On our way to Hailfax, Nova Scotia we stopped by the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Center in Truro. The Center serves as a cultural resource for the Mi’kmaw Native Peoples and houses a number of fascinating artifacts. The Mi’kmaw are an indigenous people who were among the first inhabitants of the Canadian Atlantic Provinces. We learned that Mi’kmaw territory extends into Maine so today the Mi’kmaw hold dual citizenship both in the US and Canada. We left the museum with a profound, new respect for the Mi’kmaw people and culture, and we were very glad we had taken the time to visit. Little did we know that we would encounter the Mi’kmaw presence and culture across Nova Scotia and into Maine.
Halifax was next on our trip. We were blessed with beautiful weather so, on two separate days, we took an Uber into Halifax from Dartmouth where we were staying.
The first morning, we strolled along the waterfront from the Halifax Farmers Market to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which houses numerous artifacts documenting Nova Scotia’s marine history. Visitors can learn about Nova Scotia’s role in small craft boatbuilding, the Royal Canadian and Merchant Navies, WWII and the Battle of the Atlantic, the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and Nova Scotia’s role in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster. A visit to this museum was compelling and time well spent!
Maritime Museum 
Small craft gallery. Vessels common to Nova Scotia. 
Tugboats used in the Canadian children’s cartoon show “Theodore Tugboat”. 
With its proximity to the sinking Titanic, it’s easy to see why Halifax was involved in victim recovery and burial. 150 Titanic victims are buried in Halifax. 
A replica of the ship. 
First Class Menu 
2nd Class Menu 
Third Class Menu 
Titantic Victims Chart 
On 6 December 1917 at 9:04 in the morning, two ships collided in the Halifax harbour, one of them a munitions ship loaded with explosives bound for the battlefields of the First World War. 
Recovered from the rubble, this clock stopped at the instant of the explosion. 
Another time piece frozen at the time of impact on display at The Citadel. 
One square mile was levelled either by the blast, the resulting tsunami, or the structure fires caused by collapsing buildings. 
Nearly 1,800 people died, another 9,000 were maimed or blinded, and more than 1,600 homes, offices, churches, factories, vessels, the railway station and freight yards were obliterated. 
That morning people on their way to school and work, were drawn to the burning ship to watch the fire. They didn’t realize the danger they were in.
After a morning at the museum, we were hungry and managed to get a seat outside at the nearby Bicycle Thief, a popular local restaurant. We enjoyed one of the best meals (and only Italian) of our trip.
We were lucky to get a seat on a busy Saturday afternoon. 
A delicious meal enjoyed outside. 
Housemade Fish Cakes with fresh Halibut, Haddock & Atlantic Salmon, Sea-salted Fries, and spicy lemon aioli. Delish! 
Fettuccine con Polpettine, housemade meatballs, Fior di Latte, San Marzano tomato, parmigiano. 
After lunch, we sat on the waterfront and watched the ships pass by.
We ended the day relaxing in two of the many chairs provided along the waterfront where we delighted in the sun, water and beautiful temps as we watched the boats and ships pass by.
The next day happened to be Sunday so we took the opportunity to attend Mass at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church. The pastor and congregation were so welcoming and friendly: We indeed were impressed and moved by their kindness toward us! With the recent closure of two prominent local Catholic churches due to finances, low attendance, pastoral capacity, and structural concerns (St. Patrick’s and St. Theresa’s), the Catholic church appears to be struggling in Halifax. The pastor shared that after years of decline, immigrants are increasing congregation membership once again. We said we would keep the pastor, his parish and our fellow Halifax Catholics in our prayers.
After Mass, we took a long walk through neighborhoods to EDNA Restaurant where we enjoyed a late lunch. At the end of the meal, I asked the wait staff who Edna was and they replied that the restaurant was named for some poet named Edna. I followed up with “Edna St. Vincent Millay?” The wait staff looked surprised and said, “that’s the one!”. I smiled as St. Vincent Millay happens to be one of my favorite poets. There’s no information about the restaurant’s name on the website so I suppose the back story of the restaurant’s naming will remain a mystery for now.
St. Stephen’s on a beautiful Sunday morning. 
Church Interior 
Edna Restaurant 
Lions Mane Mushroom ‘N Egg: two eggs, roasted tomato, garlic scape salsa, crispy potato, salad, grilled sourdough. 
The Breakfast: Two eggs, bacon, sausage, crispy potato, salad, grilled sourdough. 
Ricotta Pancake w/ Maple Butter.
After breakfast, we walked to the nearby Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. (Park Canada is offering free admission, including to The Citadel, until September 2nd.)
The British founded Halifax in 1749. Built to protect the port and defend against attack, the star-shaped Citadel was one of four principal naval stations of the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries. British North America became the Dominion of Canada in 1867 but the Citadel remained under British control until 1906. The Citadel was then used as a detention center during WWI and as the Halifax headquarters for anti-aircraft defenses during WWII. It became a national historic site in 1952. A gun is fired every day at noon, a tradition that has continued since at least 1856, and the many exhibits and artifacts are fascinating to explore. It is easy to see why the walled stone fortification, with such a commanding location high on top of the hill, was never attacked.
Fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the founding of Halifax in 1749. 
The iconic kilted 78th Highlanders keep watch. 
Stationed at the entrance. 
Inside the fort wall.. 
Interior of the fort from on top of the wall. 
Munitions positioned on the wall. 
We laughed that the British seemed to need to know the direction of discharge. 
Commanding view of the harbor. 
The old city Clock Tower. 
The Army Museum includes many artifacts and details Canada’s many military contributions. 
Across the street and around the corner is the Halifax Public Gardens, which covers 16 acres and is one of the best surviving examples of a formal Victorian garden in North America. It was a great way to end our visit to Halifax.
Our visit to Halifax was interrupted by our broken windshield. The glass replacement went smoothly as we waited for the repair at the lovely Woodlawn Public Library in Dartmouth. After purchasing new windshield wipers at the Mercedes Benz dealer in Halifax, we were off to a Harvest Host for the night before visiting Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Thanks for taking the time to read this extraordinarily long post. Hopefully, the level of detail conveys how impressed we were with Halifax and how much we enjoyed our visit!
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