Day One and Two in Halifax
My trip began with two flights from Richmond, VA to Halifax. Both flights were quiet – no drama! Everything seemed to work out well. We were 30 minutes late into Halifax but I got lucky and was able to get on the downtown shuttle just before it took off. I am staying at the Prince George Hotel. It is close to everything – harbor and downtown. My room is lovely with all the amenities one could want. I settled in and then went to ask the concierge where to go to see the sights.
I took my camera and enjoyed the downhill walk to the harbor. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was beginning to go down. I took a lot of photos of buildings. churches and whatever looked interesting.
The tall ships were gathered at the harbor and there were all kinds of activities -tours of the ships, cultural displays, free music, Celtic dancing and much more. Many people were dressed in period costumes and doing crafts and just walking around. There weren’t that many people so I was able to get some good photos of the tall ships. It was around 6pm so I went to find something to eat. I discovered a tasting fair so ate some Chinese noodles and a spring roll to tide me over until dinner. I walked around some more and meandered back toward the hotel. I found a nice restaurant and decided I deserved a drink.
I had a tropical rum cocktail and some appetizers. In the meantime, the fireworks were going off and I could see them in the reflection of the buildings.I was exhausted by the time I left and walked back up the hill to the hotel. It was totally San Diego weather – warm in the sun and cool when the sun goes down.I turned the air conditioning off and went to bed.
My inner clock is off because I woke up at 5am and then couldn’t get back to sleep. I dragged out of bed, took a shower and went to breakfast. The breakfast was served in the Terrace dining Room. I chose the continental style – fruit, croissant and tea. I decided to go into town and find a drugstore. The concierge gave me directions and I set off. It was a lovely cool morning and I enjoyed the walk. I finally located a 24hr. drugstore. I found what I was looking for and a few things I wasn’t looking for. Most of the stores were closed – they don’t open until 10am. I walked back and figured I had time before I had to meet with the group at 2pm to go to the public gardens. I took a taxi to save some time but then discovered the Gardens were only about 10 minutes away by foot. Anyways, the taxi driver was a jovial gentleman. I think he had an Irish accent. The gardens were beautiful and I amused myself for a few hours taking photos. I took a walk to a bookstore and to a nearby crafts fair.
The night I first came in I learned about a pedway that goes from the hotel to the casino. You go through a bunch of different buildings passing shops and restaurants and about 30 minutes later end up at the harbor and the casino. I had two hours left before I had to meet the tour director and the other ladies soI thought I would see if I could get there, hopefully without getting lost. The signs were pretty visible so no real problems. When I got to the casino – I just had about 30 minutes before I had to return. I sat down at this penny slot machine and didn’t have any change so put in a twenty. In 10 minutes, I won $30. So I was happy to leave with my winnings and head back to the Prince George Hotel.
I went down to the lobby and met the tour director. She seemed very friendly and welcoming. She said that there were only three of us in the tour besides herself. The other two ladies knew each other from another trip. I guess they planned together to come on this one. I met the other ladies. They both were in the medical field. One was from Missouri and the other from Maryland. So we went down to the harbor to get tickets for this Harbor Hopper – it goes on land and in the water. Our first trip got cancelled so we went on another one later. In the meantime, we walked around and went to a maritime museum. When we came out we saw English country dancing being performed by pretty elderly dancers. Then they asked people to participate so I got up to dance with one man. He had the best costume but was the worst dancer. Anyways, I did okay and had a good time. English country dancing is very like Scottish country dancing but a lot slower – I may look it up in San Diego and see if there is a group. We finally got on that Harbor Hopper and took a sightseeing tour around the city and then went into the water and had a short harbor cruise. It was fun and informative but by that time I was pretty tired.The tour director – Peggy took us to a restaurant and we had a very nice dinner and a few drinks. I had a mandarine mojito which was delicious! We finally headed back to the hotel.
I was disappointed that there weren’t more ladies on the tour. I don’t see myself “bonding” with these ladies. In fact, I hope I get through the week. I have asked myself, “What was I thinking”! The ladies are nice but very silly, loud and have completely different interests than I do. Thank goodness my goal is photography so I can go off on my own. The director is rather disorganized. Many of the meals are suppose to be included but she doesn’t really tell you which meals are included. We spend three days in Halifax and then go down the coast and stay another three days. I’ll tell you about today – Sunday in the next installment.
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