21 Aug 2017 - Halifax - The Citadel, the wharf, the park and the Captains Boil

We both had a great sleep but were both very stiff when we woke up  from walking up the hill the night before. Boy do we ever need to start including hills in our exercise programs. We grabbed a light breakfast and went looking for adventure. Wandered around downtown until we found the park that we had seen the night before. It was a memorial park with an old church at one end It was lovely and we stayed there for awhile just enjoying the lovely weather , memorials and the church. we decided that we needed to find a hat eau to wear as the sun was getting stronger so we walked around till we found a dollar store and each got a fun little sun hat. Only $3.
 The citadel was on our agenda this morning and so we headed off to explore and learn. Margie and I both know practically nothing about the citadel and it was very interesting.  let's start with , it is huge, covering a very large area. It was sunny and already promising to get very warm that day. There were reserve soldiers dressed in their regalia marching around the square, some in formation  and some in groups of twos and fours. during the summer the cadets use the citadel as their training grounds. They were dressed in wool uniforms and must have been sweating buckets in the heat,  and Margie felt very sorry for them.
It has a very long history, starting in 1749 with lots of changes over time. They had rebuilt the citadel four times even before the American civil war.  There were first world war exhibits that were fascinating.  We watched the firing of the cannons and bought souvenirs  and after a very long wander about the grounds looking at all the different exhibitions that were there, we had a bite to eat at the little restaurant.

After the citadel we drove back down to the wharf and walked all along it.  There is a very cute little tug boat in the bay that ferries people around but we decided to walk. it is a very long walk. There was a cruise ship in port and we went to the shops that were there for them. The prices were higher in the cruise ship port than elsewhere too, but we managed to find a few bargains. 

Then we walked back, passing fun parks for kids, sculptures galore, food stands all over and a painting by Maude, a famous artist from Nova Scotia. Stopped at a pottery store and got a cup with a raven on it for a friend who loves ravens.  we walked back, passing fun parks for kids, sculptures galore, food stands all over and a painting by Maude, a famous artist from Nova Scotia. The Eclipse was happening that day and someone offered me their glasses to watch it. I shared with Margie and so we both got to see the eclipse too.

After the wharf we drove up to the public park in the centre of town. It took us a minute or two to find parking close by , but we did manage to get a good spot. It is a lovely park with  a great gate, lots of flowers in bloom, a wonderful gazebo, pathways and sidewalks, great trees that must have been a hundred years old and lots of statues and fountains. It had many beds decorated for the 150 year anniversary of Canada. I really enjoyed the gardens and wished that Edmonton could do something like it.

Then we went for dinner. We walked around and finally decided on the Captains Boil. We had no idea that they would not give us any utensils or that they would give us food in plastic bags. All the food was put into bags and boiled in the bags. Yes the food was good but it was messy and hot. by the time we got out of there and had walked back through the garden to the car we were ready for the hotel. The garden with the huge trees and beautiful flowers cooled us down.
It had been a lovely day with lots of interesting things to try and remember but learning new things is very tiring so again we went to sleep with very little problem