Rest Day in Halifax: The Rainy One

June 21, 2015

So we slept in again. I could get used to this. The real problem, however, was the party animals next door. They went all night, it seemed. Oh, to be young again.

So today we decided to do our own thing. It was not supposed to get much above the low to mid-60s, but I refused to give in and headed out in a tee-shirt and shorts. It was fine.

First stop: Halifax Farmer's Market. Kind of odd, as it's right on the waterfront, and you might expect, maybe, lots of seafood. Nope!

The Halidax Farmer's Market. Not very accessible as a pedestrian, although it is linked with the waterfront walk, anchoring its southern terminus.

It's not really much of a market (by more southern standards), but they try. This is a generous photograph — it was far more sparse on the floor.

I did stop and talk to this woman who was selling honey and beeswax candles. My brother makes beeswax candles, and a co-worker has a honeybee "farm" and makes honey. We had a lot to talk about!

Second stop: More Halifax Waterfront. We only walked a part of it yesterday. Today, I did the rest.

Georges Island, complete with a lighthouse.

Mr. Cunard of, ultimately, the Cunard Lines. Surprise to me!

A monument to the Acadia holocaust (yes, genocide existed before WWII).

Third shop: Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This is a fascinating museum on many levels. Its focus is mostly on Halifax and its impact on all things Canadian and the North Atlantic. But it also touches on the two World Wars and the whole concept of transatlantic voyages and commerce. And if you like model ships, they have a huge collection of a wide variety of periods and types.

Notably, it has a great collection focused on the Titanic. Halifax served as an important port during rescue and recovery operations — to the point where the dead went to Halifax and the survivors went to New York. As a result, many artifacts made their way to Halifax, whether accompanied with the dead or brought back by sailors involved in the operations. Quite a fascinating perspective and story. I only took two pictures.

The shoes of a two-year-old who perished in the disaster.

By now it was raining pretty heavily. Better today than tomorrow (although predictions for the next three days were not great). It was still early enough that the library was open, so I made my way there so I could review and edit my routing from Portland, ME to Sunderland, VT. That took about an hour, and I was able to view it on a large screen and use a mouse to tweak and refine my route. RWGPS will take you off a major road at every opportunity, which sometimes makes for silly wayfinding. If I'm riding on VT-11 for five miles, diverting for two blocks doesn't make sense.

Afterward, I sought shelter in a bar across the street and then met Happy for dinner on the waterfront. Digby scallops. Yummy!

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