“Nova Scotia as a British colony also came into being as another result of these adventurous British expeditions to North America in the reign of James I.”
Harry Johnston
Halifax
is a nice city with lots of history. It is the capitol in the
largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. This
city started because of the navy. That is because it is one of the
largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world which help
to make Halifax one of the most important Canadian commercial ports
on the Atlantic seaboard.
Our
tour started with a brief drive around Halifax where she pointed out
some of the historic sites. While in Halifax, you are never far from
the ocean, nature parks, and protected wilderness areas.
Then
our bus headed towards Peggy's Cove which was founded in 1811. It is
a mere 45 minute drive from Halifax. Peggy’s Cove is located on
the eastern shore of St. Margaret's Bay. On our way, we passed thick
forests and tiny fishing villages. Today was a rainy day but the
scenery we passed still looked beautiful.
The
picturesque Peggy’s Cove was beautiful even in the rain. This
lighthouse and small rural fishing village is just stunning. It is
located in the Halifax Regional Municipality and is just lovely with
many houses perched along the narrow inlet. It is still an active
fishing village. The village was named after a sole survivor of a
shipwreck just off the coast. Her name was Margaret but she was
known as “Peggy” and she eventually settled in this cove. There
are only 30 permanent residents here. There is a schoolhouse,
church, general store, lobster cannery, and boats of all sizes.
The
lighthouse is known as Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse or Peggy’s Point
Lighthouse and was established in 1868 and built in 1915. It is one
of the most photographed lighthouse in Nova Scotia. We got off the
bus and walked around the rocks near the ocean. The ocean was wild
with large waves crashing on the rocks and sometimes splashing over
30 feet in the sky.
When
we got back to the port, we took a walk around the Halifax
Waterfront. This is a busy area of the city with one of the world’s
longest urban boardwalks spanning 2.5 miles. There are so great
places to eat along the way and many fun stores to explore. There
are beautiful views of the harbor and it was fun looking at all the
statues.
We
passed the CSS Acadia which was formerly a hydrographic surveying and
oceanographic research ship. She was launched on May 8, 1913 and
stayed in service until 1969. She is now preserved as a museum ship.
Then there is the 130 foot schooner named Silva that offers tours of
the Halifax harbor front.
We
stopped and bought Poutine which is French fries covered with cheese
curds and topped with gravy. It was wonderful. Now we know why so
many people say it is so delicious and that we had to try it. After
that we headed back to the ship. We
had a lovely day in Halifax and Peggy’s Cove.
Till
next time. Bye for now.
