Day 26 - Tue - 09/01/26 - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Some days are full of surprises.  And this day did not disappoint us.  Even blogging this day has had its challenges in that my two previous drafts mysteriously disappeared.  After we arrived in Halifax, our clearance was delayed about 30 minutes which was the longest of this cruise.  This port is also our last stop before ending the cruise in Boston.  We've been here twice before and it's a pretty nice port to visit.

We scanned off the ship and used the port provided ramp to exit into the terminal that's filled with all sorts of little shops.  Our plan for today was to find the ferry to Dartmouth and spend our time across the bay.  We strolled along the very nice boardwalk trying to remember what we had previously seen.  Some memories came flashing back.  Others not so much so.  We found a little shop that sold Oak Island tshirts (commemorating the TV show "The Curse of Oak Island".  The proprietor said they are a new item and are selling quite well.  The actual Oak Island site is about 40 miles south of Halifax and tours only occur on weekends and all 2026 tours are sold out for the year.  We purchased a couple of tshirts (one for me and one for our pastor who follows the show as well).  

We continued our walk along the boardwalk and found the ferry terminal.  However, to use the ferry one has to have exact change which we didn't have.  But to our surprise, it was Senior Tuesday, and seniors travel free.  So we were waved through into the holding area where we waited for the Vincent Coleman ferry to arrive.  There are two little ferries running this route and a ferry leaves every 20 minutes.  We scored upper deck seats and enjoyed the views as we crossed the bay.

Arriving in Dartmouth, we found a little restaurant in the ferry terminal and the proprietor suggested that we walk up the hill to a pond and a lake.  So we took his advice and headed out taking a little stroll along the waterfront and then up the hill.  About halfway up the hill, we encountered an elderly lady who was struggling crossing the street.  A helpful motorist had left her vehicle at the intersection and was helping her cross.  I approached and offered to take over.  We learned that the lady wanted to proceed on up the hill and have lunch.  So I wheeled Kathy up the hill about a long block.  She was really quite infirm and hardly could speak and I really don't know how she expected to make her way up the hill.  At the top of the hill we turned left into a senior center and the staff greeted her by name and we passed her off to them and resumed our walk.

Shortly we reached Sullivan Pond which was lovely with a path around it.  There was a fountain at one end and lots of benches and picnic tables.  We walked around the lake and went across the road to the Lake Banook.  There we discovered a set of locks that looked quite old.  Nearby was a placard that indicated that originally this was the first of 7 locks.  But where did the boats come from?

We continued our walk but turned back towards the port area.  We encountered a railroad car looking item, but the rails were about 20 feet apart.  There was no signage on it, but nearby was a building with lots of signage.  It turned out that the rail car was used to haul ships up from the harbor.  The building housed a turbine that harnessed the water power to haul the ships up at a brisk walking speed.  This was another pleasant surprise.  

We continued our walk down Portland Street with lots of colorful buildings.  Along the way I helped a sheet metal worker by holding a door  for him as he carried a long heating duct.  Back at the port, we went to the restaurant and enjoyed a lobster roll before reboarding the same ferry back to Halifax.

At Halifax we went in search of the bookstore we had visited 4 years ago.  We found it and purchased 4 books on Oak Island.  Our stroll then took us back towards the terminal with a stop to enjoy a beavertail.  A beavertail is a small elephant ear pastry and ours was topped with chocolate and bananas.  Very yummy.  Strolling along we enjoyed the sights and eventually reached the terminal where we shopped a little before reboarding the ship.

Onboard, on TV, we watched the Zuiderdam depart at 4pm and sail around George's Island like we have previously done.  An hour later our turn came and the ship moved sideways and then backed up a fair distance and pivoted counterclockwise and headed out to sea.  The Captain announced that we'll only need to sail at just over 10 knots to make Boston on Thursday morning.  

Tonight's entertainment was Michael Minor a singer/ventriloquist.  He was trained as a classical opera singer and really could sing. His puppet routines were quite good including the segment where he used a member of the audience as a puppet.  The fellow really got into the role and it was really funny.

Afterwards there was a game show (Read My Lips) that was excruciating  to watch.  Many people walked out as it was so non engaging for the audience.  Afterwards I went up to the room while Angela stayed for late night karaoke.

Tomorrow is our final sea day.  At 10+ knots it'll likely be a very smooth end to our cruise.