Halifax, Nova Scotia

Monday, April 24, 2023

We were early for our reservation, so we played some slots. Chuck chose the halibut. I chose filet mignon. We shared our entrees so we could both have surf and turf. We split an order of lobster mac n’ cheese.

After dinner, we went to the world stage. Tonight’s performance was a husband and wife singer/guitarist team. They specialized in songs that featured exceptional guitar work- ex. Jimmy Hendrix. We both thought the guitar-playing was excellent.

After the show was over, we went to the rock and roll set of the Ocean Bar band. Since we had no guided tour in Halifax, we were not worried about getting to the room early. We danced the night away.

I was surprised that it was only 7:30 when I woke up and that was with setting the clock forward. We had time to go to the main dining room for breakfast.

The officials cleared the ship at 9:15 a.m. We left the ship at 10:00 a.m.

In 2022, we took a tour to the Bay of Fundy and other sites outside of Halifax. With the sun out and the temperature pleasant today, the day appeared to be nice for a walk around Halifax.

We stopped at the information desk in the port and the attendant drew us a route to the Citadel and the public gardens. She said to be sure to stop in the public library as it had excellent panoramic views from the top floor.

Halifax is very hilly, and we got quite a workout making our way to the Citadel. The city is an interesting mixture of both old and new architecture. There was a lot of construction going on – most of it appeared to be new condos.

We did stop in the public library, and I was very impressed. It was very modern and spacious with five floors, two coffee shops, and a roof top garden. Their selection of books was immense. The tourism attendant was correct: the view was amazing from the roof top garden.

By the time we made it to the Citadel, we decided we were too tired to go further uphill to the public gardens.

We headed back down to the waterfront and walked the waterfront path back to the ship. Once we arrived back at the pier, I checked my Fitbit. We had only walked 4 miles total, but the hills were a challenge.

If we are ever fortunate enough to come back to Halifax again, maybe we’ll take the hop-on, hop-off bus and go to the public gardens and out to the Titanic graveyard.

After a Lido lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent reading and relaxing on the balcony. I believe a little chair dozing was also involved.

Travel Trivia

Halifax, Nova Scotia

The first permanent European settlement in the region was on the Halifax Peninsula. The establishment of the Town of Halifax, named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax.

December 1917 saw one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history, when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying munitions, collided with the Belgian Relief vessel SS Imo in “The Narrows” between upper Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin. The resulting explosion, the Halifax Explosion, devastated the Richmond District of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring nearly 9,000 others. The blast was the largest artificial explosion before the development of nuclear weapons.

According to National Geographic, the world’s largest recorded lobster was a 44-pounder caught off the coast in 1977. It was believed by scientists to be at least 100 years old.

The Old Town Clock, a famous landmark, has been keeping time since 1803.

Halifax is closer to Dublin, Ireland than it is to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The Fairview Lawn Cemetery has the world’s largest collective group of graves from the Titanic tragedy.

Location of the first official rules for ice hockey.