A New Beginning
With every beginning comes new discoveries. That's how I thought of our move to Nova Scotia. It's a scary thought packing up, purging your household and saying goodbye to friends and family. A tough decision, to say the least!
True...a lot of my family live in Cape Breton and I was born there, but I didn't grow up there. My dad was in the military, so we moved when I was quite young, and I ended up spending some great years in Lahr, Germany. But that's a story for another day...
When we discussed moving here, one of the things we wanted to do was travel and explore the province. I had come to Halifax in May of 2019 for a conference and happened to come across the boardwalk in the downtown area. I found that walk really relaxing, exciting, and beautiful...and so, that's where we went for our first weekend stroll...
The boardwalk starts off at Pier 20 (or Pavillion 20 as the sign says) which is next to the cruise ship terminal. Inside the building is the Farmer's Market - a host of vendors selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, multiple varieties of ethnic foods (which smell so good when you walk inside), craft beers and wines, arts and crafts and so much more. Something for everyone! It was fun to meander through the throngs of people, all so happy to be inside the air-conditioned building, and to see such a wide variety of goods for sale. Families sat at tables in the little restaurant areas, licking ice creams, sipping slushies and noshing on dumpling meals. Others considered which fruits and vegetables to buy, looking intently at them, pinching fruits and taste-testing some. The atmosphere was excitingly contagious.
We walked through there for a while, then made our way to the wooden boardwalk that wound its way around the perimeter of the harbour. Sounds of a harpist playing greeted us as we strolled...soft melodies to entice us to listen and appreciate the sunny day and what lie ahead. Then, as we strolled past, the roar of ski-doos broke the enchantment, reminding us that there was more to see farther down. We strolled along slowly, sitting from time-to-time, enjoying the smells of the ocean breeze and the sounds all around us.
One thing I noticed was there were so many statues. The city really tries to commemorate its history and its roots. The statue below really struck a chord with me. If you look closely at the tree in the background, above the family left behind, it's actually hands waving goodbye. I stood and took that in for a long time. It's called "The Emigrant."
We passed souvenir shops (which offered everything from "New Scotland" t-shirts to maple in jars and candies) to little canteens under awnings that sold slushies (and in the heat, a very welcome treat!). Further down, we saw a vendor that I needed to visit...a place called "Cows." I had never heard of the company before and when I was at my conference in May, one of my colleagues told me I needed to try "Cow" ice cream. "It's so good!" she said, "you have to try it." So, as we approached, her voice suddenly reared up in my head and I said, "Hey! There's the Cow place. Let's try some ice cream." I have to say, I was NOT disappointed. The ice cream was smooth, cold and very refreshing for the hot day. Multiple flavours on the sign told us this was no ordinary ice-cream shop: Nanaimoo Bar; Moo York Cheesecake; Cownadian Maple to name a few. I had Chip Chip Hooray.
After our stroll, we decided to head out of downtown and over to Dartmouth Crossing for a very exciting trip - to a store we didn't have in Victoria - IKEA! Oh boy! You could walk all day through that store! There is so much to see there, and I felt like a kid in a candy store.
And, because I love the movie "Jaws," I had to take a picture of the baby sharks! Will have to buy one, one of these days!
I hope you enjoyed this New Beginning with us. Until next time...
True...a lot of my family live in Cape Breton and I was born there, but I didn't grow up there. My dad was in the military, so we moved when I was quite young, and I ended up spending some great years in Lahr, Germany. But that's a story for another day...
When we discussed moving here, one of the things we wanted to do was travel and explore the province. I had come to Halifax in May of 2019 for a conference and happened to come across the boardwalk in the downtown area. I found that walk really relaxing, exciting, and beautiful...and so, that's where we went for our first weekend stroll...
The boardwalk starts off at Pier 20 (or Pavillion 20 as the sign says) which is next to the cruise ship terminal. Inside the building is the Farmer's Market - a host of vendors selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, multiple varieties of ethnic foods (which smell so good when you walk inside), craft beers and wines, arts and crafts and so much more. Something for everyone! It was fun to meander through the throngs of people, all so happy to be inside the air-conditioned building, and to see such a wide variety of goods for sale. Families sat at tables in the little restaurant areas, licking ice creams, sipping slushies and noshing on dumpling meals. Others considered which fruits and vegetables to buy, looking intently at them, pinching fruits and taste-testing some. The atmosphere was excitingly contagious.
We walked through there for a while, then made our way to the wooden boardwalk that wound its way around the perimeter of the harbour. Sounds of a harpist playing greeted us as we strolled...soft melodies to entice us to listen and appreciate the sunny day and what lie ahead. Then, as we strolled past, the roar of ski-doos broke the enchantment, reminding us that there was more to see farther down. We strolled along slowly, sitting from time-to-time, enjoying the smells of the ocean breeze and the sounds all around us.
One thing I noticed was there were so many statues. The city really tries to commemorate its history and its roots. The statue below really struck a chord with me. If you look closely at the tree in the background, above the family left behind, it's actually hands waving goodbye. I stood and took that in for a long time. It's called "The Emigrant."
We passed souvenir shops (which offered everything from "New Scotland" t-shirts to maple in jars and candies) to little canteens under awnings that sold slushies (and in the heat, a very welcome treat!). Further down, we saw a vendor that I needed to visit...a place called "Cows." I had never heard of the company before and when I was at my conference in May, one of my colleagues told me I needed to try "Cow" ice cream. "It's so good!" she said, "you have to try it." So, as we approached, her voice suddenly reared up in my head and I said, "Hey! There's the Cow place. Let's try some ice cream." I have to say, I was NOT disappointed. The ice cream was smooth, cold and very refreshing for the hot day. Multiple flavours on the sign told us this was no ordinary ice-cream shop: Nanaimoo Bar; Moo York Cheesecake; Cownadian Maple to name a few. I had Chip Chip Hooray.
After our stroll, we decided to head out of downtown and over to Dartmouth Crossing for a very exciting trip - to a store we didn't have in Victoria - IKEA! Oh boy! You could walk all day through that store! There is so much to see there, and I felt like a kid in a candy store.
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| IKEA also has electric car chargers! |
And, because I love the movie "Jaws," I had to take a picture of the baby sharks! Will have to buy one, one of these days!
I hope you enjoyed this New Beginning with us. Until next time...
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