Cold, rainy and windy, oh, yeah, there are is a chance of thundershowers.
Hmmmm so staying inside reading a book would be an idea but I'm not at my cottage by the sea (yet, more on that later).
So, off to Halifax. There are museums there I can hang out in and beat the weather.
Since I had cased out the ferry I decided to head back to where I was yesterday to take the ferry across. Hmmm parking lot is really empty. Ferry boat doesn't even look like it's powered up. Uh Oh. Doors locked. It is 9:15 am on a rainy day but....
So back to the other ferry terminal closer to the centre of town. I was avoiding that one as there was a harbour festival set up for Natal Day (Nova Scotia Birthday weekend) near that terminal and I figured I'd get caught up in the frey when I was coming home. Well I guess I'll find out what I can when I get there.
Because of the horrendous weather I guess things weren't gearing so soon. Actually they weren't gearing up until later in the afternoon so after asking some directions I found the parking (equally empty as the other terminal) and made my way to find the entrance. My whopping $2.25 fare paid and I was on the ferry making my way across a choppy Halifax harbour. Interesting that the commuters on this ferry have the same blank stare that the TTC ones do. Just enduring the ride for the 10 minute ride. Just call it "Commuter Look".
The ferry dock in Halifax is right at the mid point of the boardwalk in the historical district and all the things I wanted to see.
Armed with jacket, hat, umbrella, water shoes and quick dry pants I was prepared for the weather. It settled down a bit but was still drizzling when I took off walking.
Loving boats and their history I wasn't disappointed.
Boats EVERYWHERE! How cool! And really BIG boats too. (Like the Naval escort boat above.)
The very wide boardwalk was easy to follow along and it took me past a lot of different memorials to seafarers and there were two to the Norwegian Merchant Mariners which has been turned into a makeshift memorial to the tragedy in Norway at the present time. So many beautiful things were written on the flower packages there. It was nice to see that even in a country so far away there was a memorial appearing.
There is so much history here. Halifax harbour has been witness to so many new people coming to the country and I ventured off to the Pier 21 Immigration museum. This pier is where all the incoming passanger ships would dock to have Canada welcome (and unwelcome some) immigrants from all over the world. The display was stunning with lots of artifacts and reinactments, including a customs officer who spoke 6 languages and could answer any question posed. He was most interesting and the museum did a beautiful job with the recreation of it all. Pier 21 opened in 1928 and finally closed in 1971, over 1 million immigrants were processed here. This does not include the number of armed forces personnel coming back from Europe. There was a great display commemorating the war brides and their free ticket to Canada to be with their husbands. It was so engaging!
Though my father did not land in Halifax (he went to Quebec City) I can imagine what it would be like if he had escaped with his family and come to Canada here.
In the lower level of the museum there was a photographic interpretation of what immigration means to Canadians from the perspective of different artistic photographic media.
One artist used a series of photographs of what her father had in his wallet and what she had in hers. This was inspired in a clean up after he had passed away and she was going through his wallet and she was inspired to show what the difference was. I mention this because it was so interesting and there, displayed in the contents of her wallet was a St. Michael's Hospital card! No, really. The St. Mike's I work in! It was there. The 'Green Card' as we call them. With a "J" number and everything. Woah! Weird!! Talk about shrinking universe!
The weather had cleared a bit and I hung round outside Pier 20 where a farmer's market was going on. There were a couple of guys there playing a guitar and fiddle and man were they good. We were all clapping along, even if we didn't know the song they were so engaging to see and hear.
Uh Oh, the skies darkened quickly and we all scattered to different places.
Me, off to the Marine Museum.
The displays in the marine museum are what you'd expect to see in a museum of this theme but because of the Halifax Explosion disaster and the Titanic Disaster there are displays of more history that I knew of. The detail and overwhelming time that has been put into these displays made the history come to life. It was haunting really and again the detail was fantastic. I highly recommend coming here to see this.
Greeting you as you walk in to the museum is a Fresnal lens from the original lighthouse that greeted mariners as they entered Halifax harbour. It was soooo impressive. Behind the lens you can see a person standing so this will give you some perspective.
There is, of course, a mascot. Each ship had a mascot. And each picture of a pirate you see has what? Oh yes, a parrot. So I met Merlin.
Merlin is a beautiful parrot who lives in the museum, quite well I might add. And like my Snowy (who is happily being cared for by The Man) she was sitting up on top of her enclosure talking to visitors. Cage door open and yakking away to who ever would call his/her name and chat.
There was so much to see there! I spent a couple of hours. In the mean time a wicked storm had picked up outside and it was just howling.
I was going to go on the HMCS Montreal but they had postponed tours due to the weather. Oh well....
What to do...
Ah! Alexander Keith's!
The maker of great India Pale ale and his brewery was awaiting.
Through the downpour and wind (I can't believe how some people do not come prepared to Nova Scotia, YA KNOW IT'S GONNA RAIN DUDES!)
The brewery, in it's older days, was huge! With modern set ups it is much smaller and some of the building is used for other commercial uses. The tour guides are fantastic and so much fun with their great Nova Scotia accents and dressed in early 1800's costumes. The brewery is still producing beverages as they did when they started in 1812 though they have some other types of beer there. I really like the Keith's Red. It's yummy!
Hungry by now (yeah, I bought a t-shirt in the store but it had a big Nova Scotia flag on the back so I had to) I ventured into the pub that the beer pulls are direct from the chillers. Oh YUM!
This is great!
Sitting at the bar in what was the "lunch room" of the brewery and enjoy some chips and lobster (natch) dip and conversation. One Texan on his "off day" as he heads to Port Hawksbury for work, another a travelling musician from "anywhere I am today" and a couple from Washington DC. It was great fun and we all shared travelling stories and what we liked about the maritimes (everything!).
It's now mid afternoon and the skies were looking nasty again. I was damp from the last soaking and I still had the rest of the boardwalk to check out. Off I trod.
Wind at my back and the little umbrella trying hard I roamed the rest of the boardwalk and found a little mall area in one of historical boat yards. I found my authentic Nova Scotia So'wester hat (needed it today)!
As I walked out a huge containership was making it's way to the loading area and I had to take a picture of it. The name of her was "Friendship". How cool is that! Oh yeah, you can see how dark it's getting and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon!
I was right near the ferry terminal so I headed there and paid my fare back to Dartmouth.
Tired, very wet and content that I saw so much that I had to sit and think about it all. Such history. Wow!
Glad to be back at the hotel as a thunderstorm hit and the winds got quite strong. Ho hum!
Oh yeah, on the next accommodation thing.
I had emailed contact information to Shelburne Cottages and didn't expect to hear back. This place has the cottages I've been looking for. Little 1 bedroom places right on the ocean near some natural attractions and things to do. Well, I got a call back from the owners! They have availability and were looking forward to hosting me. Right on!!!! Oh yeah and the price is right too!
So, I have my little cottage on the South Shore of Nova Scotia! Bucket list check! Wohoo!
I also have booked some time in Digby because I need more than one day to eat all the scallops they have there. I think my touring is working out just fine!
One last picture.
There are even tug boats that the kids just go nuts over.
This is Theodore and though I don't know his story he's just so darn cute I couldn't resist taking a picture.
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