And, here we are in Nova Scotia again. Back on July 21, we were in Sydney, Nova Scotia, just starting out on our 35-day cruise. While Sydney was on the northeastern part of Nova Scotia, Halifax is tucked into the Bedford Basin about two thirds of the way southwest from Sydney.
We found Halifax to be a bustling city with a beautiful waterfront area. On the way in we saw the “most photographed” lighthouse in Canada. We were, again, able to dock at port and a void the tendering time. From the ship we could see the harbor area with restaurants and shops.
The best thing about docking versus tendering is the ability to get on and off the ship easily. We got off in the morning and walked the 4-kilometer boardwalk on the waterfront, enjoying the shops and the smells of restaurants and coffee shops. There were many family activities there, including strange and huge wave slide for kids. We also saw a kilt-wearing story teller. “Nova Scotia” means “New Scotland” and many of its inhabitants are descendants of immigrants from Scotland. It’s not unusual to see a kilt or hear fiddle or accordion music.
On the way back to the ship, we ran into someone from the ship who told us to be sure to go back to the boardwalk in the evening when the shops are all lit up. So, we did that as well. It was quite lovely. It was a beautiful evening and we walked the entire boardwalk again. They actually have a DJ and a dance area set up with fairy lights on the boardwalk for anyone who cares to dance…and it was crowded.
We were very happy we went back off the ship to enjoy the evening. Because we did, we found a local chocolate shop where we bought some fancy chocolate bars to leave for our cabin stewards. Of course, we also each had a really decadent cup of hot chocolate to end our last evening before returning to Boston.
Good bye, Halifax…we hope to see you again!