[Day 23-24] Thursday-Friday, July 9-10, Halifax (11km)

Relaxation and exploration of neighborhood and downtown by bicycle and foot.

In the North End neighborhood, walk a few blocks down Agricola St, turn left on North St, and one block down will be a laundromat, the Java Roasters Coffee shop and a hair salon all next door to each other. We spent time at all three and Chil Son Jung gave Marney a short, helmet-friendly cut.

On Thursday we cycled to the top of downtown by bicycle and walked down to the harbor. On Friday, we did the full circuit on bicycle. Halifax has a broad, varied boardwalk

that makes it easy for locals and visitors to enjoy the boat-busy harbor, museums, eateries, ferry terminal, college of the arts, farmers market, and more. The economy in Halifax appears to be vibrant if all the cranes and downtown construction are any indication: a blend of new architecture with the traditional.

Bob with the fresnel lens of a lighthouse

In the Marine Museum of the Atlantic,

we focused on the story of the Halifax explosion of 1917 during World War I, caused by a collision of two ships, one of which carried gunpowder.  Another exhibit and short documentary described the recovery efforts of the Haligonian (term for people of Halifax) seamen after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.



On bikes we circled the dominant grassy hill of the Halifax Citadel

(the fortress built between 1826 and 1858 to protect the harbor), passed by the peaceful public gardens, and crossed the large Commons space where children skated, roller bladed and bicycled on the huge, flat, hard surfaced (quasi-velodrome) track (Emera Oval); it is a speed skating rink in the winter. These amenities lie along our short, best route to downtown and the harbor.



We are not qualified to be food critics,

The Stubborn Goat on Grafton Street

but we find variety and many tasty options and believe true food critics would be very happy here. Last night at Tess, a charming, neighborhood restaurant with a cozy garden patio, our waitress, Jamie, spent time with us answering questions about the health of the city and the gentrification of the neighborhood.




We stopped to admire and tour the beautiful central public library,

completed in 2014. Filled with people of all ages, it appears to be well used and loved. And we learned that the cruise ship, the Queen Mary, had docked at 6 AM. 2015 marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Cunard Lines by Halagonian Samuel Cunard and a Scottish engine and shipbuilder, Robert Napier. The huge cruise ship left tonight for Boston and then New York.