.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Nova Scotia

A Walk along Halifax’s Waterfront

00 Halifax Waterfront

I enjoyed my visit to Halifax, although I’d have to say it’s not one of the prettier cities in Canada.  An exception to this impression was my walk along the city’s waterfront, which is a lovely place.
The city has a terrific 6-km boardwalk known as the HarbourWalk which stretches along the main highlights of harbor and which is said to be one of the longest boardwalks in the world.  It’s flat and easy to do, and walking this stretch is most pleasant on a nice summer day.

Harbourwalk, Halifax Waterfront

Harbourwalk, Halifax Waterfront


The walk offers some nice views of the harbor, and of ships and sailboats moving about — even of a lighthouse on an island.  There’s the sound of gulls and of waves crashing, and …

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“Pic of the Week”, November 6, 2020: Old Burying Grounds, Halifax

02 Halifax City Walk (29)

As you walk down Barrington street in Halifax, you’ll pass the Old Burying Ground.   I guess “burying ground” sounds a little better than cemetery.  But it is old, especially by Canadian standards, with graves dating back more than 250 years.  The Burying Ground was established the same year as Halifax was founded and the cemetery was closed to new graves in 1844.
There are some 12,000 people interred here, but only about 1200 headstones remain.  Most of the names of those buried here are unfamiliar, but I bet there are many colorful stories about some of these residents. For example, General Robert Ross rests here — it was he who lead the successful raid of Washington DC in 1814 (War …

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Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, November 6, 2020: Old Burying Grounds, Halifax
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Nova Scotia

Fairview Cemetery, Halifax

00 Fairview Cemetery

Halifax might seem an odd place to find the graves of many of those who perished when the RMS Titanic sank more than a century ago, but it was from this city that most of the rescue efforts went forth into that infamous night, and it was here that many of the drowned and frozen bodies were delivered.  There are at least 150 Titanic graves in Halifax which can be found in the following cemeteries: Fairview (121), Mount Olivet (19) and Baron de Hirsch (10). Each cemetery has informational plaques indicating the location of the grave sites.

Fairview Cemetery, Halifax

Fairview Cemetery, Halifax


There’s still something compelling about the tragic story of the Titanic that resonates with people, and which continues to draw them to museums and …

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“Pic of the Week”, September 18, 2020: Halifax City Hall

01 Halifax City Hall (2)

A nice open space in Halifax is the grounds of this attractive Victorian building, City Hall.
City Hall was built between 1887 and 1890 and is one of the oldest public buildings in Nova Scotia.  It’s built of sandstone and has a clock tower, with clocks facing north and south.  Nova Scotians like to get full use of their real estate investments, and the building still functions as City Hall to this day.  It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. 
There were a number of these very comfortable looking Adirondack chairs on the grounds of City Hall.  A pleasant place to sit on a warm summer day.
As you’d expect of a mature city, a War Memorial is nearby.
(Clock on thumbnails …

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Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, September 18, 2020: Halifax City Hall
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Nova Scotia

A Perfect Maritime Fishing Village — Peggy’s Cove

03 Peggy’s Cove (10)

When one thinks of Canada’s East Coast, a pretty fishing village with its own lighthouse is certainly an image many people would have.  And there may be no more picture-perfect Maritime fishing village than Peggy’s Cove (although I haven’t visited them all, so I could be wrong).  The village was founded in 1811 and is the eastern point of the St. Margaret’s Bay (it’s thought the town’s name was derived from one of the common terms for Margaret — Peggy).

Peggy’s Cove is just a slow hour’s drive (43 km) from the provincial capital of Halifax, making it a very popular day trip destination.  We visited in the fall and the town was still crowded with tourists — I can only …

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.All Trips / Eastern Canada / Food / North America / Nova Scotia

Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery, Halifax

24 Alexander Keitih Brewery Tour (38)

While almost certainly not as famous as it’s founder would have liked, Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery has developed a niche following throughout Canada, especially in its eastern provinces.  The brewery was created almost two centuries ago, in 1820, making it one of the oldest breweries in North America (the oldest surviving commercial brewery is John Molson’s, founded in Montreal in 1786).

Alexander Keith was a Scottish immigrant who had been a brewer in Edinburgh and London before moving to the New World.  He had an interesting career that extended beyond brewing and including being mayor of Halifax and President of the Provincial Legislative Council of Nova Scotia.  While in Canada he experimented with ale, porter, ginger wine and spruce beer, …

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.All Trips / Eastern Canada / Food / North America / Nova Scotia

Halifax’s Seaport Farmers’ Market

00 Halifax Farmers Market and Food Tour (4)

Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market is the oldest continuously operating farmer’s market in North America, originating a year after Halifax was founded, in 1750.  For over 250 years the market has sold meat and produce delivered from Acadian farms in the Annapolis Valley and elsewhere in Nova Scotia.

The Market has operated in several locations across the city since its inception, including within the Keith’s Brewery Building.  In 2010 The Market moved into a converted warehouse along the Halifax Seaport and today hosts over 250 vendors! 

Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market

We spent more than a day exploring the waterfront area and made several stops at this market.  Our visit to Halifax was during the early fall so the produce available reflected the season — apples, peaches, plums …

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“Pic of the Week”, November 16, 2018: Halifax’s Old Town Clock

Citadel, Halifax (12)

The Halifax Town Clock (aka ‘Old Town Clock’, or ‘Citadel Clock Tower’) is situated just beneath the old Citadel on a hill overlooking the city and its harbor.   It has kept time for over 200 years and is considered one of the city’s iconic buildings.

The clock was a gift from Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Queen Victoria’s father). Prince Edward was the Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in North America and was stationed in Halifax for about a year, ending August 1800.  Upon leaving, the prince (who was obsessed with punctuality and found Halifax residents lacking in this regard) decided to give the city this timepiece.

The Clock was designed by Prince Edward’s engineer in 1801 and was crafted by the …

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