Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia and the largest city in the Maritimes, has an area population of around 400,000. The city has a working seaport, a great pedestrian waterfront, lots of restaurants and pubs, and the historic Citadel overlooking the harbor.

The Busker Festival was in full swing on the waterfront. Street performers, including jugglers, acrobats, break dancers, puppeteers and the like, provided good family fun free to the public, with only a donation requested.

One day we followed the Lighthouse Trail, which took us to Peggy’s Cove, home of the smallest post office we’d ever seen. The post office was inside a lighthouse and was only large enough for the clerk and one or two customers. We stopped at a memorial to Swiss Air Flight 111, which commemorated 229 lives lost and the Nova Scotia recovery effort in 1998.

Mahone Bay was a little town with art galleries and colorful buildings. Across the bay was a picture postcard view of four churches all in a row, and has been professionally photographed (with a winter snowfall) for Christmas cards. Lunenberg, a historic settlement with many old buildings, was hosting a folk music festival, so we joined the audience.

We discovered that Nova Scotia (Canada’s Ocean Playground) has over 4,000 miles of coastline, with each area having a designated scenic trail. The interior of the Province seems to be sparsely inhabited. Perhaps this dates back to earlier times, when the sea dictated the livelihood of most inhabitants.

We were happy to have son Dan fly up from Dallas join us on our last day in Halifax. The next day we all went to Parkers Cove, on the Bay of Fundy, where he spent 5 days with us.

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Photos

Halifax Citadel Courtyard
Guarding the natural Halifax Harbor, this historic fortress was never fired upon

Halifax Public Gardens
Live music from the bandstand on a pretty Sunday afternoon in the city

Busker Festival
Two performers from Quebec were quite entertaining

Post Office
Yes, it really is a post office that cancels all mail with a lighthouse stamp.

Mahone Bay scenic churches
A better camera could have captured all four in one shot

Lunenberg Waterfront
Music festivals are a summer staple in the Maritimes