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| Oh Canada! |
We arrived in Canada and were promptly greeted by cooler temperatures. We are currently in Sydney, Nova Scotia where we enjoyed breakfast at our usual location outside on the back of the ship. This morning we enjoyed it under sunny skies and a temperature of 61 degrees.
We've been very fortunate weather wise. The seas have been as smooth as glass and the only rain was at the end of our long day of walking around Brooklyn. That downpour was like an outdoor shower, quite refreshing. The forecast for the remainder of the cruise looks good as well. After today we are at sea tomorrow and then arrive at our destination of Quebec City on Thursday.
Over the last three days we've visited Saint John (Sunday), Halifax (Monday) and Sydney (today). These were all three cities that we had enjoyed on previous visits. We enjoyed them again and found a couple of new things to do in each one.
Saint John, with a population of around 70,000 is the second largest city in the Province of New Brunswick (If you're keeping score, Moncton is the largest city in the province). Saint John's main claim to fame is that it is located on the Bay of Fundy and that it has the largest differential between low and high tide in the world. Every day, twice a day the tides rise and lower by around 28 feet, which is an amazing amount of water flowing in and out. When we arrived it was low tide. When we finished walking around it was high tide. Windows on the ship that were at street level when we got off were now close to three stories high. It's an amazing site to see.
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| Saint John is a little hilly! |
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| Downtown Saint John as we sailed away |
On a previous visited we had walked from the port to the Reversing Rapids. This is a narrow area where huge rapids flow one way as the tide rises and the opposite way as it falls. This time we walked a little bit of the path to the falls but mainly just roamed around the small but very nice downtown. There is a nice city market located just a few blocks from the pier. It is usually closed on Sunday's. However, with close to 3,000 visitors in town, many of whom were anxious to spend a few loonies and toonies (Canadian dollar and two dollar coins) the market was open and doing a brisk business. Adjacent to the market was the Kings Square Park and Loyalist Burial Grounds, a historic cemetery from the 1700's. Both the park and cemetery were full of colorful flowers and relaxing places to spend a part of the afternoon.
From Saint John we sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax is located on the Atlantic Ocean and is the capital city of the Province of Nova Scotia. It is the home to six different universities and proclaims itself as "one of Canada's smartest cities". On a previous visit to Halifax we took a taxi out to Peggy's Cove which is a very scenic fishing village and lighthouse. Like in Saint John, we opted to stay in town. Beth had seen much of the town on previous "old lady trips" and was a wonderful tour guide. We spent the majority of the day moving from one shaded bench to another in the very colorful Halifax Public Gardens. Near the public gardens is the Halifax Citadel which is a historical fort that was established in 1749. The overlook near the top offers great views of the city and harbor and tells of the most tragic day in the history of Halifax.
On December 6, 1917 a Norwegian ship collided with a French ship that was full of explosive material. Over 2,000 people were killed, 9,000 injured and every structure within a half mile radius was destroyed. The explosion also created a tsunami that wiped out villages miles away.
The Halifax Explosion
Between the Halifax Citadel and the waterfront there are numerous streets lined with shops, restaurants and businesses. The shops and restaurants were doing a bustling business but the businesses were all closed. The first Monday of August is a holiday throughout most of Canada. I did a few minutes research and really couldn't find that there was a particular reason. You gotta admire a country that just declares a holiday for no particular reason! Thousand of locals joined with thousands of cruisers (we were joined in port by another ship) enjoying a sunny day along the waterfront in this exceptionally smart city.
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| Halifax Public Garden |
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| A recurring theme on most of our adventures. A park, shade and a place to sit! |
Today we are in Sydney which is also located in the Province of Nova Scotia. It is in the Cape Breton Island region of the province and is located near the Cabot Trail. If you're not familiar with the Cabot Trail, it is a very scenic looped drive that is extremely popular in the summer and fall. The drive is around eight hours. It can be done in one full, very long day but is much better broken up into several days.
Cape Breton Island
The area is also known for it's love of music. Festivals and concerts are held not only in Sydney, but in many of the small cities along the trail. Their love of music greets you at the port where there is a statue known as the "World's Largest Fiddle". After seeing it, I don't have any reason to doubt there is a bigger one anywhere else.
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| We've never seen one bigger! |
Rather than do part of the trail we enjoyed a nice walk along the waterfront boardwalk and down several of the treelined streets including Charlotte Street, which seemed to be the heart of this city of just over 30,000.
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| Beth took this picture from the ship |
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| Fiddling the day away in Sydney |
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| Everything is in full bloom in Sydney |
