Halifax

We hit a bit of a slump after the majesty of Fogo. To go from the island and Inn's tranquility to a city was jarring and a bit taxing on morale. We rode it out and fought fire with fire and righted ourselves eventually. 

Halifax history is wonderful, so Scott and I were especially thrilled with the Citadel, Halifax's perfectly placed fortress. It's a National Historic Site, complete with interpreters and docents in costume. And bagpipes!!!

National Historic Sites are hard for people who don't like museums or galleries. 

But the school room provided an opportunity to display penmanship and math prowess. 

Back to the hotel for pants and sweaters. 

So much to catch up on here!

My goodness, were already in our second province since Newfoundland, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I'm trying not to be boring with minutiae, but every detail of this trip enthuses me. For example:

Here's the Fogo ferry from the Fogo side. It's pretty comparable to Buckley Bay, the Denman Island ferry. 

Jazzy seats at Gander International airport. We flew Gander to Halifax. 

And now we're in Halifax, New Scotland (Nova Scotia for Latin lovers), and we've missed the Tattoo by a day!  Alas!  The girls aren't choked, but the parents are. 

We went to a fun local gastropub, where the lobster mac and cheese soothed my disappointment. 

48 is really great!

Turning 48 was painless, because I spent the day with my dear husband and girlies in such an extraordinary setting. 

Look at me!  Not a day over 48!

I am wearing new fancy bday earrings from Caroline. 

And this breakfast menu, in this room,

Scott and I chose the Fogo Island Signature:

It was heavenly, as was the coffee. The girls had the Western Shore Sandwich and Rosti (minus eggs), which got four thumbs up. 

Off we went exploring, right into a Hinterland Who's Who vignette with this mottled fox:

That's his prize he's sniffing. It was still wriggling. 

Chomp chomp chomp. 

Never say never. 

We came upon this lovely little museum comprised of about 4 buildings, depicting the olden days and ways of fishing. The caretaker and docent, on day 2 of the job, was everything you want in a guide -knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic. Imagine spending winter mending huge nets. No thanks!

And back to the Inn for an outrageously good dinner (preceded by a "Fancy Fogo" cocktail, of course):

And in the company of Gwyneth Paltrow, no less!  We didn't take photos of her since we were trying to be cool about being in the company of a celebrity. 

And she was trying to be cool by not crashing my outstanding birthday dinner. 

We capped off the night in the cinema to watch The Grand Seduction, which everyone should see. Gordon Pinsent is a national treasure. 

The bday bar has been set really high, Scott.  Such an awesome day. 

More of Fogo

I am very aware that I'm way behind in my blogging, but I don't have magical powers to catch me up, so you'll have to keep reading in trickles. 

Back to Fogo, that mesmerizing and magical place. The rest of the Inn was as spectacular as our room. 

Dining room lights. 

Reading room. 

Looking from the entrance down to the dining room. 

Telescope by the elevator.  Views from every room, nook, and cranny. 

The elevator was a superb map of the area. 

Looking at the bar from the dining room. 

Dining room. 

The board upstairs showing what's playing in the cinema...

That's Caroline on the right, investigating snacks.  We watched an interesting documentary called Strange and Familiar, about architecture on Fogo and building the Inn, as well as The Grand Seduction, which we highly recommend. 

Upstairs lounge. 

Lounge before the sauna zone. 

Saunas. 

Two outdoor hot tubs. Note strong straps keeping the lids on. Between those, and this wind --

I wasn't about to leave the comfort of my sweater and windbreaker, even to get into hot water. 

Here's the best part of the Inn on our arrival day:

Make and Break, known as the resident nuisances, clearly beloved. They are two very gentle and enormous Newfoundland dogs. 

I haven't even gotten to my birthday yet!!!

The Maritime Treasures of Halifax

Our hotel is just 4 blocks from the harbour and boardwalk, 2 from the Citadel. Despite its central location, its primary function at this juncture is as laundromat - it has coin operated machines for guests. Frances reports to have been wearing the same socks these last four days. No one disputes the claim lest she remove her shoes to prove it.

We have just two days here, plus a half day on our return from PEI. We are determined to make the most of our short time. With the machines loaded it's off to sup at the Stubborn Goat. Great food and microbrews. We're hungry and our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. We over-eat (surprise) and can do little more than waddle home and blog. 

Day 2 arrives with modestly improved weather and much improved motivation. I take the terrific guided tour of the Citadel and imagine myself as a British soldier in the 1850's. Nancy and girls do calligraphy with fountain pens and maths on slates with chalk. Their hard works are evidenced by the ink stains on all manner of exposed skin. We attend the changing of the guard. Nancy is shooed from the guard room as the private is to fix his bayonet. His rank cannot be trusted not to stab tourists or m, in fact, himself -- a corporal must supervise the operation. We wander through the replica WWI trench and the visit culminates with the firing of the twelve pounder precisely at noon as it has been fired daily for more than 200 years.

Lunch and a rest give way to a turn on the colourful harbourfront boardwalk. I am especially excited to take in the boats. I'm not disappointed as there are a variety of schooners taking tours, several naval vessels on display, even Theodore Tugboat from children's TV. But I am especially captivated by the biggest sailing ketch I've ever seen. It's enormous. 190' it turns out as I have a chance encounter with a paid crew. Originally commissioned by Rupert Murdoch, the vessel is now under unnamed private ownership. They've sailed to Halifax from the Bahamas en route to the Inside Passage. Once around they'll be continuing to the Galapagos. A year of sailing in total.

Nancy and I cannot leave without having seen the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, our Pacific version being a favorite field trip for Ms. Munro's primaries. So day 3 requires us to set the alarm early for first entry, leaving the girls to catch up on their sleep. It's delightful. Merlin the parrot talks and squawks, his exhibit debunking the myth popularized by Robert Louis Stevenson that pirates commonly kept parrots. The Halifax Explosion is documented in graphic detail as is the sailing and sinking of Titanic. Halifax was the first port of entry for both its few survivors and its many dead. I am particularly pleased by the collection of beautiful small wooden sailboats, though I wish there were more to see on boat building.

Sadly, it's time for us to be off to our next port of call.

Old Dalhousie.

Peggy's Cove light.

Best Part of Today

This little fluff ball was the highlight of my day. She was so tiny, cute, and as soft as a feather. Mom found her first, then Frances saw her and started running, so I followed her. As soon as we walked away, she started following us, which was super cute. We walked a bit farther and then she stopped. Then, a bit later, we came back to pet her because she was too cute to only have one visit with. Then, unfortunately, we had to leave.

-Caroline

We are in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia