HRM Monument #32: Norwegian Soldiers Monument

This sharp looking monument was erected in memory of the Norwegian sailors and soldiers who gave their life in WWII, and who were buried in Nova Scotia or who were lost at sea around Nova Scotia. It has a few practical uses as well, especially when I need to check my hair in my reflection, or when I have to get a few inches higher to take a nice picture of Sackville Landing (the open area in which the monument is located) or the Harbour, both of which you can see in the reflection in the monument.

It's been nearly a year since I originally stepped off the train and dropped my bags off here - in Halifax - during my cross Canada adventure. Although I became a little busy this winter collecting more funds with which to go exploring in the upcoming months, looking at this photo I took last summer I was reminded again about just how strongly Halifax's sometimes sad, but always important history has been largely effected and shaped by war.

HRM Point of Interest #23: Tufts Cove

A few weeks ago I posted an image on my Flickr account of a building near my home. Just visible over the top of the building in that image were the tips of the three red and white smoke stacks you see here in this image.

My friend Sara, with whom I went on the Harbour Hopper Tour back in August, sent me a message informing that the smoke stacks were located in a neighbourhood known as Tufts Cove. As I was cycling across the Macdonald Bridge to work one morning I noticed these smoke stacks for the first time and took this picture.

The name Tufts Cove comes from a prominent Boston area family that came to Dartmouth in 1749. The land itself was also the location for a Mi'kmaq settlement known as Turtle Grove, until 1917 when it was destroyed in the Halifax Explosion.

To be honest though, this isn't so much a HRM Point of Interest, as it is an EP Dave's Point of Interest. The only reason I included this image is because I have seen these prominent stacks in various images of the Halifax Harbour since I came here. However, I could never figure out where they were located, and neither could I find anyone who could remember either.

For this reason alone they had become like an annoying itch in my mind of which I just could not rid myself. And so, like a deeply satisfying scratching of a peeling sunburn, I present you this post so that I can relieve myself of this itch, and perhaps even save you from my "pain" also. I really do aim to provide a public service here at EP Dave's Terra Nova.

Halifax Harbour Sea Music Festival: September 4-5, 2010

For all intents and purposes Halifax is and always has been about the sea. It was therefore not a surprise when I read that there would be a sea music festival on the Waterfront this weekend.

I was a little worried that the festival might have been cancelled because of Hurricane Earl's untimely appearance on September 4, but with the calm weather following the day afterward I walked down to the harbour to enjoy a few hours of "sea chanteys, fo'c'sle songs (a fo'c'sle is short for forecastle, which is where the crew of a merchant ship stays while on board), stories and fun", as the festival's website advertises.

One of the Festival's main sponsors is the excellent Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which is committed to preserving all things sea and ship related. I visited the Museum back in May during my cross-Canada travels and thoroughly enjoyed my experience there, so it was nice to be able to come back again. Come autumn I will attempt to make a more official Ea-pea posting on the MMA (what an unfortunate acronym, for the Museum that is), but for now I will get back to my thoughts on the Festival.

Of course if you like sea music then you would have certainly enjoyed the performances. However, the most interesting part in my opinion was not songs themselves, but rather the explanation of what the songs meant and/or how they came about or why the performer chose to perform them. The explanations made the event not only entertaining but educational as well. Here at the Ea-pea Dave series of blogs (more are coming after I move to other provinces) we're (and by "we're" I mean I'm) all about education, so I liked that.

(Costumed period re-enactors knit a shirt and a scarf/sweater [?], respectively. I wasn't aware that orange plastic balls were around in 1749 though.)

HRM Point of Interest #15: Harbour Hopper Tour

When I was in Toronto this summer I had planned to go an amphibious vehicle tour but I ran out of time; naturally then, it was a pleasant surprise when I found out Halifax also had a similar tour. Unfortunately though, while I now had the time, I did not have the money. Thankfully a friend of mine from my church, and a fellow EPDTN reader, offered to treat me to a ride on the Harbour Hopper this last Sunday, and I'm delighted to say that I had a blast.

The Harbour Hopper's website claims that it is the most popular tour in Halifax. I'm not surprised, as it is the only tour which allows you to go on land and water. That said, you'll never hear me say that the Harbour Hopper is the most comfortable tour in Halifax....

The Harbour Hopper Tour "bus" is a actually a refitted Vietnam War-era Lark V. The Lark V was an amphibious transport vehicle designed to carry up to five-tons worth of troops from the supply ships anchored off land into the military bases in the jungles of Vietnam, often over 1.5 miles away. Each Lark V/Harbour Hopper weighs 19 000 lbs, has no suspension, and sounds like two dump trucks trying to win a "make the most noise" competition. None of that matters though, when you get to splash into the Harbour.

The tour goes past all of the standard Halifax points of interest, many of which I've mentioned before on this blog, like Spring Garden Road, the Citadel, and the Grand Parade, but it's the lively and informative commentary by the guides that really makes the trip fun.

I sat at the back of the Hopper, near the engine (engines?) and so could barely hear, but despite all the racket I can say it was easily one of the most exciting things I've done in Halifax since attending the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.

Natal Day Festival: July 29 - August 2, 2010, Part 1 - July 31

Natal Day is the celebration of the founding of Halifax in 1749, and Dartmouth a year later in 1750. The Natal Day Festival was not started however until 1895, making this year the 115th anniversary. While the Festival officially started on July 29, I did not actually make it to any of the events until July 31.

At 8:00 AM, the Canadian Forces Base in Halifax hosted a free pancake breakfast on the Waterfront. Even though I was a little late in arriving, most of Halifax was still sleeping off their Friday Night (as the picture above would suggest), and so I had no problem procuring seconds after I wolfed down my first serving.

This was the 5th year the pancake breakfast had been run during the Natal Day Festival, and so I'm sure more people were expected to come later, because I heard from one of the servers that the poor sailors cooking the pancakes had started preparing at 4:30 AM. They must have been the new recruits.

After the pancake breakfast, I went to the YMCA to workout. There was yet another free all day/night concert at the Festival tent later that day (there's at least one every day, and two on some days), but I couldn't be bothered to go; there's only so much "noise" one EP can take in a given weekend.

Later that night I was sitting at home, when at 9:00 PM I looked at the schedule to plan the next day's events. It was at that time that I noticed the most spectacular fireworks show of the year was scheduled to start in an hour at the Waterfront. I hurried to get myself ready again, and pedalled back down to the Halifax Harbour.

In hindsight, I'm not sure if it was worth the 35 minute round trip at night to see 10 minutes worth of fireworks, but a motto is a motto, and at least I was able to get this stunning picture.

HRM Point of Interest #9: Halifax Waterfront

Walking along the 3 km board walk on the Halifax Waterfront is a favourite past time of both locals and tourists, especially those departing from the cruise ships docked at Pier 22. Open 24 hours a day, it is also one of Yours truly's favourite places to spend a sunny afternoon, as it is always full of buskers, tourists, and interesting ships (during the summer at least).

(One of many tall ships docked at the Waterfront. Halifax tall ships can often be hired for Harbour cruises and tours.)

(A highlight of any trip to the Waterfront is seeing one of the large cruise ships entering or leaving port.)

(The Halifax Waterfront is the home of Theodore Too tugboat, star of the superb children's television program Theodore Tugboat.)

(Here, Theodore Too puffs merrily along as he passes in front of the Georges Island, a National Historic Site, while taking passengers on a tour of Halifax Harbour.)

(There are even real tugboats at the Waterfront. Halifax tugboats have been and continue to be invaluable assets in Atlantic Ocean rescue and salvage missions since before, and during, WWII.)

HRM Monument #14: S.S. Mont Blanc Anchor Shaft

On December 6, 1917 one of the most horrific disasters in Canadian history took place when the French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc, collided with the Belgium relief ship, the Imo, just outside of Halifax Harbour. The spark from that collision caused an explosion, the equivalent of 3 kilotons of TNT, inside of the Mont Blanc blew it apart and destroyed a good portion of Halifax too.

This event that killed 2 000 people, left 6 000 completely homeless and 25 000 without adequate shelter, would come to be known as the Halifax Explosion. As a result of the magnitude of this explosion, a piece of an anchor shaft from the SS Mont Blanc, weighing 1140 lbs, flew 2.35 miles over Halifax and the Northwest Arm to a small park just behind Regatta Point Trail. It was relocated 200 metres and set in stone as the monument you see here.

Canada's 143rd Birthday (Canada Day): July 1, 2010

On July 1st, 1867, the British North America Act was signed creating the new nation of Canada. Since that time, Canada has had its ups and downs, but on this, the 143rd Birthday of Canada, the focus was on how much fun one ea-pea could cram into a single day.

Funapalooza '010 started at 8:00 AM, when I stood in line with over 300 other Haligonians to receive a free pancake breakfast on the Grand Parade in front of City Hall (yes, that building in the background). I was so hungry that I went back for seconds and thirds.

(Captain Canada, as I'm now calling him, hands out Canadian flags with his two daughters.)

(Square dancers entertain the crowds at the Grand Parade.)

While I was having breakfast, I also ran into my new Korean friend, Jeung Eun-gyo, whom I had met at the Membertou 400 Festival a week ago, and with whom I had gone to visit the ships during International Fleet Review Week.

At 9:00 AM, Eun-gyo, some of his classmates who later met us at the Grand Parade, and myself all walked over to Pier 21 where my new friends were having an orientation meeting because they would be volunteering with the Multicultural Festival happening from July 2-4. As you can see from the picture above, we ran into Captain Canada again along the board walk too.

At 10:30 AM, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo's annual Canada Day Parade started, and by 10:45 or so it had made its way down to Spring Garden Road, led by the Mounties (above), where I was waiting curb side.

(Who doesn't love a good marching band?)

(Look at that precision!)

(Members of the Juliana Bicycle Team from Holland.)

(A different angle.)

At 11:30 AM it was time to head over to the Citadel, where admission was free for a special Canada Day presentation, including a performance by the Pipes and Drums of the 78th Highlanders, a 21-gun salute, and free birthday cake!

(The Pipes and Drums of the 78th Highlanders performing.)

(A cannon being fired during the 21-gun salute atop Citadel Hill.)

(Halifax mayor, Peter Kelly, hands out free Canada Day birthday cake to eager children and even more eager ea-peas.)

(Random tee pee in between the wall and one of the ramparts.)

(You are cordially invited to a Canada Day Dinner Party.)

After finishing my cake, I hurried over to the Commons where the annual Canada Day Family Picnic on the Commons was taking place. Since I wasn't a child, and I didn't have one, this wasn't very interesting to me, and I figured I shouldn't hang around too long taking pictures of other people's children, so I continued on to the next Funada Day event.

At 2:00 PM, the Public Gardens was hosting a free outdoor concert at the Band Stand. More importantly, they were also giving out free maple cookies.

It was also getting hot by this point in the day, so I broke down and bought some excellent hand-paddled vanilla-peanut butter-fudge ice cream at the Sugah! ice cream shoppe in the Gardens.

At 3:00 PM, I peddled my bicycle across the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge to Dartmouth for the Molson Canadian "Canada Rocks" free outdoor rock and roll concert, at Alderney Landing - along the waterfront of the north side of Halifax Harbour.

(The David Myles Trio - don't let the suits and instruments fool you, whether they're playing rockabilly, traditional Nova Scotia folk songs, their own brand of gospel, or "Bruce Springsteen rock and roll" songs about climate change, these guys know how to entertain a crowd. Check out their fabulous "Don't Drive Through", written for CBC Radio 2's Great Canadian Song Quest, track 3, here.)

The concert was not the only thing going on at Alderney Landing; there was also a gathering of local artists on the waterfront. In the picture above, Dave King, owner of the Pugcasso website, poses in front of the Halifax Harbour with his prints and original paintings (mostly of dogs). I decided to "support the arts" by buying a large magnet from him for $4.

(Doug MacCabe graciously poses with his painting of the famous Irish shoe store/pub, Dick Mack's. Doug is a medical researcher who paints in his spare time. He has dedicated his life to promoting the arts of all kinds in Nova Scotia.)

At 7:00 PM I cycled back across the bridge to the Sackville Landing on the Halifax side of the harbour to see Viva Flamenco perform a free hour long concert on the board walk. The concert also doubled as a fund-raiser for a maternal and child health care NGO providing much needed medical support in the worst damaged areas of Haiti.

(A middle-east inspired flamenco dance from Viva Flamenco.)

After the dancing, I hurried back to Dartmouth again to see more of the Canada Rocks concert. The Juno Award winning Halifax band, Joel Plaskett and The Emergencies, played a monster set from 8:00 PM until 10:00 PM, at which time everyone hustled over about 25 metres to the edge of the water to get a front row seat for the fire works display.

The fireworks only lasted about ten minutes, and then it was back to the music as the rockin' went on until midnight. By this time though, I was exhausted, and I set out on the half-hour ride back across the bridge and uphill to my home. With the great weather, and excellent entertainment, Halifax was definitely the place to be to celebrate Canada Day this year.

(The shore at Alderney Landing, lined with people, waiting to see the fireworks. The Macdonald bridge is in the background, while dozens of boats sit patiently as their passengers also await the start of the show.)