Arjan is not feeling well, so it is my turn to write again. We are almost out of our prohibitively expensive internet package on the ship, so we will have to finish the blog after we get home. Lots of good things to come for our regular readers!
We experienced fog horns again all night. No matter how sunny or clear during the day, the fog rolls in every time we leave a port and we sail in pea soup until the next port. Better than the other way around…makes paying for a cruise worthwhile!
Halifax is blessed with one of the world’s best natural harbors, and it seemed really grand compared to all the ports we have been visiting lately. Today’s weather in Halifax was cloudy-bright, without a drop of sunshine all day. We have been to Halifax before, and the most interesting shore excursion option was Peggy’s Cove, where my grandparents painted many times, so we opted to stay in town and walk around on our own.
We took our time getting off the ship and then strolled along the very well-developed Halifax Harbourwalk for a couple of miles, passing all kinds of docks and boats and cafes and fast food sheds.
There was a Columbian tall ship in town that arrived after we did, and it was great to see all the sailors in their starched white uniforms exploring the town, too.
After following the Harborwalk for almost an hour, we turned up George Street towards the Halifax Citadel, Halifax’s famous fort on its rise above the port, passing the Grand Parade ground and the 200-year-old town clock on the way.
We were in time to watch the enactors fire the noon gun, a tradition going back to when the fort was actually manned.
It was also great to run into Mackenzie again in his natural habitat, a piper who visited our ship and played for us several times on the sail between St. John’s and Halifax. By now, I have talked to him so many times, it felt like we have become old friends.
Because Arjan didn’t feel well, we cut our day short and returned to the ship early. Arjan visited the ship’s doctor after we got back and got a prescription that should have him feeling as good as new by the time we arrive in Boston on July 20.
During the day, whenever we saw something that might merit more time, we kept telling ourselves we can come back any time, now that we are back on our side of the Atlantic. One was the immigration museum at Pier 21, right next to where we docked, and another the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which our cruise location guide Barbara pointed out as being one of the three best she has ever experienced worldwide.
As we sailed out of Halifax, guess what? We sailed back into the fog!
Photographs © 2016 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.