Halifax is Hopping

We spent two days near Halifax and toured all the sites. On Sunday we checked out the famous Citidel on top of a hill overlooking Halifax Harbor. This is huge eight sided fortress that has been rebuilt four times since the late 1600s. The walls are so formidable and the moats and gun placements so daunting that the fort never succombed to an attack. Mom and dad watched troops in fine highlander uniforms do close order drill and rifle firings (very loud!) Next, Mom and Dad along with Dick and Linda King checked out the board walk along Halifax harbor. There were several Canadian ships moored along the quay that were interesting.

Yesterday, Mom and Dad toured the cemetary where several hundred victims of the Titanic were buried. Halifax was the entry point for Titanic victims, many of which were unidentified, and buried in an unmarked grave. The survivors were taken directly to New York on the steam liner Capathia. All very sad.

Mom and Dad also toured the maritime museum which told the horrific story of the great explsion of the late 1800s. A British frigate loaded with explosives was rammed by another ship. It then caught on fire. The fire raged for hours which attracted a crowd along the quay. Suddenly a huge explosion ripped across the harbor. Over two thousand were killed and thousands more were injured. It was the largest single explosion in the world up to that point, only exceeded by the nuclear detonations in Japan. A 1000 pound anchor was found three miles away. It took years for Halifax to recover. Another interesting fact about Nova Scotia are the ship wrecks. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 25,000 ship wrecks have occured along the coast. The most recent was a provate yacht that crashed into Sable island in 2003.

Mom and Dad also toured the public botanical gardens modeled after the Victorian gardens in London. Mom and Linda were particularly impressed with the enormous pair of geese, which must have been thirty pounds in weight!

Today, we all depart for our next port of call...Ludenberg with several stops along the way. Can't wait!