Saturday, October 5, 2019, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CN

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA (New Scotland), CANADA

Site of the first permanent European settlement in the Canadian Maritimes, Halifax exudes a refined European air.  Visitors by sea are greeted by the 1758 Sambro Island Lighthouse, the oldest surviving beacon in North America.  In the harbor side Historic Properties district, grand, and charming stone buildings build in the 18^th and 19^th centuries grace the cobblestone streets.  The city grew up around Citadel Hill, where Fort George, a Victorian-era fortification, protected the harbor.  The fortress, along with the adjacent stately Halifax Town Clock, has been gloriously restored and preserved.  Downtown, St Mary’s Basilica is the city’s Norman-Gothic treasure, sporting the tallest granite spire in North America.  Seaside, it is pure pleasure to stroll Halifax’s waterfront.

 1758 Sambro Island Lighthouse.

 Views from our cabin door.

Big Pink Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour

We saw historic treasures of Halifax on a hop-on/hop-off tour that let us explore the sights that most interested us.  We met one of the city’s distinctive pink tour buses at our berth.  Its 11-mile loop took us around the city, alighting our bus as we pleased to explore sites like the Old Burying Ground, Public Gardens, St. Mary’s Basilica, and St. George’s Round Church.  We changed buses at select stops to enjoy a route along the boardwalk and waterfront, with fascinating ties to the city’s history of pirates and privateers.  Buses made their rounds every 10-15 minutes, providing time to linger at two sites we wanted.  Along the way, we learned about Halifax’s fascinating history and culture from on-board local guides.

 Citadel Hill, where Fort George, a Victorian-era fortification, protected the harbor.

It’s obvious why this strategic hilltop location with a commanding view of the Halifax harbor was chosen in 1749 for the fort destined to protect the city.  The Halifax Citadel’s star shaped architecture is equally as impressive from the inside and out.  Step back in time with the 78th Highlanders and the 3rd Brigade Royal Artillery to learn what it was like for the soldiers and their families to live and work in this historic fort.

More info (with You Tubes):  https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax

Dry moat, called "ditch" several hundred years ago.  If an enemy were about to concur the defenses, the saying "Last ditch effort" was generated. 

 Inside Citadel.

Hourly changing of the guards.

 Our local guide of the Citadel.

Firing demonstration of the .557 caliber rifle.

Entrance to powder building.  Double walls very thick to contain an accidental explosion.

Roof of powder room; thin for accidental explosion so force would go up.

 Halifax Town Clock located on side of Citadel.

 Overlook of upper end of harbor.

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica is a Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  It is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Halifax and is the largest Catholic church in the Archdiocese.  Consecrated on October 19, 1899, it was made a basilica in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica boasts the tallest granite spire in North America.

The church has been significantly expanded and altered over time.  Originally constructed of wood, it was replaced by a stone structure beginning in 1820 inspired (as were many churches of the day) by Saint Martin in the Fields in London.  It was expanded to its present size beginning in 1869, according to designs of Patrick Keely who introduced the Gothic Revival facade and spire.  Besides the Gothic features, the spire also includes Norman and Germanic design elements.

The facade and spire are notable for being built entirely of granite.  All of the stone was locally obtained, except for the three portals which have a jamb shaft of pink Aberdeen granite.  The spire has a height of 189 feet.  The basilica was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1997.

More info:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Basilica_(Halifax)

Our Hop-on/Hop-off tour guide pointed out a construction crane that collapsed by Hurricane Dorian.

  

The Halifax Explosion was a maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, which happened on the morning of 6 December 1917.  The Norwegian vessel SS Imo collided with SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with high explosives, in the Narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax  Harbor to Bedford Basin, causing a large explosion on the French freighter, devastating the Richmond district of Halifax.  Approximately 2,000 people were killed by the blast, debris, fires or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured.  The blast was the largest man-made explosion at the time, releasing the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT.

Mont-Blanc was under orders from the French government to carry her cargo from New York City via Halifax to Bordeaux, France.  At roughly 8:45 am, she collided at low speed, approximately one knot (1.2 mph), with the unladen Imo, chartered by the Commission for Relief in Belgium to pick up a cargo of relief supplies in New York.  On the Mont-Blanc, the impact damaged benzol barrels stored on deck, leaking vapors which were ignited by sparks from the collision, setting off a fire on board that quickly grew out of control.  Approximately 20 minutes later at 9:04:35 am, the Mont-Blanc exploded.

Nearly all structures within a half-mile radius, including the community of Richmond, were obliterated.  A pressure wave snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels (including Imo, which was washed ashore by the ensuing tsunami), and scattered fragments of Mont-Blanc for miles.  Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage.  A tsunami created by the blast wiped out the community of the Mi'kmaq First Nation who had lived in the Tufts Cove area for generations.

Relief efforts began almost immediately, and hospitals quickly became full.  Rescue trains began arriving the day of the explosion from across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick while other trains from central Canada and the northeastern United States were impeded by blizzards.  Construction of temporary shelters to house the many people left homeless began soon after the disaster.  The initial judicial inquiry found Mont-Blanc to have been responsible for the disaster, but a later appeal determined that both vessels were to blame.  In the North End, there are several memorials to the victims of the explosion.

More info (well worth time to read):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

 Homes built to replace those destroyed in explosion.

Fairview Cemetery is a cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  It is best known as the final resting place for over one hundred victims of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.  Officially known as Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the non-denominational cemetery is run by the Parks Department of the Halifax Regional Municipality.  

More info:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairview_Cemetery,_Halifax,_Nova_Scotia

Titanic memorial.

 Halifax is the largest port on the east coast of Canada.

National oceanographic research vehicles with headquarters building in background.

The harbor is in the shape of an hour glass.  This bridge spans the narrow section of the hour glass.

Ice breaker under construction for the Canadian Navy.  The short, stubby hulls are made to ride up and over the ice so the weight will break the ice, rather than ramming it head on, which would destroy the hull.  Most important in winters for Canada's national defense.

It's been 15+ years since we last drove our motor home to Alaska, but Boston Pizza, we've only seen in Canada, is the best we have ever eaten.  Too bad we did not have time this trip to try it again.

We sail at 10 PM today for Boston where we will spend an overnight with two days of shore excursions.  Will arrive 7 AM Monday, October 7.