Halifax

 We started off the day with a city tour of Halifax.  Our guide, Allan, looked very dapper in his kilt.  He is a very interesting retired history teacher! We drove through the various areas of Halifax and learned of the history and significance of each area. We stopped at the shipyards to see the huge cranes and the thousands of shipping containers. We drove along Young street and viewed the beautiful homes owned by the more affluent “Halligonians” (people from Halifax).  

We got off the bus and spent some time wondering through the beautiful Halifax Public Gardens.  The flowers and landscaping were amazing!  It is a very inviting and restful place for locals to escape to, right in the centre of the city.  

We drove up to the Citadel to have a great view of the city and harbor.  We drove along the length of the harbor and heard the details of the tragic Halifax explosion that took place on December 6, 1917.  It was the largest manmade explosion, next to the Atomic bomb, with 2300 tons of explosives!  We also heard various stories of the significance of the Halifax Harbor during the first and second wars.  

Our final stop was at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 150 of those who perished in the Titanic are buried.  Our guide had some great stories about some of the individuals that lost their lives.  Only about half of the tombstones have names, as many of the bodies were never identified.

After our city tour we returned to our hotel for a lovely lunch.  After lunch we went to Pier 21,  which is now the Canadian Museum of Immigration.  We watched a very moving film showcasing several immigrants, including Dr. Lalita Maholtra from Prince Albert!!!  We then had a guided tour through Pier 21, showing us the various areas of the building and explaining the process for the immigrants coming to Canada.  Again, so very informative and interesting!!

We returned to the hotel at 3:30 and the rest of the day is free.  Some of us are regrouping later to check out the nightlife and hopefully find a good music venue!!!  I will let you know how that went!!

A group of us headed out to check out the night life.  Ten of us ended up at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse.  They had great food and great music!!  Another group of gals went to another Irish pub, we will have to compare notes tomorrow!!