Halifax has many similarities to Vancouver. It is a port city and has two bridges over which you can drive to the city. Waterways below give way to cruise ships and freighters and there is a port. Here is also where the Canadian National Railway begins. We Started our day in the Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 where immigrants have landed since 1928. As a first point of land with rail, Halifax is a good stepping off point for people seeking the new world. We were quite intrigued by the stories of immigrants here and then had the opportunity to look up our own history. For me, I searched the records for my Grandma who was a war bride and who came by ship with her Parents through Montreal. We found the original passenger list that had her name and theirs on it with her desire to remain in Canada after marrying my Grandpa. Chris was intrigued by discovering his Granddad Ingvar's immigration from Norway as a young boy. Both of us were grateful for the link to our past.
As the one of the first cities in Canada,
Halifax has much history and we decided to go on a walking tour of the old town to learn more. We parked at the Citadel at the very top of the city and wound our way down thru old city streets and buildings that were built in the 1700's such as the very first church built in Canada which happens to be Anglican. Passing by the bay and hearing the gory details of the Halifax explosion which devastated the town, we arrived at the bustling waterfront with boats sailing by and tourists enjoying the harbour and it all seems so peaceful now.
We hopped on the local transit ferry across to Dartmouth and enjoyed dinner with the locals. Our impression of Halifax is hills and history. I won't tell you about the long slog back up the hill to the car....it was an uphill battle of its own!