Halifax, Charlottetown and a Personal Tour

After a quick bus tour of Charlottetown we were let off for an afternoon on our own.  We did a bit of shopping in Victoria Row and then met our personal tour guide for the rest of the day.

At the end of Victoria Row, which consists of shops and restaurants in historic buildings, is the birthplace of Canada, the Providence House.  PEI hosted the Charlottetown Conference which resulted in the Canadian Confederation.  It was undergoing a face lift when we were there so we weren't able to go inside unfortunately.

 More of those pesky tourists :)

These and others walking around downtown Charlottetown are college students adding a bit o whimsy/history to the downtown area.

Standing tall on the skyline is the beautiful St. Dunstan's Basillica.  

 

Time to leave Charlottetown and head out to see more of the countryside with our personal tour guide and long time friend, Ed.

 He met us at Fishbone's (well sorta) on Victoria Row in Charlottetown.  His daughter was a chef there at one time and it seemed the ideal place.  Luckily I was facing the window and saw him walk by and chased him down.  Yelling "ED!!!  ED!!!!   EDDDDDD!!" like a Banshee as I was hurrying after him. A kind man took pity and said "ED!" and pointed at me....sheese, I should have let the brat keep walking.  Thank you kind stranger.

Here he is bragging as we were waiting on our lunch.  I think it was the size of the Canadian lobster.

After lunch we went to St. Dunstan's while Ed got the car.  We had seen what we wanted in Charlottetown so we just headed out to see more of the beautiful island.  Other than a stop at the beach we just drove around I snapped out the window, catching up on family news and letting my two friends get to know each other.

He came back with the car AND a bottle of local wine which we saved for our last night in Halifax.

UH-HUH!!, it was a great afternoon.  Thank you, my friend, for adding the cherry on the top of a fabulous grand tour with your fabulous private tour.





We started and finished our tour of the Maritimes in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  It is a beautiful city that we didn't get to see enough of - you know what that means!


Other than the trip to the cemetery, we spent our Halifax time at the wharf.  There is plenty of activity, scenery, and good food so there was no reason to go elsewhere - except there was and we will catch the Public Gardens, the shopping, the Citadel and all the rest on another visit.




Of course the harbor/harbour is the main focus of the wharf.  That fabulous transit system is at work with their ferry, there is a Harbour Hopper (land and sea vehicle), and the cute and sweet Theodore Too as well as some private ships.


 

The metro system - fantastic, if I haven't mentioned it during the Titanic visit.  We rode the 20 miles/km in from the hotel by the airport for $2.75 and because we didn't know to ask for a transfer another $2.50 back which included a ride across the harbor on the ferry. 

When we were heading into Halifax from the hotel I got quite a start, and even after I figured it out, it still startled me when I looked up.  There is a funny seat raised behind the driver that from my vantage point looked like the driver when I would glance that way.  It was a bit disconcerting to see the driver reading the paper, reaching for something on the floor, or stretching.

We came through the historic buildings to get to the wharf, complete with stocks but we were good little girls and stayed away from them and browsed (ok and bought) in the shops and boutiques that the buildings now house.

We strolled down the way enjoying the cool weather, the friendly folks, and we may or may not have had an ice cream cone before lunch.  The flowers were beautiful and HUGE.  The marigold was the size of a dinner plate.  All the flowers throughout the trip were vibrant, huge and gorgeous.  

The wharf was clean, beautiful, and blessedly cool.  We were going to have lunch at a restaurant but Dave's Lobster Rolls beckoned us and even though we were a little iffy about eating a lobster roll in a touristy area we decided to go for it.  Best decision EVER!  Friendly, sweet girl helped us gringos (or the Canadian equivalent) choose which one we wanted and we dug in.....worth the trip back to Halifax just for one of these.  However, when we did go back at the end of the tour we decided on Smoke's Poutinerie for authentic Poutine with curds (I had tried some with shredded Mozz).  Can't say that the decision was the right one, as delicious as the Poutine was....I could sure have used another lobster roll.

 

See the chunks of lobster???  NO filler stuff, just lobster and a little dressing on a yummy roll.  This, my friends is what dreams are made of.

No picture, but Cows Ice Cream was pretty danged good too!

 Random shots from around the wharf and Halifax via bus....lovely city.  I will definitely visit again for a night or two but I sure did love the countryside of the Maritimes.

We were totally amazed at the flowers, or have you gotten that idea?  Coming from a state that is sweltering every summer thanks to triple digit temperatures, and one that has been in a drought for the past five or so years...this was pure Heaven.  Other than a couple of puny stragglers, the only flowers I have in my yard are prickly pear cactus and even they are weak and small.  I had to feel a couple of the blooms to be sure they were not silk - like the dahlia on the left. 

Even the buds were big, healthy and beautiful.  

Take a deep breath, you should be able to smell the sweet aroma of the blooms below.  They are from a Japanese Lilac tree.

A statue caught our eye and demanded further investigation.

"The Emigrant

The pain of separation he overcame,

with faith and hope his heart aflame...

La souffrance de la separation il a surmontee

le coeur brulant de foi et d' esperance...

Vinse il dolor della lontananzia,

spinto dalla frede e dalla speranza...

Created by Sculptor

Armando Barbon

and donated by his family to the:

Halifax Port Authority

September 19, 2013"

This is where we had dinner the last night before we reluctantly came home.  I had a seafood casserole that was delicious and filling. We sat outside (where you see the blue umbrellas) sipped our wine while people watching, enjoyed the cool evening, savoring our seafood,  and never ever ever were we or felt rushed.

The casino was next to the hotel, and although we saved our money (I'm a horrible gambler) we did admire the architecture from the ferry.

 

 We were fortunate to get to watch artisans blow glass that was destined to be a beautiful stemmed wine glass at NovaScotian Crystal.  Sorry for the fuzziness, it was quite a popular stop and I was shooting between shoulders and over kiddo heads.  Fascinating!








The ferry terminal has beautiful tiled walls.  It could inspire a quilted wall hanging if ever I get my craft room back up and running.

At the other side of the ride at the Dartmouth terminal is a mermaid wearing the Nova Scotia tartan.  

Is it me, or does her tail represent the Canadian maple leaf??  Subtle, but there :)

"Georges Island - Halifax

It was in Halifax on July 28th, 1755 that the Nova Scotia Council made the decision to remove  every Acadian from the colony.  Over the next decade, Georges Island (small island in the harbour) was used as a prison for hundreds of Acadians at a time.  The first prisoners were the deputies who pleaded the Acadian cause before the Nova Scotia Council in July 1755.

Lieutenant-governor Lawrence described the island as "the place of most security," so Acadian partisans who took part in the resistance often ended up there.  The facilities on the island were inadequate and living conditions were terrible.  The last attempted mass deportation came in 1762 when more than 600 prisoners were shipped to Boston. Massachusetts refused to accept them and the ships returned to Halifax.

The Deportation policy ended in 1764, and the government made sure that the Acadians who resettled Nova Scotia did so in scattered communities.  In Nova Scotia, a vibrant, new Acadie lives on in communities such as Clare, Argyle, Cheticamp, Isle-Madame, Pomquet."

This was along the waterfront, the reason I took the  photo was not just because I love reflections - I do, but to show you what I keep harping on...how clean and pristine the Maritimes are.   I can only imagine this in the middle of a heavily traveled tourist area around here.  There would be paper wrappers from the food vendors, water bottles, cigarette butts, and who knows what else.  Wake up people....it could be this with just a little effort.  (Stepping off soap box)

Think this lobster had a vacation in Hawaii.  


Oh my goodness, I left one stop totally out!!!  It was on PEI and was actually three different places - the Doucet House, Farmer's Bank of Rustico, and St. Anthony's Church and Cemetery.  Time restraints were such that I didn't get a chance to spend much time in the church or the bank, but I did get a few pictures of the Doucet House.

"Heritage Value

The Doucet House is rare example of Acadian vernacular construction in PEI. A dendrochronological study has dated the surviving original wood frame of the building to 1768, making it possibly the oldest dwelling in PEI. The Doucet House is significant to the history of the Acadian population of the province. It was built by local Acadians after the 1763 Treaty of Paris which ended hostility between Britain and France following the Seven Year's War. It originally also served as a focal point for the religious life of the Rustico Acadians. Mass was held in the house by travelling missionary, Father James MacDonald. Its first occupant, Jean Doucet, had even been appointed by the Bishop of Quebec to perform various religious ceremonies due to the shortage of priests in the late 18th Century."

--Canada's Historic Places

Look, it even has a pizza oven - grin.

 

 

On the left you have a butter churn.  Unlike the ones my grandmother had, this one used foot power to churn the butter.  Supposedly easier on the shoulders and arms, but we all know it was so the wife's hands were free to shell peas, darn socks, or some other task.  Still pretty cool since I had never seen one before.

Our tour guide is Acadian and said it was not unusual for families to have up to, and in some cases more than, twenty children.  Looking at the bed in the master bedroom, I understand why.  

Part of a well tended and laid out garden.  

This marker is letting you know that parsnips are planted along this row.  Each row was similarly marked.

The outbuildings.

Evidently it isn't as interesting to some as to others...but she has a better tan than I do!!

The only photo I got of the Farmer's Bank of Rustico is a sign inside.  I thought of a friend's husband when I saw it....so here ya go Penny!

" The farmer is the man who really creates wealth.
He is the nourishing father of the body politic, from him the baker gets
his flour, the weaver his yarn, the shoemaker his leather, and the butcher
his beef...Take his bank from the farmer and you will be throwing him
into the rapecious clutches of the usurer, that social blood sucker who holds
in misery that class worthy of respect, the farmer."

Next door to the Farmer's Bank is  St. Augustine's Catholic Church.  A beautiful wooden church that I only had time for a quick look see.

OK, I'm done....but in the famous words of the Terminator..

I'll be back!!!!