Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 Halifax is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. We only had a day in Halifax and as I had done a full day tour to Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove, I didn't have much time when we got back. I had wanted to see the Titanic cemetery but it was too far out. So I went for a walk along the waterfront. The first photo was taken in the morning as the ship approached Halifax -

Samuel Cunard was born in Halifax in 1787. He became a major entrepreneur and was one of the largest owners of sailing vessels in the Maritime Provinces. The Cunard wharves on the waterfront were the centre of a vast shipping empire engaged in West Indies trade. He later founded the Cunard shipping line.

The Emigrant Statue, as Halifax was the port of entry for immigrants arriving on ships -

I continued along the waterfront, it was very busy being a weekend. I then turned into town. The Dominion Public Building is an Art Deco-style office from 1936 -

Government House of Nova Scotia is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia -

The Old Burying Ground is a historic cemetery founded in 1749, the same year as the settlement, as the town's first burial ground. It was originally non-denominational and for several decades was the only burial place for all Haligonians.

House under renovation -

I then went back to the port and had a beer before leaving.

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

 After visiting Lunenburg World Heritage Site in Nova Scotia, Canada, we went on to Peggy's Cove. It is quite a tourist attraction, and the lighthouse is one of the most visited in Canada.

The road goes around the edge of St Margaret's Bay. A Swiss Air flight 111 crashed into the bay 2 Sept 1998, approximately 8 km southwest of Peggy's Cove with the loss of all 229 aboard. There is a memorial. 

As we approached Peggy's Cove, the deciduous trees disappeared, also most of the conifers, as the granite rocks became more prominent, giving a tundra like landscape. These large boulders date back to the Devonian period, 415 mya and are actually glacial erratics, deposited by the glaciers. 

Peggy's Cove was really busy when we arrived early afternoon. I went to the lighthouse, which is no longer in use, it is just a tourist attraction. Nova Scotia is home to over 160 historic lighthouses. Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, also known as Peggy's Point Lighthouse, is one of Nova Scotia’s most well-known lighthouses, built in 1915.

There is a danger of rogue waves here and as it is a protected area, visitors are asked to keep to the pathways. 

Alpine horn -

I loved the rocks, so smooth and rounded and random -

I had decided to have a lobster roll, but when I saw it was $28 for a takeout I decided not to bother. Instead I had a foggy dog hotdog for $5. Then looked around the rest of the area.

William E. de Garthe Memorial Monument to Nova Scotian fishermen. It is on a 30 m long granite outcropping situated behind his house in Peggy’s Cove. The sculpture depicts 32 fishermen, their wives and children, St. Elmo with wings spread, and the legendary Peggy of Peggy’s Cove.

We left Peggy's Cove and continued on around the bay, heading back to Halifax. These were taken through the bus window and show the erratic boulders -

Lunenburg World Heritage town, Canada

The next port on the Canada and Greenland cruise was Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the town of Halifax as I had booked a full day Viator tour to Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove.

From the cruise terminal we went past Dalhousie University and out on the highway which was quite pleasant, very wooded on either side with deciduous and pine trees. Saw 3 white tailed deer. 

Drove through Mahone Bay with its 3 churches. It was under the British who were anti Roman Catholic and gave land to foreign protestants from Europe. It later had a ship building industry. It is part of the Mi’kmaq indigenous territory. 

Onto Lunenburg and down to the old town which is a World Heritage site : "Lunenburg is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Established in 1753, it has retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern drawn up in the home country. The inhabitants have managed to safeguard the city's identity throughout the centuries by preserving the wooden architecture of the houses, some of which date from the 18th century."

First we had a drive around the town then went back up to the Academy which is up at the top. We were dropped off here and had free time to walk around. The Academy houses the library and an historical classroom. There is a small cemetery next to it. 

From there I went round the streets taking photos of houses and churches. 

St. Johns Anglican with the vinegar bible and crypt. It was the first church established in Lunenburg, 1753, and  the second Church of England built in Nova Scotia, and is the second oldest continuous Protestant church in present-day Canada. On 1 November 2001, St. John's church suffered significant damage by fire. It was restored and re-dedicated June 12, 2005. The vinegar bible - so called cos of the misprint for the chapter heading for Luke 20 as “The Parable of the Vinegar,” instead of “The Parable of the Vineyard.”  The sun was in the wrong place to get a good photo of the outside. 

Lunenburg is home to the oldest worshiping Lutheran congregation in Canada. Another church, the Zion Evangelical Lutheran. The design is High Victorian Gothic, from 1891 - 

The houses are certainly colourful. 

I then walked along the waterfront

The Bluenose II schooner. Built in 1963, Bluenose II is an exact replica of the famed schooner Bluenose, which became a national icon when she raced undefeated for the International Fishermen’s Cup. Her namesake remains a symbol of the Grand Banks fishery, shipbuilding excellence and the seafaring history of this region. People from Nova Scotia are called Bluenose !

From Lunenburg we headed to Peggy's Cove.

Canada, St. John's, Newfoundland

 In July 2024 I set off on a cruise to Canada and Greenland on Fred Olsen's Bolette. After 5 days at sea, our first stop was St. John's, Newfoundland. Newfoundland and Labrador form the most easterly province of Canada. St. John’s is the capital and situated on the southeast of the island of Newfoundland.

Because of Newfoundland’s island location, it has its own unique time zone, ½ hour different than the rest of Atlantic Canada. It is the easternmost city in North America and also the oldest. 

When we arrived at the port, a Newfoundland dog was there to greet us. It was wearing the Newfoundland tartan -

In a nearby park is a memorial to Newfoundland and Labrador dogs - though sadly I didn't see any real Labradors.

St. John's is a hilly town with a mix of colourful wooden houses, brick churches and colonial buildings. 

The main street was closed to traffic, to enable cruise ship passengers to walk safely.

The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist -

National War memorial -

Mid morning fog in the bay -

Jelly Bean row -

Anglican cathedral of St John -

After lunch I decided to walk up Signal Hill, This is the hill on the left of The Narrows -

 One of the oldest buildings in St John's, having survived the great fire in 1892 -

Still quite a way to go!

View from The Queen's Battery Barracks -

Looking across The Narrows. Cape Spear can just be seen (under the yellow arrow) - this is the easternmost point of North America. There is a fog bank behind and when we sailed out that evening there was no sign of Cape Spear cos of the fog.

This is a zoom shot of Cape Spear and the 1836 lighthouse can be seen =

The top of Signal Hill, Cabot Tower. It is free to go up the tower.

Sailing out through The Narrows at 7.45 pm - when we had entered in the morning it was thick fog and we saw nothing. As we went out into the bay we sailed into a fog bank.

Surprisingly there was a nice sunset back over the mainland, with fog on the right of the photo -