Under cloudy skies and imminent rain we docked midday in Halifax. But the port was right downtown with easy access and I had planned to do an audio walking tour of the boardwalk with an app I discovered called Tripvia Tours, a smartphone audio tour app for walking and driving. Once their free app is installed, for about $5.00 each you can purchase individual walking or driving tours and then access it as often as you wish. They are mostly available for tours in Canada and the US states of California and Colorado. Once you start the tour you go at your own pace, and with GPS the audio will guide you and highlight points of interest as you approach them. So off I went, armed with warm clothes, rain gear, and my Tripvia guide to the Halifax Harbourwalk, a 2-mile public boardwalk along the harbor, popular with tourists and locals alike.
The scenic Halifax Harbourwalk is filled with a wonderful array of pubs and cafes, boutiques, tall ships, street art, festivals, and entertainment events. Here you’ll find the Halifax Ferry Terminal and the Maritime Museum, which includes artifacts from its ties to the Titanic. When the ship went down in 1912, Halifax was the closest port to the disaster and become a key city for the rescue and recovery efforts of that time. Ships from Halifax were sent out to recover whatever was possible and many of the bodies of those who perished that day were laid to rest in various cemeteries throughout the city.
At the museum you’ll also find artifacts of the Halifax Explosion, one of the greatest disasters in Canadian history when, in December of 1917, the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying munitions, collided with the Belgian relief vessel SS Imo in the narrows between Halifax Bay and the Bedford Basin. The resulting explosion devastated the Richmond District of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring 9,000 others. The blast was the largest artificial explosion before the development of nuclear weapons.
Farther down the waterfront are cobblestone streets and attractively restored early 19th century wood and stone buildings of the Historic Properties Development, once the center of Halifax’s sea trade. My “guide” pointed out various important sculptures along the way, including one whimsical installation of three light posts, in various human positions, one which is described as “Get Drunk, Fall Down”, while another appears to look on curiously.
As the rain continued, I headed up and away from the waterfront to Citadel Hill, where four fortifications have been built since the city was founded in 1749. The final fort was officially named Fort George in 1800. From here is a commanding view of the city and the waterfront below.
Working my way up toward the popular shopping district of Spring Garden Road, and just above the historic Old Burying Ground of St. Paul’s Church, I visit the jewel-like Victorian-era Halifax Public Gardens, formally established in 1867. Immaculately maintained and sublimely serene, the Garden is a 16 acre oasis in the city with pavilions, fountains, curving walkways and benches for quiet contemplation or conversation, dazzling roses and Dahlias, flowering and greenery plants of all kinds.
At Spring Garden Road, I find some interesting shops of Canadian clothing designs, upscale home goods, the ubiquitous but inconspicuous cannibis shops (this is Canada, remember), and of course the ever-present-all-over-the-world Starbucks, where I happily swipe my universal Starbucks card for a latte, a snack, and a window seat to the city.
As Provincial capitals go, it may be small in size compared to Quebec or Toronto, but Halifax is big in spirit and long on history and resiliency.
Beautiful pictures in the rain with fewer people than on the sunny day I walked Halifax!
When I walked the public gardens many years ago, I remember them being very peaceful. Though I had a nice sunny day.