Halifax day two

Saturday August 6 2016

The agenda for today is borderline cruel and unusual punishment. We had to be marshaled at the Wagon masters rig at 7:45 AM so the tour bus could leave promptly at eight. The bus which was the most luxurious one we've had so far, came with a tour guide. She fed us tidbit's of information about the area as we drove the 20 miles to Halifax.

Phil the wagon master giving itinerary for the day

First stop of the day was at the cemetery where about 200 drowning victims from the Titanic disaster are interred. We heard some of the interesting stories involving some of the souls resting here. A large percentage of the stones are just numbered as the bodies were never identified.

Most markers are just numbered, drowning victims names unknown

Next stop was the Halifax Citadel where a young man dressed in an1869 military uniform was our guide through the compound. The site was chosen for it's strategic advantage, it is on the high ground overlooking the original town plot. The hill has had a four forts built on it, the first in 1749 and the present fortification in 1828-1856. It remained an active military base until 1951. The fort is depicted as it was in 1869 when Canada was just two years old.

Inside the Citadel local college students recreate 1869 era

We rested our bones in the plush seating of our bus as the driver navigated the narrow streets. Our tour guide delivered a commentary on some of the historic areas we passed and much about houses. She pointed out everything from; homes to the rich, to temporary war housing that is still in use as private residences. Soon we were at the next destination.

not the Titanic

Our wagon masters handed out passes for the Halifax Maritime Museum. No guided tour here we were free to see it at our own pace. I thought the model ship gallery and the Halifax explosion were the most interesting. The explosion occurred in Halifax harbor on 6 Dec 1917 when two ship collided in the harbor, one of them was laden with explosives. The City was mostly destroyed and over 2000 people killed. The museum also has a Titanic exhibition that is interesting.

Halifax Harbor

The museum is located on the downtown area of the harbor, which has been developed as a tourist destination. We walked, people watched, toured the ship CSS Acadia, ate lunch from a street side vendor and even had ice cream for desert. We were serenaded by a sidewalk musician as we ate and afterward I told Millie I didn't want to encourage him as he wasn't very good, but felt I had to give him some money so he would starve to death.

Millie and I aboard the CSS Acadia

We returned to the campground at 3 pm, and spent the rest of the afternoon letting Maggie play in her pool. We ate dinner in the motorhome.