Oh, Canada!-- Halifax Edition

 Eh....... from the Wandering Berkmans!

Halifax seems like a world away as we are in the afterglow of the Wedding of Tavo and Zach here in Mexico City!  Why Halifax?  We like to spend part of the summer after Seattle in Canada bc the summer tends to be kinder-- and it was.  Usually 70's during the day.  And we were fortunate enough to not be in wildfire areas.  Don's brother and SIL spent some time in Halifax and said it was worth a visit-- that's all we needed!

Don arrived a week before I did (as I was still in NJ with friend Navaz) and had all the time in the world to set up our Airbnb.  His first description to me-- " It's like a high-end hostel."  ok, nothing wrong with that.  See pic below-- We had the lower level apartment and the upper floor behind the big windows is a communal living room and kitchen (hence the hostel).  It also had 3 hotel-style rooms on upper floors,  a large rooftop terrace and a hot tub and sauna in the backyard.  Sounds great, right?  And it was, don't get us wrong-- that hot tub was wonderful and our private kitchen large and well-stocked.  Its just... so many little things were broken.   Our front door lock was a padlock bc they never fixed the actual lock on the door.  Real easy to turn an ankle and impossible to drag a suitcase on that stylish but impractical driveway.   Don's bathroom had a very nasty smell to it that lasted for over a week until they could fix it.  Stuff like that.  But overall a great stay bc the beds were comfortable, the neighborhood peaceful and close to mass transit.  We did hear that the neighbors, all in their cape cod style housing,  were none too pleased when this puppy went up.  We get it...

In no particular order-- we took a day to head to the beach, this one Rainbow Haven Beach.  Too cold to swim (although we saw some brave Canadians doing so-- nothing for them!)  and not terribly big but it was great to get some fresh air and picnic on the sand.  It had a very Cape Cod vibe.

Shame on us for not reading up about the Great Halifax Explosion of 1917.  Apparently the bulk of the explosion affected the neighborhood in which we were staying-- more than one local asked us if we had read about it doh!  In the local Maritime Museum of the Atlantic they had a display of the acrylic eyes commonly used after the explosion because so many people went outside to see the initial smoke plumes and had their eyes severely damaged with the subsequent explosion.  Also in the Maritime Museum were a slew of exhibits on the sinking of the Titanic because many bodies were brought to Halifax, the closest port to the crash site. 

The monument remembering those who died that day (including entire families on the shoreline) is an imposing structure in Fort Needham Memorial Park.  The monument includes the morse code sent from the collision site to the incoming trains to stop them literally in their tracks and ultimately save the lives of those on board.  

This view of Halifax from Dartmouth caught our eye one afternoon when in the span of, no joke, 15 minutes a low lying cloud completely covered this view from just beyond the trees.  It was like the city disappeared.  And then just as suddenly, the city reappeared.  Call us nubile because we were the only ones in the park marveling at this-- the locals took it in stride.  We took a ferry back to Halifax 30 min later and sailed right into another cloud, the ferry blasting its horn all the way.  We glanced up at the ferry captain, a man of a certain age, and saw him squinting through the clouds.  And then he took off his glasses and continued to squint ... uh oh... 

Slowly but surely we made it back unscathed but the experience made us realize again-- don't mess with Mother Nature!  And hope your captain is experienced!

This tremendous painting taking up most of a wall caught our eye at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.  It's a take by a Cree artist on the fortitude of the indigenous people in Canada in the face of colonization.    

We spent a lot of time just enjoying the shoreline facing Dartmouth-- and how could one not when all of these colorful, comfortable Adirondack chairs are there for the using?  BTW-- Halifax is the city of seating.  It felt like we couldn't go 50 yards without seeing a sturdy bench or chair just calling our name, saying "take a load off!"

We also enjoyed plentiful sunshine and mild temps (while the US was broiling!) with our many visits to and picnics in  the Halifax Public Gardens.  

¡Viva España!  We took in the World Cup at home and at local bars and shared a flurry of text with our kids as they also watched from Mexico City and Seattle-- look who have become futbol fans! 

We loved passing this site by the port-- these kids were loving life, sliding down this  "wave".... right in front of the sign that says "Do Not Climb". 

We spent a morning exploring Quinpool Road, known for a terrific collection of murals, and this one stopped us in our tracks.  The realism!  The talent! And all from a spray paint can.

The architecture downtown was varied but this style was by far our favorite.

A dock made of stone stairs becomes a water hole for the kids.  On another day, a boat was docked here with a grand piano onboard for an afternoon concert.  

Look who was just around the corner (in London, Ontario) and met up with us in the middle, in the quaint little town of Tatamagouche (gets our vote for the most fun town name ever!). Mary and brother Bob (with little Rosie the pup in tow) met us for lunch and a flight of brews.  We tried to take a walk by the bay but ooooffa the mosquitos were in full flight!  Thanks for making the trip out from Ontario-- always great meeting up with you!

If there is a Pride march, we'll find it.  This one was more parade than march and we embraced it all-- the fun, the levity, the inclusion, the love.  

Don had a lot of alone time during this trip, what with me hanging in NJ with my friend Navaz for a week and then I got sick when I arrived in Halifax.  Don celebrated Canada Day by witnessing the naturalization ceremonies taking place.  He said it was a moving experience to see so many so proud to become Canadians.  

Yes, we were in Halifax in July and yes it is almost November.  Things have been busy! Here are a couple of pix from Seattle and Mexico City (this post's SOL) to whet your whistle until next time-- 

Next week we return to Lima, Peru for 3 weeks (the last time was in 2017 and we only spent a few days there) and then Thanksgiving in Wisconsin with the fam! Not to be outdone, we celebrate Don's mom Pat's birthday and Xmas in Tucson.  2027 opens with us bringing our now Super Cinco (welcome, Tavo!) to Asia.  Some wonderful plans-- we feel truly blessed.  

We hope all are well and thanks for following along!

Don and Monica