Arrival
We arrived in the evening aboard an Air Canada flight. Our Budget car was waiting for us. As Budget RapidCar members we only had to pick up our contract and the keys. All the paperwork was already completed and within a few minutes I was packing our bags into the new grey Nissan Rogue with 7000 km on the odometer. Our destination was already mapped on my iPhone and the voice navigated us out and onto the highway to Halifax which is 40 km. Entering Halifax over the MacDonald toll bridge I tossed a $1 looney coin into the basket and we drove straight to our home base for the next week.
Our Condo
We had arranged a home exchange with Debbie and Bruce, a local couple, that lived on the tenth floor in the Martello, a futuristic glass high-rise condo in the heart of downtown Halifax. They had stayed home to show us around their place and filled us in on all the particulars of the condo, the building and parking.
Our two bedroom, two bathroom condo was nicely furnished. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and white cupboards. There was grey laminate flooring throughout the condo and tan berber carpet in the main bedroom. The open living room had a gas fireplace and a glass dining table for four.
After showing us the guest binder with detailed information on everything about the condo from the location of the electrical box to how to turn on the fireplace, our hosts left for a week of travel around Cape Breton.
First Meal Out
Once we were settled in our condo we looked up a place to have lobster for our first meal in Halifax, The first place to show up on our food app was the Five Fishermen Grill and Bar. It had 4 out of 5 stars and lots of good reviews so off we went down the hill to have dinner. It was busy so we grabbed seats at the bar. Seafood chowder, mussels and lobster appetizers fit the bill and filled our stomachs. But, it was way too pricey at $80 for three appetizers and two drinks.
First Night Out
Excited for our first night in Halifax we searched out a live music spot. With all the young people in the city, numerous tourists and the Nova Scotians love of music it was not hard to find a place that played authentic down-east music. Further down the hill we went to the Old Triangle Irish Pub. A fixture in Halifax that has been around for more than 50 years. It was full on a Sunday night with a mixture of locals and tourists.
We were lucky to get a table for two close to the musicians. The two guys playing are fixtures themselves. Pictures of them playing in the 70s show a much younger duo with dark hair. Now in their 70s the dark hair has been replaced with white hair, and the hair is even longer than 40 years ago. Their music was the foot stomping, knee jiggling kind as they played traditional down-east songs on the fiddle and guitar. No lyrics here, just 6-8 minute reels with a brief break between songs to let their hands relax and get ready for the next song.
Walking back to our condo we certainly felt our leg muscles and lung capacities walking back up the hill. We had to take a breather half way up and looked across the street and saw other people taking a breather as well. We laughed and waved to them. They laughed and waved back. It took us three walks up the hill to build our stamina before we could walk all the way without stopping.
Touring Halifax and Area
We spent the rest of the week touring Halifax and the surrounding area. We loved the waterfront with the Seaport and the activities on the Harbour Walk. Often there are foreign navy personnel walking around their white dress uniforms. While we were in Halifax a tall ship from Italy was in port. The young sailors were easy to spot in their dress whites and their Italian language filling the air. I noticed on several occasions my wife looking and commenting at how attractive they looked.
Halifax is one of those cities that has great Happy Hour places. There are literally dozens of them and they are mostly staffed with attractive coeds who usually attend one of the five universities or dozen colleges. Between students, military and navy personnel the streets are filled with young people coming and going at all times of the day and night.
The ride on the harbour ferry for $2.75 was great. You get a perfect view of Halifax. We learned a lot going through the various museums and historical places. The Halifax Public Garden is one of the only remaining Victorian gardens in Canada located right behind us and we strolled through it several times . We like the variety of restaurants and bars that Halifax has to offer. The live theatre and music are top notch. Halifax has a nice feel to it, especially in the downtown area where we stayed.