Halifax: Rain and Forts and Pints and Pitchers

The day we arrived in Halifax the weather was amazing. Little did we know it would be the last amazing weather day for the next two weeks!

I had not really planned much for Halifax, as it was supposed to be a stop for my husband. And my husband only wanted to do two things–see the Citadel and check out the local bars. So that’s what we did.

Fortunately the weather held out for our Citadel visit, and we arrived just as they were shooting off the noon cannon. Because of my love for guided tours, we then met up with the very first guided tour of the day and learned all about the Citadel from a nice man dressed in a funny costume.

Our tour guide

Things we learned about the Citadel:

• Even in the 1800’s, the media affected the real world. Because of the ‘invention’ of photojournalism, the barracks were made ‘nicer’ so that they wouldn’t get any bad press that may prevent enlistment.
• The best offense is a good defense–the fort was never attacked.
• Working in the powder battery was scary, as you could blow up at any time. No one ever blew up, though!
• Old habits died hard–they still tried to use the flag/mast system to transmit messages, but weather in Halifax often made this impossible. Fortunately the telegraph was soon invented.

After the tour we decided we were cold, so we walked along the ramparts to warm ourselves up. There were lots of kids running around up here, which I thought was funny. It was almost as if parents went here just to let their kids loose for a while.

View from the ramparts

By this point my husband was getting hungry, so we went off in search of food…er, really, beverages. We invented a fun activity–rain hopping. We’d find a pub that my husband wanted to visit and stay there until the rain stopped…and then hurry to the next one before the rain started up again! It was great exercise, and my husband had a little too much fun. Watch him get progressively…happier…as the day progresses:

Our first stop--random waterfront pub

At Alexander Keith's--best bartender ever, by the way!

Our final stop--thank goodness!

By the end of the afternoon I’d decided hey–if you can’t beat ’em…

Joining him at Maxwell's Plum

We had an absolutely disgusting meal at this last bar that I think counted as dinner. Here’s a travel tip for you–when something is called ‘the best burger plate in town’…it probably isn’t. We made it back to the hotel just in time for the skies to really open up–and they remained open for the duration of our stay.

Did the weather stop us from driving to Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg the next day? Nope! Up next–quaint seaside towns…in the sideways rain!