Canada, eh? (Part 3) Halifax, Nova ScotiaCanada, eh? (Part 3) Halifax, Nova Scotia

- Alex November 27th, 2009

In honor of one of our TTTers, Meghan, getting accepted to a college in Halifax, it’s about time that I shared the final segment of my Canadian adventure I took with TTTer Vienna last August.

What is there to do in Halifax you may ask? Well, we asked ourselves the very same question. The cruise ship port is a few minute drive into the center of the touristy area of Halifax. We made our way to the Metro Transit Ferry Terminal to catch a ferry across the Halifax harbor to Dartmouth. En route to the ferry terminal, we walked by a variety of art stands, shops, and performers along the river. Classy stuff.

The ferry ride itself was very enjoyable—it is the best way to see

the Halifax skyline, harbor, and bridges. Once in Dartmouth, we moseyed around the City Waterfront Park. It was clean, had a superb view of the city, and on top of that, it was a beautiful day. An interesting feature about the park is that it houses a peace memorial put together by high school students in the area. The memorial contains artifacts and is a nice place to sit down and “hang out”. We spent at least an hour in that park—taking pictures, playing hide and seek, and absorbing some good ole’ vitamin D.

Back in the city of Halifax, we were on a mission. It was our last port of the cruise and Vienna and I still didn’t have shirts that said Canada on them. We searched the tourist traps for a while to no avail. Eventually we found our way to Freak Lunchbox candy and toy store. What a cool place. There was American candy, Canadian candy, European candy, and a plethora of strange gidgets and gadgets. Vienna and I each purchased stick-on mustaches, Flake chocolate bars, and a bag of Harry Potter jelly beans. (Funny story about those beans—DO NOT EAT THE CHEESE! I had a bad experience and I, for one, will never be eating it again.)

Close to Freak Lunchbox, we caught a glimpse of the citadel (Fort George) on the hill overlooking the city. For those of you who want historical immersion wherever you go, the citadel is just that. On the topic of other touristy things to do in Nova Scotia, a popular destination is Peggy’s Cove, probably one of the most photographed fishing villages in the world. We’ve never trekked up there, as it is a long excursion, but I hear it’s gorgeous…if you’re into that kind of thing.

Ethan and Vienna returned to the ship, and Mom and I ventured off on a hike at Point Pleasant Park. Just south of the city, Point Pleasant Park is a great place for runners, bikers, walkers, and families. After about two miles and a billion pictures, we returned to the city to conclude an unfinished mission.

All aboard time on the ship was in a half hour, we were at least 20 minutes (with traffic) away from the port, and Vienna and I STILL didn’t have Canada shirts. Somehow, I still don’t know how this happened, our taxi driver found a cheap mall, and the first shop I ran into (literally) had the exact shirts we wanted! Meanwhile, my Mom held the taxi for us so we could zip back to the ship. All was well; we had our Canadian t-shirts and made it back on time to the ship.

So that’s it for Canada! It was one of my best cruises to date and I most definitely want to return to Canada in the near future. Montreal next time, perhaps? What’s your favorite Canadian city?