Around Halifax

First stop today was York Redoubt, for many years the primary defensive position protecting Halifax Harbour. They did a good job of explaining the different eras and how advances in weapons technology encouraged renovations to the fortress in each era. There was no interpretive centre, just interpretive panels outside, and it rained steadily throughout our stay. It was a large area that took quite some time to cover, but we stayed pretty dry with our umbrellas.

Next stop was Pier 21, where immigrants landed when they arrived in Halifax. I was a little bit disappointed because the displays only dealt with the period 1928 to 1971 when Pier 21 was in operation. I was more interested in the immigration when our ancestors came around 1900, but this period was not covered at all. They singled out several themes in the 1928 to 1971 time frame and dealt only with those. They had an elaborate multimedia theatre presentation, but I thought it was a little over-dramatized. There was a cruise ship at the wharf just outside. By coincidence, it was the Holland America ship Maasdam, the same ship we cruised on for our 25th wedding anniversary.

The most entertaining stop of the day was at Alexander Keith's Brewery. This was not your ordinary brewery tour. Four young actors played the parts of brewery and tavern employees in the 1860s. We got a history of Mr. Keith and the brewery and a tour and explanation of the brewing process. Then, of course, we got some samples. But this was no ordinary case of sitting at a table and drinking a beer. The cast sang traditional songs, told jokes, and played a card game. It was all very entertaining and, as the beer lightened the mood, lots of fun to play along with.

Last stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This is a great place, especially if you are interested in ships. It was a little less exciting for us prairie folk, but still very good. They had a Titanic exhibit with many artifacts, another exhibit about many Nova Scotia shipwrecks, a section about the 1917 Halifax Explosion, an area devoted to tug boats, an exhibit about the WW II Battle of the Atlantic, a section about the age of sail, and numerous models of all kinds of ships. We spent a couple of hours and closed the place down at 5:30, but we could have spent longer. Here is Celeste taking a tug boat for a spin.

We found a much cheaper hotel for tonight. It is a little older, but very well maintained and updated. We got there about 6, then grabbed a quick bite and were settled in by 7.

The weather today was the worst we have had so far. It was cool and overcast all day, but the wind wasn't bad. The worst thing was the rain. Other than an occasioanl letup to a light drizzle, it rained steadily and moderately all day. After York Redoubt, we decided to do indoor tours all day. Our other three stops were all within a couple of blocks of each other.