Halifax, Canada (Part 1)

Sunday, August 12

Halifax is the largest city in the Atlantic Maritime Provinces.  Perhaps one of the significant attributes of this seaside city is the Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbour.

Founded: European inhabitants arrived in 1749 when Colonel Edward Cornwallis led 2,500 settlers to the colonial capitol in the town of Halifax.

Region: Lies in the province's southeastern side and is centred on a large peninsula. This port city faces the North Atlantic Ocean and affords beautiful waterfront views.

Population: 372,679 (est. 2010)

Climate:  Summers are exceptionally pleasant and winters are relatively mild.  Average daily winter temperature is 22F and summer is 68F.

Language:  English

Currency: Canadian Dollar (CAD)

The weather in Halifax was superb and we had a 6 hour private tour organised.  Our tour guide was Garry with two r's!  How else would you spell it he said!

Our first stop was to photograph the beautiful Mahone Bay.  It is a picturesque perfect postcard town for its three churches and bay.

Next stop was to the colourful town of Lunenburg, founded in 1753 and is known as the fishing capital of the world!  The town has been designated a United Nations World Heritage Site noted for its unique architecture.  It is also considered to be "The Balsam Christmas Tree Capital of the World".  Garry gave us a tour through the town by car then let us have 45 minutes to explore on our own.  We walked the streets taking many photographs.... the fish were interesting attached to telegraph poles throughout the town and the beautiful coloured houses.

Peggy's Cove was our next stop.  This place was very beautiful but crawling with bus loads of tourists everywhere!  A bit of a distraction really.  This quaint village dates back to 1811.  There are a lot of stories going around as to how Peggy's Cove got its name... our guide did tell us his theory that sounded somewhat believable but who would know??!!

Our last stop was to the Titanic Grave site which was a very moving experience.  Our guide Garry told us some very interesting stories about some of the people buried there... makes me want to watch the movie again. So sad....

Back in the centre of Halifax we were dropped at the boardwalk at the pier.  Our first stop was to a bar for a cold drink and a snack before making our way back along the waterfront to the ship for our early departure. 

Another great day on land especially as the last time our scheduled stop was cancelled due to icebergs!

 

One day to finalise our packing before we disembark in New York.

Quebec City, Canada (Part 3)

Quebec City, Canada (Part 4)

I forgot to mention that we had organised to have dinner on shore as our farewell dinner for the six of us disembarking in New York. We had a booking at Legende Restaurant that had good reviews on Trip Advisor and was an easy wall from the dock. We all agreed on the degustation menu which turned out to be well worth the money and gave me a taste of food I would not normally order. Our booking was at 6pm so that we would not be rushing to get back to the ship by our curfew.

We walked back through the local craft market who were just closing up for the day.

The fireworks display was amazing and very fitting for our departure plus we had prime position on the ship for viewing.

Quebec, Canada (Part 2)

Quebec, Canada (Part 1)

Thursday, August 9

Often referred to as the "crown jewel of French Canada", Quebec City impresses with its classic European architecture, imposing bastions, romantic promenades and picturesque plazas.

Founded: One of the oldest European settlements in North America and founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608.

Region:  Located at the northeastern tip of North America

Population: 765,706 (est. 2011)

Climate: Summers are sunny and warm with average temperatures of 77F.  Winters can be bitterly cold, windy and snowy with average temperatures between 8F and 23F.

Language: French

Currency: Canadian dollar (CAD)

Today we had a 4 hour private tour booked to see some of the sights out of town.  Our guide was there to meet us at the port at the scheduled time.  

Our first stop was to the Basilica of Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre, founded in 1650 and is well known as a "land of miracles" for more than 350 years.  I would have to say that this is one of the most amazing churches I have been in.  The mosaics inside are just beautiful and are everywhere including the ceilings.  Downstairs under the church there is another chapel which is just as beautiful.  It was interesting to see all the medical leftovers such as crutches and all types of medical equipment that have been left in the church after receiving a miracle.  I could have spent a lot longer there than the time we had allotted.

We then proceeded to the magnificent park of the Canyon Saint-Anne.  The Canyon's imposing waterfall is spanned by three suspension bridges - one that is almost 60m above the river.  Our guide sent us on a walk that loops around the canyon crossing two of the bridges.  It had been threatening rain all day but nothing had eventuated so we set off without any wet weather gear.... well most of us as I had my trusty yellow poncho in my shoulder bag that had been in there since Sydney.

At the halfway point, just as we were about to cross the second bridge for the return loop there was thunder and lightening and the heavens opened.  Thankfully we. We're near the rock climbers shelter and all 6 of us could huddle there.  Our guide earnt her tip when after about half an hour she came looking for us with a golf buggy!  Rescued!  Mind you the rock climbers' guides went into panic mode and had to go and secure some of the novice climbers until the conditions eased.

Safely back in the van we changed our itinerary and instead of stopping at the Montmorency Falls we viewed and took photos from the car and drove on, over the bridge to Ile d'Orleans.... known as the "Gardens of Quebec" and provides Quebec City with fresh produce.  There are some very old cottages and some very grand well kept houses in a rural setting that have fabulous views across the St Lawrence river to the hustle and bustle of QC.  We stopped to taste some of the local ware.... yes the famous choc top soft serve ice creams and the maple syrup and nut ice cream for me (less messy!!!).

Our time was up so our guide kept reminding us so we headed back the old town of Quebec City via "Chemin du Roy" (King's Road) the most ancient road suitable for vehicles in New France, for some free time to explore the old cobbled streets.

After following a walking route (available at the tourist office) around the icons we took advantage of the funicular down to the old part of the town before walking back to the ship via the free fast wifi in the cruise terminal.  It was so nice to be able to FaceTime the grandkids...

Back on board 10 minutes before our ten o'clock curfew we headed straight to the bow to watch the fireworks display which was part of a 5 day competition between fireworks manufacturers.  After an amazing display we headed for the comfort of our shoe box stateroom and didn't even make an appearance for our 11pm Sailaway.

Two sea days now to start our packing before our last port, Halifax.  One sea day then before NY where we will disembark for good.

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