Halifax is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia. The metropolitan area had a population of 414,400 in 2014 with 297,943 in the urban area centered around the Halifax Harbour.
Our first stop as we drove into the city was the Fairview Lawn Cemetery. In 1912, 150 victims of the sinking of the Titanic were laid to rest in Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Mount Olivet Cemetery and Baron de Hirsch Private Cemetery in Halifax. Each stone was inscribed: "Died: April 15, 1912" and included an identification number. 121 of those victims were laid to rest at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.
The numbers on the markers were part of a system developed following the disaster. To maintain order, each body recovered from the water was given a number and observations about the victim, their clothing, jewellery and other personal effects were recorded. As they were identified, some of the families, friends and other groups chose to commission more elaborate gravestones for victims. The more personalized graves, including he Celtic cross and the "Unknown Child" are located at the Fairview cemetery.
The cemetery was well marked for visitors to find the gravesites.
Another sign directed you to the sites.
There are three rows of graves for the Titanic victims.
The picture below shows a larger more elaborate marker and the marker for the unknown child.
Below is the marker for the "Unknown Child". However, through forensic testing, the child was identified in the early 2000's.
There were many markers with just the number listed.
This plaque gives a little history of the disaster and it's victims.
Our next stop was to visit the Halifax Citadel.
Citadel Hill (Fort George) is the fortified summit of Citadel Hill, a National Historic Site of Canada in Halifax. The hill was first fortified in 1749, the year the town of Halifax was founded. The fortifications on the hill were successively rebuilt to defend the town from various enemies. While never attacked, the Citadel was long the keystone to defense of the Halifax Harbour and the Royal Navy Dockyard.
Today the fort is operated by the Parks Canada ad the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada and is restored to the Victorian period.
You enter through the tunnel and walk directly to the grounds of the fort.
The next few pictures gives you an idea of how big the grounds are.
The fort sits on top of a hill in the middle of the city.
Dressed in period, these soldiers are firing the guns!
Yep, he's still there! I don't think he as moved or smiled since we arrived.
Below is a picture of the Halifax Town Clock. Also known as the Citadel Clock Tower. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the historic urban area. The clock face is four sided. It sits about half way up Citadel hill.
The picture above shows the entire clock tower building......I took the picture below because I just really liked the clock tower with the flowers in front......it's that artsy fartsy thing I guess. :)
This particular day the road leading to the parking lot located at the top of the hill was closed. We had to park in a lot at the bottom of the hill and walk up. Yes, one of those is our car.
Below is one of the views of the city as we walked uphill to the entrance the Citadel.
As we were walking back to our car, we spotted people reading and/or sunbathing on the side of the hill. It was a nice day. People kept saying how warm it was. Yep, it must have been all of about 75 degrees!
Our next stop was just around the corner. The Public Gardens are Victorian era, and were formally established in 1867. The gardens were absolutely beautiful! So glad it was a sunny day to take this stroll.
The trees on the right were spectacular. The large tree trunk goes with the shorter canopied tree. Looked like a giant Bonsai.
Lots of statues and fountains.
This Gazebo was one of the highlights.
The grounds were beautiful and immaculate.
It is a great place to stroll or sit and read a book. There is even a place to view the ducks that are swimming around in the pond.
So serene!
At another pond we spotted these two geese. They were huge!
This garden art was an ad for the Immigration Museum at Pier 21. It was made with live flowers and greenery. Very striking!
Our next stop was the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk. Lots of shops, restaurants, street food vendors and tours. The pictures below show some of the sites we saw during our walk on the boardwalk.
Ships large and small.
Waterfront tour office, gift shop, and restaurant.
Theodore the Tugboat.....is a Canadian children's television series about a tugboat named Theodore who lives in the Big Harbour with all of his friends. The show originated (and is set in) Halifax. NS. The production of the show ended in 2001 and is now on PBS.
Lots of food vendors.
Poutine is a Canadian dish that consists of French fries with cheese curds and topped with a brown gravy. There are all types of poutine offered from different vendors. I guess some of "gourmet" poutine.
A great day on the waterfront, but it was beginning to get really crowded.
Theodore the Tugboat ran up and down the waterway giving tours to big and little kids alike.
There he goes again!
This is where you can buy your tickets and gifts.
We decided to take a ferry ride over to Dartmouth. Turns out the trip over was free to seniors that day. The picture below was taken from the Dartmouth side looking over toward Halifax. You can tell from the short distance across that the trip didn't take very long.
That is the Halifax skyline in the background.
Below are some of the views going across to Dartmouth.
Here we are headed for Dartmouth.
Really pretty waterfront on both sides! Had a great day touring the areas in and around Halifax.
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