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| Halifax, 2017 |
We rolled into Halifax on the evening of the of the 18th, and checked into our hotel right across from the Halifax Citadel. The kids, tired from the long hike earlier in the day and the drive, wanted to chill in the room with room service and movie. They had been wanting to order room service the entire trip, and this was the first place that actually had it.
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| Saint Mary's Cathedral Basilica, Halifax 2017 |
And after eighteen days of solid family time, Jay and I were ready for an adult night out. So we left the kids to their chicken wings, and took a short stroll through downtown Halifax before landing at
2 Doors Down. Once again, we were treated to fantastic meal and amazing service - the Maritimes lived up to its reputation as a culinary destination.
The next day, we took on the city as a family. Exploring on foot, we admired the old churches, the juxtaposition of new and old architecture, and the statues and monuments that make up the area between the
Citadel and the Waterfront. We popped our heads into the
Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, but didn't find much open on a Wednesday morning. So we continued to our destination - Pier 21 and the
Canadian Museum of Immigration.
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| Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 2017 |
Prior to arriving, I was intrigued by the museum and had read good things about it, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect, especially where the kids were concerned. Whatever worries I may have had were quickly allayed as we began exploring the exhibits. The first - an interactive exhibit and art installation in honor of Canada's 150 about the personal stories of immigrants - engrossed us and had us repeating "Where are you from?" for the rest of day (the question had been repeatedly broadcast through the exhibit). The kids got involved in a number of hands-on activities and we even wrote up my parents' immigration story, and added it to the collection. The rest of the museum was equally as interesting with exhibits tracing immigration to Canada and the socio-political factors that contributed to it over time. Like many of the other museums we had visited, this one also took an unfiltered view of the past and shone a light on the racist and biased policies of the past - the impacts of which ranged from infuriating
(Chinese head tax) to heartbreaking (
the rejection of the SS St Louis). All in all, the museum turned out to be one of the most interesting stops of the trip and very enlightening.
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| Halifax Waterfront, 2017 |
After a morning at the museum, we explored the
Halifax Waterfront for several hours before returning to our hotel to refresh ourselves. We capped of the day with another great meal - this time at the
Stubborn Goat Gastropub, where we indulged in the house specialty of mac and cheese - and an evening walk in the city. Halifax proved to be one of our favorite stops of the trip (only behind the Cabot Trail, and Quebec City), and certainly a place we'd like to return to one day.
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| Monument at Pier 21, Halifax 2017 |
