Caribbean Princess 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise Review
Day 15 Halifax Arrival: (Previous Day) Departure: 5:00PM
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Day 15 Halifax Arrival: (Previous Day) Departure: 5:00PM
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Peggy’s Cove: We were up early this morning in order to gather in the Princess Theater for our 8:30am departure for a scenic ride along the coast to Peggy’s Cove which is a quaint fishing community that dates back to 1811. In 1914 the red and white Peggy’s Point Lighthouse was built and is the most famous lighthouse in all of Canada. It is still in operation today alerting sailors of the dangerous granite boulders and jagged rocks that make up this area on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay. We were given time to explore this small, picturesque village with its interesting shops and to see a live lobster demonstration. On a previous excursion to Peggy’s Cove a few years ago, our visit was interrupted by a “blue northerner” sweeping through just after we arrived. This time, just as we arrived, a fog bank rolled in and blanketed the area the entire time we were there. At least there was no blowing wind and cold rain to send us looking for cover!
Peggy's Point Lighthouse on large boulders composed of 415 million year old granite.
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A warning that no one paid any attention to
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Then the fog came in!
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History: Halifax, the capitol of Nova Scotia, was established in 1749 as a British military outpost. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Halifax was the entry point for European immigrants coming to Canada. In 1917 there was a huge explosion in the Halifax harbor when a cargo ship carrying TNT collided with another ship. The explosion leveled a large portion of the harbor and killed approximately 2000 people. The harbor, one of the world’s largest natural harbors, was restored and has been a major contributor to the city’s economic wealth over the years.
Area around the lighthouse
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Area around the lighthouse
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Area around the lighthouse
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Lobster traps in quaint fishing village of Peggy's Cove
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Peggy's Cove - Fishing village
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Peggy's Cove - Fishing village
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Peggy's Cove - Fishing village
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Peggy's Cove - Fishing village
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St. John's Anglican Church, 1893-94 in the background
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Walking Tour: After lunch we had plenty of time to explore the historic central district of Halifax on our own. We exited the ship and walked through the Cruise Pavilion to start our approximate one mile walk to the downtown area passing many old and architecturally interesting buildings on our way. Many of the homes had markers on them designating them as Registered Heritage Property. We stopped at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a National Historic Site, which is the oldest still-standing Anglican Church in Canada. A piece of metal from another building that was damaged/destroyed in the 1917 explosion remains embedded in a wall of the church. We walked past the Province House which has served as Nova Scotia’s Assembly meeting place since 1819. On one side of the Province House is a courtyard with a statue of Joseph Howe who was a famous journalist and popular politician and on the other side is a courtyard with the South African War Memorial. All are historically important to Nova Scotia. As we headed back to the ship along the boardwalk, we had an opportunity to stop in at a farmers’ market located inside and outside of Pier 20. The market had many different items for sale including handmade crafts, local food favorites, art and flowers. Located at Pier 21 is the Canadian Museum of History, a National Historic Site. This site is considered Canada’s Ellis Island because more than one million immigrants entered here between 1928 and 1971. The museum commemorates their history.
Peggy's Cove - Flowers still in bloom
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Peggy's Cove - Memorial to men who tried to save those in danger
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Halifax Harbor - One of world's largest natural harbors. Area around the harbor has many shops and restaurants.
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Seen as we walked through historic central district of Halifax
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Beautiful old church
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Many old buildings
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St. Paul's Church - oldest surviving Protestant Church in Canada and oldest building in Halifax - Founded in 1749
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St. Paul's Church
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Old town clock
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Statue of Joseph Howe - famous journalist and popular politician - in courtyard of Province House
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Province House - Canada's oldest house of government
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South African War Memorial in courtyard of Province House
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One of many old homes in historic area of Halifax
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Markers on historic homes
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Another Registered Heritage Property
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Steep streets lead us back down to harbor
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Farmers' market held at Pier 22
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Flowers being sold outside farmer's market
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Other Sights to See: On a previous trip to Halifax our excursion included the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, a 19th century fortress; the Halifax Public (Free) Gardens, an old but beautiful Victorian garden; and the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the burial place for 121 victims of the Titanic tragedy. (Note: If interested in seeing pictures taken during the previous trip, go to My Cruise Reviews, Caribbean Princess Canada/New England Cruise, Day #6 Halifax.) Another interesting museum is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. It is located on the boardwalk not far from the ship and has many historic exhibits including a very large collection of Titanic memorabilia.
Dinner and Entertainment: After a full day of sightseeing, we were very ready for an early dinner and the evening’s entertainment in the Princess Theater. The featured singer was from Las Vegas and provided about an hour’s worth of an excellent show. The time just flew by!
Canadian Museum of Immigration is at Pier 21 and is considered Canada's Ellis Island
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Appetizer - Baked goat cheese
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Appetizer - Pate
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Entrée
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Sorbet
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Fish entree
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Sugar free dessert
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Another fancy chocolate dessert
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Followed by an assortment of cookies - our wait staff really spoiled us!
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