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| Lighthouse on island viewable from Halifax Waterfront and my room |
As the update title states, I set aside today to visit two museums in Halifax. Right behind my hotel on the waterfront is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Needing the sleep and rest, I slept in until 9 AM Atlantic Time(7 AM Nashville time). I then headed off to the nearby Tim Horton's for maple doughnuts and coffee. From Tim Horton's I walked south on the Harbor Walk to the Maritime Museum and enjoyed checking out the exhibits especially those of the Titanic. Halifax is the nearest port to where the Titanic sank so many of the bodies that died in the sinking of the Titanic were brought here. Some were identified and claimed by families who made the trip to Halifax but most of the victims are buried in cemeteries in Halifax including one unidentified two year old. About five years after the Titanic there was another ship explosion in the Halifax harbor which did much damage to Halifax. There is a room of exhibits in the museum which feature it. After leaving the Maritime Museum I walked along the Harbor boardwalk about 30 minutes to Pier 21 where cruise ships call in Halifax and where also the Halifax Emigration Museum is located in the actual same buildings where immigrants arriving by ship were processed. This was very interesting. I was with a small group who got a thirty minutes guided tour and then saw a very good 20 minutes movie featuring the actual immigration testimony of several actual immigrants. Today, almost all immigrants to Canada now arrive by air so the Halifax immigration station at the dock is no longer used.
So, why is the lighthouse photo featured. That lighthouse in located on a small island in the Halifax Harbor which is visible from my room and the Halifax Harbor Walk. Selecting only one photo from the many I take each day is very difficult so I featured this photo I took as I walked from the Maritime Museum to the Immigration Museum.
Tomorrow, I spend a full day touring south of Halifax along the South Shore visiting Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, and Mahone Bay. According to the brochure I will see many ocean vistas, lighthouses, historic towns and villages, museums and galleries, and sandy beaches.
Of course, Friday I returned to Via Rail and ride the overnight Ocean train and connecting train returning to Toronto arriving late Saturday afternoon.
