HALIFAX

Had a great day exploring the Halifax waterfront. After lunching at The Bicycle Thief - amazing lobster roll- we went to The Maritime Museum. It is a fabulous place to spend an afternoon.

We toured the retired ship The Acadia, which is the only ship to have served the Royal Canadian Navy in both world wars.

My favorite exhibit though, was the Titanic display.....I could have spent hours there....oh wait, I did.

There was so much information, so many stories about those that perished, as well as survivors.

In the picture below, a deck chair is displayed ( this is a replica, the original is behind glass). These were for the First class passengers only, and had to be reserved. When the ship was going down, they were thrown into the water, in the hopes that people could stay afloat by holding on to them. You can see them stacked on deck in the photo.

The three people pictured behind the chair, the woman, and young girl survived but the man went down with the ship.

Despite the myth of "Women and children first", the survival rate for first class men was higher than for third class children.

Many of the items in the museum, were picked out of the water by people on board the rescue ships, kept as souvenirs and now have been donated after being passed down in families....like the child's shoes above. Once the shoes were donated, they were able to solve a 100 year old mystery.

Another interesting  exhibit was about the explosion on Dec.6, 1917 that leveled the Richmond district of Halifax, killed over 2,000 people and injured 9,000. 

Two boats collided, one carrying wartime explosives, which lead to the cataclysmic explosion.

"Nearly all structures within a half-mile (800 m) radius, including the entire community of Richmond, were obliterated. A pressure wave of air snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres. Hardly a window in the city proper survived the concussion. Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage.^[1] A tsunami created by the blast wiped out the community of Mi'kmaq First Nations people that had lived in the Tuft's Cove area for generations."

Ok, enough history.

We stopped at Alexander Keith's brewery for a pint in the sun, before heading back to our hotel.

Along the way, just 2 blocks from our hotel, another great cemetery. I don't know what it is, but they draw me in.

Ok, just a bit more history.

We  are staying at The Waverley Inn just 3 blocks up from the water. It was recommended to us by 2 of the B&B's that we stayed at.

We are staying in the room at the top center, the peak. This is the sign on our door..... We weren't sure what to expect, but it is a lovely room. Over the years, many notable people have stayed here, and it appears we are in Mr. Barnum's room. 

Apparently, there are two resident ghosts, a young woman, and an older man. We didn't see or hear them, darn it.

It is the end of a long day and my feet are telling me they need to rest before our last day of vacation......stay tuned