Halifax

Today I don't have to pack. I'm staying here for another night and exploring Halifax. I have no idea yet how incredible this day will be. Just like in Truro, there's a breakfast serving. But this time not in bags. And Achmed loves his job. Not. He asks for the usual items with no enthusiasm. I choose an omelette and an English muffin. The omelette is surprisingly good for industrial food, and if it had butter instead of margarine, it would almost be an acceptable meal. So I'll give it a satisfactory rating. Poor guy has been up since 5 am, so I'll give Achmed the same grade.

As advised, I drive to Halifax. To do that, I have to cross one of the 2 toll bridges connecting Dartmouth and Halifax. Tossed a dollar in a bucket, and the barrier opens. And in less than 15 minutes, I'm in the parking garage. It's recommended to explore Halifax on foot, and given its size, that's easily possible.

Halifax is just a part of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and together with the other parts, it has about 400,000 residents, which is 40 percent of all of Nova Scotia. It's easy to forget that this part of Canada has less than 1 million people, which is equivalent to 17.3 residents per square kilometer. Germany has 233. Canada itself only has 38 million residents, which is 3.9 residents per square kilometer given its massive size. Labrador, as the most extreme example, is as big as Italy and has 27,000 residents. You can find more people in a hotel in Las Vegas.

I start my exploration with the Harbour Walk, along the docks on wooden planks. After just a few minutes, you'll already fall in love with this city. Numerous restaurants and bars invite you to linger, even if they are not open at this time. Everything is incredibly clean, you won't find any trash here. There are also colored seating areas everywhere, which you can use completely free of charge. The weather is also cooperating, radiant sunshine makes this day a real highlight of the trip.

After deciding to come back later, I simply continue walking towards Point Pleasant Park in the south of the city. Passing powerful harbor facilities and huge container collections, which demonstrate how important Halifax is for the loading of goods. The park is huge and I head to the Prince of Wales Tower. There I learn that it's the oldest Martello tower in North America and the park is still owned by the British government, which rents it to HRM for the symbolic sum of one shilling (about 10 cents) for 999 years.

On my way back to the city, I walk through a residential area, and here too, the clean and nicely renovated houses catch my eye. A good-looking woman in a Porsche Cayenne kindly smiles at me and lets me cross the street. Poverty looks different. Passing by a school and a university, I arrive at the Halifax Public Gardens, which are still in full bloom. However, on November 1st, they're closed.

From there, it's only a few minutes to the Citadel, which is located on a small hill and offers a great view of the city and the region. I skip the entrance fee and instead walk around the property on the road that leads up here. Up here, you also realize that Halifax Downtown is rather small, which makes the city even more attractive.

I go down the hill and head to the Bluenose II Restaurant, which has been around since 1964 and is said to have the best lobster rolls. After signing in on a COVID guest list, Brock, my waiter, spots my German name. He thinks it's cool. And he actually knows Mozart and Puck. What progress. I suggest that he should name his son after me, to which he replies that I'm 7 weeks too late. And the child is already named Baker. Poor thing. 7 weeks can make a big difference.

The lobster roll is really tasty, although I can't say if it's better than anywhere else since I have no experience. But maybe I'll find out. In any case, lobster is now one of my favorite foods, but like oysters, I'll probably limit myself to eating it at the source when I'm abroad. It's also something special then.

As I planned, I make my way back to the docks and take a seat on one of the numerous chairs. By now, the restaurants are bustling. It's probably a mix of tourists and business people enjoying lunch outside in the sunshine. Who knows how long this will last. Thanks to its maritime location, it doesn't get extremely cold here, but it's mostly frost-free only from May to October.

I enjoy the vibe of this city and from now on, I hold it as one of the top 5 favorite cities in my heart. Alongside London, Dublin, San Francisco, and Barcelona. Halifax is the smallest and most manageable of them, which of course adds to its special charm. Besides, this day has presented itself so phenomenally that it's hard not to fall in love with this little town. But as the postal clerk said when I bought stamps today, 'I would never leave this place forever!' I've heard the same sentence several times in Newfoundland as well.