For the first time on this cruise we had to use the ship’s tenders to get ashore and as this is usually a fairly arduous operation we decided to leave early to miss the crowds. So it was up early skipping breakfast and we were on dry land by 8.30am.
Halifax is the most populous city on Canada’s Atlantic coast. Historically it was a major industrial port as well as being a centre for welcoming immigrants to Canada. The old warehouses and port area has now been extensively redeveloped into a shopping, dining and tourist hub. It was here where our visit today was spent.
A boardwalk stretches nearly 4km along the waterfront and it contains many statues representing different aspects of Halifax’s history. A number showed the many varied immigrant groups that first found Canada here. Such as …..
…..and this
Particularly poignant today is the monument to the large number of Lebanese immigrants that were given shelter in Canada.
As it was still fairly early in the day many of the restaurants were yet to open but they looked very colourful in what had turned out to be a sunny day.
Reaching the end of the walk we found a Tim Horton’s and after re-energising with a doughnut (Sylvia) and an egg and sausage biscuit (me), we slowly made our way back. Occasionally we rested in one of the many chairs that dotted the walkway.
In addition to the shops and restaurants the area contains two major museums. Firstly the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which houses the ships CSS Acadia and HMCS Sackville.
We didn’t go into this museum but instead visited the Canadian Immigration Museum located in Pier 21 which was the main immigration centre for arrivals in Halifax.
The museum gave a history of immigration into Canada from the early settlers from France and the UK through to the present day. An interesting audio visual presentations showed the origins of the new Canadians through the ages, very much European to begin with but latterly more Worldwide with many more coming from Asia, Africa and South America,
The museum concentrated on people’s stories and they fell really into two categories. Firstly those who had come to Canada seeing it as a land of opportunity while the other group were those coming from oppression or persecution. Some very moving stories were told.
Even one of the volunteers was an immigrant moving to Canada in the early 1970s from the USA, the draft to the Vietnamese War being a major factor in his move.
Altogether this was a very interesting museum visit with a fascinating look at the history of this country, but it was nice to see that even in the midst of oppression and persecution, humour can always shine through.
Walking along the waterfront we could see that many of the national flags were at “half-mast”, enquiring with a local stall holder we discovered that it was National Peace and Reconciliation Day. This national federal holiday remembers the 150,000 First Nation children who between 1870 and 1997 were forcefully removed from their families and made to attend church-run residential schools. It is estimated that around 4000 children died in these schools. I find it difficult to understand how a country so welcoming to people coming into their country could be so cruel to their indigenous natives.
Not wishing to end on a sour note Halifax was a pretty place to visit for the day and the weather certainly helped us to enjoy it.
We spent the afternoon lying in the sunshine back on board, hopefully the weather will stay like this on tomorrow’s sea day. Next stop The Big Apple on Wednesday.