Halifax was our first stop and was originally unplanned. We only ended up there because we went with the cheapest flight to Europe and it included a layover in Nova Scotia. Granted, I have always wanted to see Eastern Canada, so I was excited for the chance.
And so we
begin...
We only had the day to spend there, but I would say that the time we had was more than enough. We went to the Alexander Keiths Brewery for a cold one, The Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, Pier 21, fell asleep in Cornwallis Park, and visited a beautiful old cemetery: Holy Cross Cemetery.
The Brewery was pretty neat, however we didn’t jump on a tour figuring we would have the chance later on in our trip. Instead we just checked out the bar area and found some nice seats outside on the balcony and enjoyed our crisp beer and people watched. Ahhh, what a life!
Later we took a walk to the farmers market. Unfortunately, there was little going on there with a lack of vendors and customers. So, we just walked around and explored the streets of Halifax. It was wonderful to see so many old, historical buildings in Canada. Back home in Calgary, we would normally visit our Heritage Park to get the same experience, but in a more intentional way.
Pier 21 was something special as my own grandparents immigrated to Canada and arrived on that very pier. We found a coffee shop overlooking the water and thought about the journey it was for them and the sacrifice it took to start over in a foreign place. Jonny and I took the time to write three postcards to some of our wedding guests as a thank you for attending. One of the cards was for my grandma Hanhart, as I knew it would be special for her to receive her card from a place with personal significance. It was certainly a wonderful stop to make on our first day.
Afterwards, we wandered to Cornwallis Park. There we noticed the grass, and the sun, and our sore feet, and the grass, and our lack of sleep, and the grass; so, we decided a nap was in order. I think we fell asleep for about an hour until the smell of something delicious wafted our way. I went over to the Superstore nearby and discovered the source of the smell; free hotdogs! Boy, oh boy, do we ever love freebies.
We love Halifax!
Halifax was relaxing, architecturally beautiful, and held a special historical significance for us. I would have liked to explore more, but we had a plane to catch! Onward to Scotland!
