One of the tours I took with my friends last week was the Harbour Hopper tour - very hilarious - but very informative. This is the bus we were on:
These vehicles are amphibious - so the first part of the tour was on the streets, and then we moved right out into the harbour. The tour guide was excellent - very informative, and very funny. He got us all to let out a chorus of "ribbett, ribbett" when we entered into the water. I think he may have been the only one actually saying it! But we had perfect weather for our tour, as you can see by the picture of Julie & Colleen here out on the water.
One of the impressive historical buildings (among many, many) is St. Mary's Basilica. It was built between 1820 and 1829. It has had various restorations, including having all new windows since the original windows were all destroyed in the Halifax Explosion in December of 1917.
Across the street from the Basilica is the Old Burying Ground - the oldest cemetery in Halifax. It was founded in 1749, and closed in 1844. There was a major restoration initiative in the 1980's - it is very impressive to see it today...
Our tour guide is an archaeologist, and kept pointing out other places where buildings have been constructed on old burying grounds - he seemed quite incensed at the idea and spoke often about the history that is still unexplored beneath the streets and buildings of the city. He also inserted some rather funny personal stories in the tour. At one point he spoke about being 10 years old and going to a Harry Potter dress-up competition where he won a prize at one of the schools we were driving past!
The guide grew up and continues to live in Dartmouth, which is a ferry ride across from the Halifax Harbour Front. He takes the ferry across almost every day of the week.
In July, 2016, Halifax Transit added a ferry to their fleet, and held a contest where people could vote on various options for naming the ferry. About a third of the close to 20,000 people who took part in the contest chose the name of Viola Desmond. Desmond's fight against racism helped push for the end of segregation in Nova Scotia. In 1946, her car broke down in New Glasgow. As she waited for the repairs, she went to the local movie theatre. She refused to leave the whites only section, and was dragged out by police and thrown in jail overnight. Novia Scotia issued her a formal apology only six years ago. I think it was one of my favorite moments of the tour when the guide said he got quite teary-eyed listening to Viola's sister speak about how moved Viola would have been by this moment (Viola died a short time ago). Our guide said he thinks about Viola and her legacy every time he walks onto the ferry and sees the sign that invites people to sit wherever they want to. It is about a 10 minute ferry ride - quite a delightful way to move across the harbour from Halifax to Dartmouth.
It has been amazing to walk around and see the history in the buildings all over the city. One of the courtyards that was fun to take a look at was in the Alexander Keith Brewery. Here are a few pictures:
This final picture has a bit of "wow" in the wall. The woman giving the tour explained that that was left in place to show what happened in the days when the wagons were brought into the courtyard. They would turn a little too close to the wall, and the bricks were worn away by the consistent rubbing of the wagons on their way in and out of the courtyard. Seeing the evidence of an era where transportation was so different than today somehow made it all seem more real.
Can't go on the tour without sampling a wee bit of the product!
The tour finished off with a traditional kitchen party - some great traditional music by the three staff. It was amazing to sit there and have such a quality concert unfold in such an intimate setting.
Every Saturday I am receiving an e-mail as part of an autumn on-line retreat. Last week it was an invitation to ponder the music that energizes our souls. This week the focus was on spending time reflecting on the ways people and events from history have shaped our spiritual journey. It has been good immersing myself in a bit of the history that is so clearly evident in the streets of Halifax and Dartmouth. Somehow, it is hopeful to see these very ancient buildings and how they still stand strong and solid for us to enjoy today. It is a reminder of all the people who have come and gone - whose lives were full and busy, and whose stories continue to live on in the very bricks of the buildings. I love the story of Viola Desmond and her courage to live true to her own truth. I am still absorbing the experience of visiting Pier 21 - and will save that for another post. This is an amazing city, and I am ever so grateful for the gift of this time to simply enjoy such a different geography. I will close with a picture of the Bluenose - which just happened to be in the Harbour for the past week.
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