Quade's Blog: Cruising With Mike: The $399 Sailing (Part IV)

Trip Report Contents

Part One: Introduction & Planning
Part Two: To Boston & Sailing Away
Part Three: Bar Harbor, These Are Tender Times
Part Four: Cloudy and Windy In Halifax (This Installment)
Part Five: Seeing the Sun In Sydney
Part Six: Sunny Charlottetown
Part Seven: Down the Saint Lawrence, a Day “At-Sea”
Part Eight: Québec City. Again.
Part Nine: Into Montréal; Out of Montréal

Part Four: Cloudy and Windy in Halifax

Morning Vittles

Monday morning, after a little sleeping in, it was the main dining room again, this time for French toast and fruit. Thereafter I headed back to the room to finish getting ready and we were soon off the boat in Halifax, our first port-of-call in Canada.

About In Halifax

Again we were greeted by clouds and damp, autumnal-feeling air. The cool air I didn’t mind, but the ever-present threat of rain and the clouds I could have done without.

We walked through town and to St. Paul’s Church, which as stood on its spot since 1750, and has seen everything from Sunday service to a munitions explosion at the dock which flattened everything between the church and the waterfront.

Welcome to Halifax's Harbourwalk!

Art installation quayside

Heading into Central Halifax

On the Grand Parade

War memorial on the Grand Parade

Looking across the Grand Parade at Old City Hall

St. Paul's Church, on this spot since the 1700s

Halifax War Memorial

Preserved relic of the munitions explosion that flattened most of Halifax between the church and the harbor

Inside of St. Paul's

About the Halifax Explosion

Attacking the Citadel

A must-see in Halifax is its Citadel, which has stood guard over the city since the mid-18^th Century. We were there mid-day, so we were also able to experience the firing of the cannon, which is done daily at noon.

It's all uphill from here to the Citadel. In the photo one sees the clock-tower at the base of the Citadel's fortified hill

The clock-tower again

By the time we got to this sign we were pretty winded

Looking across the central parade ground of the Citadel

Inside the Citadel

Guarding the Citadel

Looking out from the Citadel, across Halifax

And another view out across Halifax

The earthen fortifications of the Citadel

Crowd awaiting the high-noon detonation of the Citadel's cannon

The Citadel grounds from above

Keeping the Citadel safe from ... ?

At the front entrance of the Citadel, standing guard

Going down is indeed easier than going up

Some Culture

From the top of town, the only way to head is down. We decided we’d stop by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, for a quick look through the parts of the gallery that were open.

Finding Lunch

By this point it was lunch time and we tried to find some place to eat. Our original destination was a place recommended by a gal at the art gallery. We never did find it and instead settled for The Waterfront Warehouse, where we had a perfectly passable lunch before heading back aboard. I napped; Mike didn’t. Then, well, it was a cruise, so the boat set sail and we ate.

Dinner in the Italian Restaurant

Maasdam’s Italian restaurant is called Canaletto. During out trip we ate there twice, the first time being during our Halifax day. The Canaletto, like the Pinnacle Grill, had a much quieter and intimate feel than is possible in the main dining room. There are other things to recommend it as well, like a tableside-served antipasto, which gives the diner the chance to choose what and how much they want of the offerings.