as refugees in Lebabon. In 2015 they resettled in Antigonish, where community support helped them rebuild their family business into a local success story. In 2016 'Peace By Chocolate' was launched and inspired by the family's core mission to use their product as a global vehicle for peace. 

Granddaughter of Isam - Saba

It's really quite fun walking into the shop and talking to the young girl, Saba, who turns out to be the granddaughter of Isam, the original maker of the chocolate back in Syria. She tells us the little shop the business started in was just down the street but has since been moved to a local museum. There is a beautiful painting of the little shop on the wall.

We buy many chocolate bars...hopefully some make it back for gifts...one piece can't hurt :)

Original little shop

We walk through the university grounds

Another recent reason to come here stems from our friend, Rob Dunbar, from Bedford Basin back in Halifax. Though circumstances interrupted our planned visit with him, we keep in touch and it turns out he went to St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. 

Rob tells us about his favourite pizza place called 'The Wheel', and that we must go and see if Mike the owner is working to taste his pizza. Mike isn't in but we order pizza anyway and it is really good. 

Greek and Mushroom/Pepperoni

Rob Dunbar Air Canada Pizza delivery

Turns out Mike has owned The Wheel for almost 50 years and has created many meaningful relationships with the students from the university over the years. The walls are covered with photos of the students as they ventured out in life and took pictures of The Wheel pizza box in locations all over the world like the top of Kilimanjaro or their launch into a sports career. 

Rob was on the wall as back in 1991 some people in Calgary ordered two of their favourite pizza's from The Wheel and somehow Rob was involved in the first ever Air Canada Cargo pizza delivery for New Years eve celebrations in Calgary. Too funny. 

Red highways

After pizza we head out and end up in search of a beach that we miss the entry to but end up at a fishing wharf where we walk about and chill for a couple hours. The highways are red in colour :)

Canso Causeway

Finally we cross the 'Canso Causeway' and are officially on Cape Breton Island, which is the rugged northeastern part of the province of Nova Scotia. Lots of Celtic Music and Ceilidhs (Kay-lee) are ahead of us. 

Welcome to Cape Breton

Ceilidh Music Trail