HRM Point of Interest #18: G7 Summit Photo

On this spot, near Sackville Landing on the Waterfront, the delegates of the 1995 G7 Summit in Halifax met to take a picture. The delegates gathered around, with their respective security forces standing guard on roof tops, and under the water, and hiding in clouds (or at least I imagine they were hiding in the clouds). The 12:00 noon scheduled photograph time drew near, and as the delegates prepared their awkward smiles a huge cannon blast startled everyone and sent the delegates running.

Security forces had their guns drawn, and everyone searched high and low, but alas no threat could be found as the cannon blast was merely the noon gun fired daily from the nearby Citadel fortress. Then Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, and the mayor of Halifax both knew about the gun, but had apparently forgotten to inform the other delegates. Oopsy-doopsy....

Note: to my left (right in the picture) you can see the memorial to John Cabot shining (?) in the summer sun (when this photo was taken).

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.

HRM Point of Interest #11: The Town Clock

Located on the east face of Citadel Hill, The Town Clock (sometimes known as the Old Town Clock, or Citadel Clock Tower) was built under the orders Prince Edward, Duke of Wales, then the commander-in-chief of all military forces in British North America. Purportedly, Prince Edward built the clock because he was sick of the British garrison at Fort Gary (The Citadel) being so tardy all the time. In their defence, none of the soldiers were paid well enough to afford a watch. (As an aside, one of the additional roles of the bag pipers at the Fort was to play specific tunes at different times throughout the day, so that the watchless infantry would know what time it was.)

The Clock Tower was built in the classic Palladian style of Venetian architect Andrew Palladio, which was a favourite of The Prince. It began keeping time for the garrison on October 20, 1803. It's mechanisms are wound by Citadel employees twice a week, but for some reason the clock seems to chime on the half-hour whenever I have been in the vicinity.

The Clock Tower was the inspiration for the character "Chimney" in the wonderful children's television program Theodore Tugboat.

Canada's Parks Day: July 17, 2010

Canada's Parks Day was first celebrated in 1990. It has been held every year since then, on the third Saturday in July. It was formed to give Canadians a chance to participate in a number of unique and fun events in the many parks and National Historic Sites across the country. This year is a special year, as it is not only the 20th Anniversary of Canada's Parks Day, but also the 125th Anniversary of the creation of Banff National Park. Banff National Park was Canada's first ever National Park, and only the third National Park ever created in the world, after Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, and Australia National Park. To celebrate Canada's Parks Day I went to The Citadel National Historic Site in Halifax, where there were a number of unique presentations and admission was free the entire day. How did you celebrate Canada's Parks Day?

Nova Scotia National Historic Site #4: The Citadel

Citadel Hill is an 80 metre tall glacial drumlin with a commanding view of Halifax Harbour. Citadel Hill's strategic value was the primary reason the British chose to maintain a military base on the east side of Nova Scotia. The current star-shape fortress currently atop Citadel Hill, formerly known as Fort George, is actually the fourth fortress design to occupy the hill, and took 28 years to build.

It took so long to build, because the entire fortress had to be set into the hill so that only the parapet was in view from the base of the hill. Should an enemy soldier miraculously escape having his head blown off at the bottom of the hill, from well inside the range of the British rifles, he would be met with the precursor to land mines just outside the base of the wall. Should he pass that, he would fall off the edge of the wall into the hidden ditch, roughly 10 metres in depth, where if his legs or neck were not broken, he would be pelted with "balls of spikes attached with chains meant for taking down ship masts" from the cannons. Or he may be lucky and merely hit in the back of the head by the sharp shooters hiding inside the secret tunnels behind him and aiming through the slits in the wall.

The wall was designed to be, and in fact was, the most technologically advanced fortress of its time. Its construction was ordered because of fear of an impending American attack. Ironically, the largest threat the Americans ever posed to the British at Halifax was during the War of 1812, when US President James Madison declared his intentions to claim what would later become Canada, for America. The War of 1812 ended in 1814, before construction of Fort George had even begun.

Today, Fort George (The Citadel) is a National Historic Site managed by Parks Canada. Costumed actors bring life at the fort in 1869 alive for the numerous visitors, and many rooms are open for guests to tour at their leisure. Even the secret tunnel in the outer wall is open.

There are numerous demonstrations that take place during the day, and the highlight of any visit is the firing of the "noon gun". Overall the fortress is in remarkably good condition, and it is my strong opinion that any trip to Halifax should definitely include a visit to this fabulous living museum.

(Rifle firing demo.)

(Getting ready to fire the noon gun.)

(Ceremonial cutting of the cake for Parks Canada's 125th birthday on July 17, 2010. I had four pieces.)

(The Pipes and Drums of the 78th Highlanders. The pipers have green coats because they were not paid by the military like the drummers or brass band members, but rather by the officers personally. Having a personal pipes regiment was a sign of prestige for British officers, and so an officer would dress his pipers with extra brass and more regal colours to show off how rich he was.)

(Changing of the guard.)

(The new recruits practice loading a cannon.)

(Military drill demonstration. Look at how tightly they walk together.)

(A special treat: this is the actual cloak that the legendary General James Wolfe was wearing when he was shot and killed on the Plains of Abraham, in 1758. Wolfe's Adjutant General and friend, Isaac Barre, saved the cloak for posterity. It currently belongs to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and is on loan to the Army Museum at The Citadel.)

(Closing up the gates.)

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.)