Halifax/Canada

09/01/2024 Halifax

By 8:30 AM, I set out to explore the waterfront. There are plenty of bars and restaurants with occasionally quirky names ('Bicycle Thief'), vendors, and tour providers. I discovered a children's playground with a submarine and a maritime museum that I wanted to visit later.

I noticed that there are many dogs in Halifax. I came across a beautiful German shepherd that immediately approached me. While I chatted with its owners, I was allowed to pet him and even received a dog kiss. My day started off well.

Shortly before 10:30 AM, I met up with Craig, Anita, and another couple from the 'Serenade' to take part in a special bus tour. This bus was amphibious.

We first drove through the city up to the fortress, then headed back to the harbor and into the water via a ramp. We almost reached our ship before we turned back.

After that, I continued alone to the 'Maritime Museum of the Atlantic'. In addition to many exhibits on general seafaring, there were two special exhibition areas: One about the explosion of the 'Mont Blanc', which flattened a significant part of Halifax in 1917, killing 2,000 people and injuring 9,000 more.

The other area was dedicated to the 'Titanic'. Many victims were recovered from Halifax and found their final resting place there. Many other objects from the wreck also made their way to Halifax, such as a deck chair in perfect condition.

By now, I was hungry and thirsty. Other passengers mentioned that they were at a beer tasting, which I thought was a good idea. Halifax supposedly has five breweries, one of which is located right at the dock where our ship had docked. Perfect! There, I ordered a 'Flight' of ten different beers and chatted with locals while drinking.

By around 3:00 PM, after tasting all the beers, I looked at the shops in the terminal building, found funny T-shirts and postcards, but only bought something as a gift.

Back on board, I got a chai and something to eat, then listened to the string players.

After dinner, the artist duo 'The Great DuBois' performed, which was mostly juggling and nearly put me to sleep.