Just a short update today. We spent the entire day near the waterfront in Halifax and had a grand old time. The weather turned out to be stunning. Probably around 70 and sunny, just a perfect day for being outside. We got a late start as we were staying in a comfy hotel with a check-out time of noon, after staying on a farm all week, you better believe we rode that one out. So we checked out and drove downtown to the farmer's market, which is a big, sprawling building on the water, similar to Reading Terminal in Philly. Except that there was nothing going on there. I don't know if it picks up on the weekends or if it's not quite in season yet but there was just a few storefronts in there and that was it. From there we walked the boardwalk which runs about ten blocks or so of the city, right along the water and the piers. Lots of cool shops and stuff down there as well as many interpretive panels, which I am a total sucker for.
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| This is an island in the middle of the harbor, Georges Island, named after King George II, which is also home to Fort Charlotte (his wife). It is a National Historic Site but is not currently open to the public. |
One thing I have to mention is the water here. We have noticed it all up the coast but it is most impressive in a big city like Halifax. Despite the fact that this is an active and very busy port, the water is crystal clear and you can see all the way to the bottom of the harbor, from the piers. There is no muck, no stirred-up bottom crap, no oil, no trash, no algae, and nothing else clouding it up. Perhaps that is just a testament to the cleanliness up here or maybe it's just the way the water moves or maybe it's just that we've been dirty bastards back home but I really like this particular attribute.
Anyway, periodically along the waterfront there are interesting little artsy bits that are pretty fun. This is exactly the kind of waterfront that Alexandria has been dreaming about for decades but just cannot pull off. Now, there are also lots of (presumably) expensive apartments and restaurants along the waterfront and, towards the far end, even a few skyscrapers that extend into the water. But it is still tasteful. The fun stuff makes it all worth it anyway.
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| Apparently they hired the ghost of Salvador Dali to design the streetlights. |
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| Krissy made it to the top of the wave. I suggested that she ride it like a surfer but she wouldn't. Later, when she had changed her mind and gone back, it was full of kids. I tried to run up the side, got about 2/3 of the way up, slid back down, and decided not to risk breaking any bones. |
The boardwalk ends at the casino so we decided to go in and play some slots. Krissy turned $5 into $14 and I turned $10 into $21.50 so we decided that was good enough for us. After stopping at Cows for the best ice cream in the Maritimes, we made our way back to the car to fill the meter and made our way to the Garrison brewery, one of the great local craft brewers. We got a bit busted up there. At three in the afternoon, no less.
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| A very, very wise place. |
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| I really love good craft beers, especially inside a brewery that the owners are so proud of. One of my goals in this five-month-long tour is to try as many local beers in every place we stop as possible. |
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| I couldn't decide on which one to get so I decided to try them all. I won't go so far as to say it is the best beer I've had but some of the brews were pretty tasty. In this pic I am drinking a limited brew that they created for the OBEY Festival, which is a music and arts festival that is happening here this coming weekend. It was hoppy but also malty. I would like to try this one again. |
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| This is their Imperial IPA and is hands down the most bitter, hoppy IPA that I have ever had. I really enjoyed it (and, in fact, I wound up ordering another) but it really is like getting punched in the face with every sip. Classic quote from Krissy, after she took a sip: "I never want that in my mouth again". |
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| Since Krissy's birthday was yesterday, she declared today her "Birthday Part Two" and made this face and gesture many times today. Here, she is enjoying their raspberry wheat ale. It was very raspberry. Too fruity for me. But she drank three of them. |
Needless to say, we were a wee bit crocked after we left the brewery and we walked part of the boardwalk again and then eventually made our way up to the Greatest Place On Earth. Or, at least, one of them. This place is a chain called Smoke's Poutinerie. And, folks, that is what it is. They serve nothing but poutine, and you can get just about anything you want on top of it. Krissy got one that had onions, peas, and mushrooms on it (as well as the gravy, cheese curds, and fries, of course). I got the Triple Pork (of course) which had bacon, sausage, and pulled pork. It was one of the most delicious things ever. When we were in Fredericton NB last summer, I first came across this place, totally by accident, and it completely blew my mind. Even though I have had so much crazy food today, just writing this post makes me want to head back and get another one. The good-slash-most-dangerous thing is that they have a location in St. John's, so I will have this place at my disposal all Summer long. And, quite possibly, tomorrow as well.
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| Apparently there is a story that goes along with their mascot. Can't remember what it is but they play nothing but 80s hard rock in there, the kind of stuff I refer to as "Camaro Music". We heard Poison, Motley Crue, and Van Halen. You better believe there is some Billy Squier on the mix there. This place is beyond incredible. |
From there we wandered around for a while. I sauntered into a record store called Taz and Krissy went to some crazy cosmic hippie sort of store where she proceeded to buy a bunch of trippy pillowcases and such. Our next place is going to look pretty cool. I, on the other hand, had to resist the urge to buy vinyl in what was a fantastic vinyl store because a) we are on a budget and i should save my duckets for something more vital (like poutine) and b) we are going to be in a car for the next four months and vinyl would never survive that. So I bought a few $1 CDs for the car and went on my way.
We headed off to find the place where we are staying tonight. It is a room in a funky, private row house which we got for cheap through Air BnB. The guy who lives here, Lien, is pretty cool I suppose but we haven't really seen him much. We will be here tonight and tomorrow night and then we head off to Pictou for one night and then North Sydney for one night and then we hit the ferry for Newfoundland.
What? Whoa! That is coming up soon!
So tomorrow we are planning on doing some more touristy things like visiting the Citadel and probably the Maritime Museum but the thing we are most looking forward to, like more than just about anything, quite possibly the best case of awesome timing we have ever had in all of our travels.....
We will get to see the new Trailer Park Boys movie in the theater!!!
We have been fans ever since the show was just about brand new and are over the moon to be able to see the movie in a theater (that does not happen at home) and we will be seeing it in Dartmouth (which is where the show is filmed and takes place). It doesn't even matter if the movie turns out to suck (it won't). We shall brag more about this awesome little development tomorrow. In the meantime...
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| Frig off. |
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