Halifax, Nova Scotia - July 1 - 3, 2015

Halifax, Nova Scotia - July 1 - 3, 2015

July 1, 2015

It is Canada Day today.  We started out by driving an entire 21 miles to get to the new Park.  We needed to be here between 10:00 and 11:00 am since we were the first of three tour groups coming into the park.

We had much of the day to ourselves, so we drove to a little shopping area to find a place to eat.  We had not eaten at a Tim Horton’s yet, so we each had a sandwich.  Bev also had an Iced Cappuccino.  Yum.  When we got back to the park, we heard that one of the other couples went to McDonald’s.  They had a McLobster Roll and Poutine.   I am figuring out when we can fit in that meal too.  No wonder we are gaining weight – Bev is anyway.   So much to try and so little time. 

Tonight there is a band playing to honor Canada Day.  The group that performed was the Saunders Brothers Show.  There were three men that did a great job of including the audience in the performance.  They had several types of instruments, such as spoons and tambourines for the volunteers to use.   The Fire Works that had been planned were cancelled due to rain.

July 2, 2015

Today, we didn’t have to be ready to catch the bus until 1:00 p.m.   We were picked up by the tour bus at the Rec Center of the park.

We were taken to the Citadel National Historic Site.  This is the Fort that was at the harbor in Halifax to protect the city.   The Fort which is an eight sided star that was the fourth generation of fort for protection.

We started the tour with the changing of the guard.  Each guard stands for one hour at attention.  I am not sure how they do that with all of the people taking pictures with them.  Also, it is rather warm and the uniforms are rather heavy.  Luckily, they get to stand in the shade.  There is a rotation of four guards, each standing an hour with two hours off.  Since that works out to only 12 hours, they must not have a guard when the fort is closed, since it is only a tourist attraction now.

Our guide is a college student that is working to be a RCMP.  He would like to be assigned to British Columbia, Nova Scotia or PEI, when he finishes his schooling.  

We were able to see the bunk/mess halls of the soldiers of the time.  The bunks were arranged around the table and folded in half during the day.  The soldiers were locked in at 9:30 in the evening to avoid any chance of desertion.  

In the center of the fort was a large area where there were shooting demonstrations, cannon fire and marching practice.  It was all very interesting.

Around the upper rim of the fort, there was a Bag Piper that played as he walked the outer wall. 

We also got to go into the “ditch” which was built to be an extra layer of protection if they were attacked.  They kept sheep and goats grazing in the ditch to keep the weeds down and when they were fattened up, they used them to feed the troops.  Attackers would need to scale one wall, then blast through or scale a second wall to gain access. 

After the Citadel, we only had a couple of blocks to get to the Hotel where the buffet was held before the Tattoo.  Again, the walk down the street to the Tattoo, was only a block.

The Halifax Explosion.  One of the many things that we learned, was that there was an explosion in the Harbor in 1917.  Two of the ships in the harbor collided, one carrying a huge amount of explosives.  Consequently, there was an enormous explosion.  It caused a huge loss of life.  It was the largest explosion in the world prior to Hiroshima. 

The Tattoo – What can we say!!!! OMG it is better than anything that we had been told.  It is truly an extravaganza.   There were bands for multiple countries. bag pipes, bicycle performers, a motorcycle drill team of French Police, a cheerleading group, a group that performed using large hoops, body builders that do many exercises. 

One performance melded into the next.  It was the most amazing combination of talent that we had ever seen.

July 3, 2015

After returning to the coach at 11:30 pm last night, we needed to sleep fast, because we had to be ready for the next bus tour at 8:00 am.   YIKES.  Actually it wasn’t as bad as we had expected.

We started with a Halifax City Tour, which took us around the current Halifax, with a review of the history of the area.  Our guide, Laurie, & bus driver, Karla, have lived in Halifax area all their lives, so are very knowledgeable.   They said that Halifax proper has about 120,000 people, but there are about 390,000 in the area. 

One of the VERY interesting areas was the Titanic portion of the Fairview Cemetery.  This was such an informative piece of the history of the Titanic sinking April 15, 1912.  We had NO idea that the Titanic sank only about 700 miles from Halifax.  Because this was the closest port to the site of the tragedy, it was called to the rescue. 

There were many grave stones of the tragedy.  Most of the gravestones were of the victims that were not claimed by their families or just not identified at all.  Since there was no DNA and there was no list of all the passengers, it left many unanswered questions.

The rescue team, developed a system which numbered the victims and also, numbered the belongings that were found near them, to keep an accurate record.  We are told that this system was again used in the Halifax Explosion that happened in 1917. 

On to a more uplifting part of the tour.   We visited the Public Gardens.  Stan was thrilled about seeing another garden, but it was actually very beautiful.  One interesting thing that we found, is that no jogging is permitted in the garden.  We actually saw a Security Guard stop two joggers.  It’s a shame, because that would be a great place to jog.  I guess that rules are rules.

From there we were able to go to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.  This told the history of the ship building in the Halifax area over the years.  One thing we found interesting was the story of the “Fate of the Pirate”.  Piracy was a very serious crime.  It was punishable not only by death, but a ritualistic execution.  They were hung on the beach between high and low tide, their bodies were chained and tarred in a “gibbet” at the harbor entrance to warn other mariners.

In the afternoon, we were scheduled for a Harbor Cruise on a schooner.   It was fascinating to see them “hoist the sails” – they even got some of the passengers to help – Stan & Bev were not volunteers.   It was a beautiful day for a cruise.   Halifax is a busy harbor with many container ships.

After two long days, we went back to the RV to get rested up for the five hour drive the next day.