NY, NE, NB, PE, & NS Day 8
NY, NE, NB, PE, & NS
Day 08 - October 19, 2011 - Wednesday - Drive to Halifax and Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
We were up and ready to check out of the hotel at 7:45. It had rained most of the night but the sun was trying to shine through a few clouds. We got gas on our way out of town on Route 4 (1.31CAD per liter).
Our route took us south west to Port Hastings, our point of departure from Cape Breton Island. We made a stop at Big Pond to take pictures of Bras d’Or Lake and the Fall leaves reflected in the still water.
At St. Peter’s Canal we got out to stretch our legs and explore the Swing Bridge that swings open to allow tall masted ships to pass through on their way through the waterway.
For brunch we stopped in the town of St. Peter’s to have a coffee, breakfast sandwich, and a chocolate donut before joining NS104. This road took us back to the Canso Causeway where we left Cape Breton.
We followed NS104 to Truro and then drove on NS102 south to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. After finding Route 118 into the city we crossed the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge over the harbor and into the old town area.
Our neighbors Tim & Carol had recommended the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. We arrived there at 2:30 hoping to have enough time to devote to seeing the thousands of exhibits. The museum was dedicated to the maritime history in the Atlantic.
As we entered the museum we met one of its mascots, Merlin. Merlin is a rainbow macaw that dispels the myth that pirates had parrots as pets. Merlin talks and plays peek-a-boo; he is a hit with all guests.
We spent almost three hours seeing and reading about the exhibits on North Atlantic ship wrecks, including the Titanic and learned more about ships, both sailing and steam vessels.
Out at the waterfront we were able to go through the largest of the museums exhibits, The CSS Acadia, a research vessel that was built in 1913 to chart the waters of Canada’s Artic and East coast waters.
Our guide Richard was excellent; telling us about the ship, the pre-computer equipment used in recording ocean floor depths. He was also an expert on the Titanic and gave us some little know facts about “rusticles”, a rust eating bacteria that is destroying the ship underwater.
We walked along the pier and saw many other ship museums and also working water craft such as Pilot Boats similar to the ones used to get us through the Panama Canal.
Many of the boardwalk cafés and shops were closed for the season. The Battered Fish was still open and anxious to get our business. I had fried clams and fries and Gennie had halibut tips; both were excellent.
There are signs everywhere that say do not feed the birds. Realizing that the birds cannot read, we watched as the gulls and other small birds came closer and closer while we sat at a picnic table eating our dinner.
There was a gentleman in the parking lot that was eating outside of his car. On the hood of the car next to him sat several small birds just waiting for him to drop a French fry or give them a treat. It was so peculiar that several of us stopped to take his picture.
We left the city at 5:00 and joined the other Halifax commuters in negotiating traffic on Route 2 to Bedford. Our lovely Comfort Inn motel is on Route 2, the Bedford Road, with a beautiful view of Bedford Basin.
After checking in we worked on the journal and the photos of the day. The desk clerk made a reservation for us in Bangor, ME for tomorrow night as we will cross the border to the United States in the afternoon.
Accommodations: Comfort Inn, Halifax, NS, CA
Comments
The Seagull and The Squid (0:53)
Fall Colors at Bras d’Or Lake
St. Peter’s Canal
Merlin – Rainbow Macaw
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Dinner at the Pier
Featured Journal
Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos
Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
