We arrived in Halifax, got our rental car, and found our way to our hotel. Once we settled in, we decided to walk down to the waterfront. It seemed like a good idea, as it was all downhill, of course we forget we have to walk back uphill many hours later after a full day of sightseeing.
This is the view from our hotel room.
As we walk, I have to stop and take pictures of course.
City Hall
This mural is absolutely amazing!
We stopped at the Old Triangle for a pint or two, those who know me know I had a pint of diet coke, no ice, with lime.
We decided the best way to see the sights was to hop on the Harbour Hopper Tour. John and I had taken it one of the times we were in Halifax before and enjoyed it, so why not do it again.
These Hoppers are not duck boats like you see in Boston, but Lark 5s. They were built for the Vietnam War. 900 of them were made at a price tag of $900 million. There are only 100 of them left that are privately owned.
The captain is giving us a lesson in how to be fashionable when wearing your life vest.
And off we go...
St. Paul's Church, the oldest Protestant Church in Canada and one of the oldest building left in Halifax.
We are traveling up Argyle Street, a street with a lot of restaurants, a popular downtown entertainment and pub area for the younger crowd.
Citadel Hill is just coming into view.
We are entering Citadel Hill. It is Canada's second most visited historic site, the first being the Parliament building.
This is the Big Town Clock. It was a gift to the town from Prince Edward, Duke of Kent in 1803, so that the soldiers would never be late for duty.
Four fortifications have been built on Citidel Hill. This current fort took 28 years to build. They started building it in 1828 and finished in 1856. It is now undergoing restoration.
From above, this is shaped like an 8 point star.
These are signal masts to relay military messages to Fort Charlotte.
Best Place to get authentic Nova Scotia souvenirs. Most items sold here are made by locals.
St. Mary's Basillica has the tallest freestanding granite spire in North America.
Oldest burial grounds in Halifax. The first grave was dug there in 1749, one day after the founding of Halifax.
City Hall
We are about to head into the water as we go by one of the casinos.
Into the harbor we go...
This is the second largest natural ice free harbor in the world. It never freezes over. It is shaped like an hour glass. It is 1 km across at it's narrowest. The bridges are at the narrows. 100 meters deep.
The water taxi from Halifax to Dartmouth.
The Theodore Too Tugboat. Theodore Too is a large-scale imitation tugboat built in Dayspring, Nova Scotia in 2000 based on the fictional television tugboat character Theodore Tugboat. Theodore Too gives tours of the harbor in the summertime.
Marriot Hotel
Georges Island is a glacial drumlin and the largest island entirely within the harbor limits of Halifax Harbor. The island is the location of Fort Charlotte - named after King George's wife Charlotte. You can see signal masts on this island. Messages were sent from here to Citadel Hill about ships entering and leaving the harbor.
70% of the Canadian Navy is stationed here in Halifax, the rest is in BC.
The South African War Memorial, erected by the people of Nova Scotia in honor of those who served and in memory of those who fell in the South African Campaign 1899-1902 (The Boer War)
and we are back where we started.
I'm afraid to ask...
HMCS Sackville
Here is a link to her official site with some interesting reading, if you are a naval history buff.
Arg, me maties, is that a pirate flag I sees.
After spending the day at the boardwalk, we went back to the Old Triangle and had dinner and listened to some traditional music.
a shamrock in the black and tan
And we got to listen to a local band with a big following called McGinty. Everyone enjoyed listening to them very much.
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