Jul 13, 2011 - Halifax - Nova Scotia

Die provinzhauptstadt, seit jeher von grosser geschichtlicher bedeutung, einst die wichtigste stadt des britischen empires, aufgrund seiner im seehandel und der expansion der nordamerikanischen Kolonien (USA, Kanada) strategischen lage. Halifax geht aber auch einher mit vielen ungluecken, so ereignete sich hier noch vor hiroshima die groesste, (hier unabsichtlich) durch menschen verursachte explosion, als zwei grosse mit munition schwer beladenen handelsschiffe im 2.groessten naturhafen der welt, hier in halifax kollidierten. Die stadt...

Jul 7, 2011 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

We spent three days in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to meet up with our fellow Newfoundland travelers, and attend the Nova Scotia Royal International Tattoo. What the hell is a Tattoo?? Well it's a variety show with a military tilt, and featured incredible bands, including bag pipes, drums and flutes, as well as drill teams bicycle balancing, tumbling, dancing, singing and more for about three hours. It was an incredible show, the work that goes into this one week a year is just mind boggling. While in this area we visited historic Lunenburg,...

Jul 4, 2011 - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Today was a very busy day. We took a bus tour of Halifax. It was about 3 hours long, and not much opportunity for pictures. We did two stops. One was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery where 150 people from the Titanic were buried. Then we stopped at their public gardens. We got off the bus and went through the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. We spent almost 3 hours there. Afterwards we walked down the piers and got on a boat for a dinner cruise. While the sky was overcast and made for bad pictures the weather was ok. We had a great buffet dinner...

Jul 3, 2011 - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

We met up with Greg and Judy and Stan and Connie again in Halifax. But our schedules are so busy that we have little time to visit. First day of touring in Halifax brought us to the fort called the Citadel. Then we had a nice buffet lunch in a hotel next to the Citadel. After lunch we went to the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. It is mostly big marching bands and some acts. It had a cast of 1750 people. It lasted nearly 4 hours and it was a great show.

Jul 3, 2011 - Lunenburg, NS

We had a relaxing, fun day in Lunenburg and returned for a carry-in dinner with our caravan. Afterward we played "Mexican Train" with some of them....Sandy Took a short drive to the coastal town of Lunenburg. This is a working fishing port with a strong dose of history. There is a maritime museum with an entry price of $7 that was fantastic. The displays of cod fishing ships and equipment show the dangers of the trade. We also went aboard a retired trawler where an old salt gave us a personal tour. Everything is open and hands on in this...

Jul 2, 2011 - Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

We took it easy this morning. Especially, knowing we were going to be tattooed tonight and we would need "courage" to face those needles. Bill had a Honda dragon put on his arm and I had a matching one put on my ankle!!! Sure! Quite simply - the world's largest annual indoor show! Featuring over 2,000 world-class Canadian and international military and civilian performers, the Tattoo continues to live up to its reputation as one of the world's premier cultural and entertainment events. It is a fast-paced, two-and-a-half hour family show...

Jul 1, 2011 - Halifax, NS, Canada

Wednesday, June 29 We took a Grey Line bus tour of Halifax and learned about the history of the city including an explosion on a boat in the harbor in the early 1900s that destroyed part of the water front area. We also visited the cemetery where some of the victims of the Titanic were buried after ships in this area participated in the recovery effort. Thursday, June 30 During this time each year Halifax hosts the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. In 17th century Dutch villages, drummers marched through the streets summoning British...

Jul 1, 2011 - Halifax on our own

Today is Canada's National celebration - July 1. It's comparable to our July 4th except they didn't need to fight a war in order to get their independence. Guess the English were too tired to fight with them, too!!!!! The sun was shining brightly when we got up today. A bunch of us drove to the bus stop (about 5 miles) and rode into downtown. There was a parade today, an international convention on the pier, a Native Indian pow-wow in the park, and just a general good time was had by all. We enjoyed the small parade, and then had lunch in...

Jun 30, 2011 - Touring Halifax

Up and on the bus at 8 AM. We spent the entire day touring with stops at the Citadel, gravesites of the Titanic, maritime museum, and Peggy's Cove. We ate lunch at a downtown hotel and were treated to a good narration for the day. The Citadel is an elaborate fort with an assortment of displays. We observed the changing of the guard and demonstrations of various firearms. A bagpiper was filling in background music providing a Scottish flair. We all wished we had more time to spend here. Halifax was the port where all the survivors and...

Jun 29, 2011 - On to Halifax

Moving day. We traveled back over the big bridge to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Still trying to figure out the diesel fueling fiasco. Today we tried a station that was set up for truckers. We pulled into the bay and waited for the attendant. He had to reset both pumps, then go to the main building where Sandy was waiting with a valid credit card. After I filled up he had to come back to the island, get the quantities and go back to the main building where Sandy signed the credit card slip. I guess this is the manual system. We have also fueled up...

Jun 13, 2011 - Rain, Rain, Go Away, Don't come Back Another Day

Regretfully, last nights hope that the chance of rain being slight was not fulfilled and we woke to yet another day of rain. We had an early breakfast delivered to our room and then went down to the devotions led by Larry Burd with whom we have shared the dinner table the last two nights. Eva Collins gave Christine a scarf she had knitted. It matched Christine's raincoat perfectly and she wore it all day. We set off to disembark and had to wait a short while as they deployed the gangway. We left the ship and were directed to a door in the...

Jun 7, 2011 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

With its bustling waterfront, pretty parks, and unique blend of modern and historic architecture, Halifax is becoming a popular place to visit. It is best known as one of Canada’s foremost centers of higher learning with many colleges and five universities. MARRIOTT HALIFAX HARBOURFRONT One of the ways we select a hotel in a city is to use Google maps. That way we can see where they are located relative to the center of town or, in the case of Halifax, on the waterfront. The only hotel on Google maps on the waterfront was the Marriott...