HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

We are still in Nova Scotia!  I feel very fortunate to have been able to spent time here at such a pretty time of year.  Nova Scotia has such charm and so many pretty places.  Our last port, Cape Breton is such a sharp contrast to Halifax!  Cape Breton is a quiet, spread out area with beautiful countryside charm.  In contrast, Halifax is a large, vibrant city that is also charming, especially the waterfront area.

Here’s what the Viking Daily had to say about it:  Site of the first European settlement in the Canadian Maritimes, Halifax exudes a refined European air.  Visitors by sea are greeted by the 1758 Sambro Island Lighthouse, the oldest surviving beacon in North America.  In the harbor side Historic Properties district, grand and charming stone buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries grace the cobblestone streets.  The city grew up around Citadel Hill, where Fort George, a Victorian-era fortification, protected the harbor.  The fortress, along with the adjacent stately Halifax Town Clock, has been gloriously restored and preserved.  Downtown, the St. Mary’s Basilica is the city’s Norman-Gothic treasure, sporting the tallest granite spire in North America.  Seaside, it is pure pleasure to stroll Halifax’s waterfront.

It is interesting to note here that even after this informative write-up of the features of Halifax,  Viking did not offer any type of tour of this incredible city!  Only two tours were offered, a bus trip to Peggy’s Cove (which I heard was beautiful), an hour plus bus ride away.  The other was also a long bus trip to the town of Lunenberg, in which the tour was changed and less attractive. Mark and I decided to create our own “excursion” for this day and are so happy we did!

We had a leisurely breakfast and then found the nearest Hop-On-Hop-Off tour.  It was easy to do since the ship was docked right at the edge of the boardwalk.  Weather was picture perfect in Halifax and we enjoyed the tour around the town and the cemetery where many of the deceased Titanic passengers are buried.

We learned that on December 6, 1917 the great Halifax Explosion took place.  A French cargo ship laden with high explosives collided with a Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax.  The French ship caught fire and detonated, devastating the Richmond district of Halifax.  At least 1,782 people were killed by the blast, debris, fires, or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured.  It was the largest human-made explosion at the time until the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima in WW II.  The area has been rebuilt and is becoming vibrant again.

Here are some photos from our Hop-On-Hop-Off tour.

When we stopped at the cemetery, our tour guide mentioned that there is Joseph Dawson buried there along with other passengers from the Titanic.  He wondered if he could have been an inspiration for the Jack Dawson character in the movie.  After telling the history of Joseph Dawson who did work in the engine room of the ship, it does seem plausible, but unlikely, since the characteristics of the two men are so completely different.  However, it was just a fictional movie, so Jack Dawson characteristics are fictional too……. Something interesting to ponder……

After our tour ended we had lunch and then spent the afternoon walking along the boardwalk and doing a little shopping.  The boardwalk was beautiful!  Visiting it was our favorite part of the day.

We definitely made the right call NOT to go to Peggy’s Cove and do our own thing!  We had a great day!