| Well, in the few hours that I had spent so | | | | Victorian gardens in Canada after Butchart |
| far in this city, Halifax had already shown | | | | Gardens in Victoria, B.C. Our guide went on |
| itself from its best side. After my fairly | | | | to explain that in order to qualify for a |
| late arrival yesterday I had a chance for a | | | | formal Victorian garden, a green space would |
| brief walk along the waterfront before I saw | | | | have to meet the following requirements: - it |
| an amazing performance of DRUM! - an | | | | would have to be more than 10 acres in size - |
| inspiring and heart-pumping musical | | | | bridges would need to be wide enough to |
| kaleidoscope of Nova Scotia's four principal | | | | accommodate two women in hoop skirts, a high |
| cultures: Black, Acadian, Aboriginal and | | | | Victorian fashion - the facility would need |
| Celtic. An awesome introduction to this | | | | to have a bandstand, and - two mated swans in |
| city... This morning I got up early since I | | | | a pond would be required to make it a true |
| wanted to discover the waterfront in the | | | | Victorian Garden. He pointed out that |
| daylight before joining a city tour that | | | | Hurricane Juan devastated the Halifax area; |
| would give me a good overview of what Halifax | | | | many of the old established trees in |
| has to offer. I realized that the batteries | | | | different parts of the city including the |
| of my digital camera were very low and wanted | | | | Public Gardens were destroyed. This public |
| to buy a couple of replacement AA batteries, | | | | garden is a very historic place: its origins |
| so I criss-crossed the city from one location | | | | date back all the way to 1836 when the Nova |
| to another to find batteries, but to no | | | | Scotia Horticultural Society set out to |
| avail. Stores that I was directed to were | | | | create a public garden that would be |
| either still closed or they had just run out | | | | "accessible to all classes". The bandstand |
| of batteries. Well, that meant that by 9 am I | | | | was erected in 1887 to commemorate Queen |
| had already spent a solid 40 minutes | | | | Victoria's Golden Jubilee while the Jubilee |
| zig-zagging across the downtown core and | | | | (Nymph) Fountain was erected in 1897 to |
| getting a bit of an overview of the central | | | | honour Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The |
| area of the city. At 9 am I joined a group of | | | | pond in the heart of the gardens is called |
| tourists to go on a city tour provided by | | | | Griffin's Pond and was named after a young |
| "the Company with the Kilts". What makes this | | | | Irishman who was actually hanged for murder |
| city tour unique is that the historically | | | | on the east side of the pond in the 1830s. |
| inspired trolleys are accompanied by | | | | Allen pointed out a miniature model of the |
| knowledgeable, humorous guides that are | | | | Titanic ocean liner that was floating on the |
| dressed up - you guessed it - in a kilt. On | | | | pond which years ago was actually |
| this sunny October day, our guide was Allen | | | | remote-controlled and could be directed all |
| Mackenzie, whose extensive historic knowledge | | | | over this waterway. Halifax has a huge |
| and witty comments kept the entire vehicle | | | | connection to the Titanic, as you will hear |
| entertained. We started along the | | | | shortly. After our 20 minute stopover at the |
| waterfront where Allen pointed out the | | | | Public Gardens we headed towards our next |
| historic warehouses that are part of the | | | | stop, another place of great historical |
| "Historic Properties" complex. These | | | | significance: the Halifax Citadel. Again we |
| warehouses used to store the loot of the | | | | had about 20 or 30 minutes to get out of the |
| privateers, pirates that were licensed by the | | | | bus and explore the Citadel on foot. The |
| British Crown to raid enemy ships. Today | | | | admission price was included in the city |
| these former warehouses have been transformed | | | | tour. The Halifax Citadel is Canada's is one |
| into a series of retail and restaurant | | | | of Canada's most visited historic sites. Due |
| locations while retaining their historical | | | | to the strategic location of this hill |
| appeal. Close by is Halifax' Casino, which | | | | overlooking the harbour, Citadel Hill was |
| Allen quite aptly referred to as the city's | | | | singled out very early on as a location for a |
| "Centre of Voluntary Taxation". We made our | | | | fortress. The first fortification was built |
| way to Grand Parade, originally a parade | | | | in 1761 while the current version was |
| ground and today a large public square which | | | | completed in 1856, after 30 years of |
| is anchored on the south side by St. Paul's | | | | construction. The Citadel is a phenomenal |
| Church, Halifax' first and oldest church | | | | vantage point for overlooking the city. The |
| dating back to 1749 - the year the city was | | | | entire harbour area comes into view, and you |
| founded. On the north side we saw Halifax | | | | can see all the way across the bay to |
| City Hall, whose construction was started in | | | | Dartmouth. Allen pointed out that the Halifax |
| 1887. In the centre of the Grand Parade is | | | | Citadel was considered the "most terrible |
| the Cenotaph, a war memorial erected in 1929 | | | | fortification" in British North America, and |
| that commemorates three major conflicts: the | | | | indeed no attempts to attack it were ever |
| First World War, the Second World War and the | | | | made. Our group arrived just in time for the |
| Korean War. To the west is Citadel Hill and | | | | rifle presentation. Several "soldiers" (in |
| the Old Town Clock. One of the city's major | | | | reality they are Halifax university students) |
| landmarks, the Old Town Clock was given to | | | | were dressed up in full historic military |
| the city by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and | | | | costumes, carrying rifles, and our group |
| future father of Queen Victoria, in 1803 to | | | | would get an actual demonstration of a real |
| ensure that all Haligonians would have a | | | | rifle shooting during our brief stopover. One |
| chance to be aware of the time of day and not | | | | of the young soldiers explained that the |
| have an excuse for being late for work. This | | | | rifles weigh 8 to 9 pounds, and with the |
| treasured time piece has kept people on | | | | bayonette attached the weight goes up to |
| schedule ever since. Our trolley bus | | | | about 13 pounds. He allowed me to lift the |
| snaked its way through town while Allen told | | | | rifle which made me realize that this was |
| us enlightening and often humorous stories of | | | | definitely not light-weight combat. Then he |
| the historic characters that called this city | | | | proceeded to shoot the rifle several times |
| home. We then drove through an area called | | | | against the citadel's wall, creating several |
| Spring Garden Road that has a lot of | | | | loud bangs that reverberated throughout the |
| established retail shopping opportunities | | | | entire walled-in fortress. After this quick |
| before we arrived at another major Halifax | | | | stop we proceeded westwards through town |
| attraction: the Halifax Public Gardens. This | | | | where Allen pointed out Dalhousie University, |
| is where we were ushered out of the bus in | | | | one of the 5 major universities in town. We |
| order to connect with our bagpiper who would | | | | passed through a west-end neighbourhood where |
| take us on a walk through the gardens while | | | | houses cost somewhere between C$800,000 and |
| Allen would pick us up on the other side. | | | | C$1,500,000 according to Allen. Our next and |
| Well, as fate would have it, the bagpiper | | | | final stop during the tour was the Fairview |
| never showed up, but Allen with his good | | | | Cemetery where Halifax' connection to the |
| humour took us halfway into the beautiful | | | | Titanic disaster became most evident. |
| public garden and asked us to all meet up on | | | | |
| the north-west side of the gardens where he | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web |
| would meet us in a few minutes with the | | | | portal for unconventional travel & |
| trolley. He also explained that the Halifax | | | | cross-cultural connections. |
| Public Gardens are the second most renowned | | | | |