Seeking to keep my cost to a reasonable amount, I found that the Dalhousie University in Halifax rented out their student accommodation during the summer. Above the door of the high rise dorm block is inscribed the motto, 'Inspiring Minds.' To me this brick and glass utilitarian building was one of the least inspiring edifices in Halifax, but some of the later campus buildings were much better to look at. The rooms were no fuss singles, with a wash basin and there were male and female toilet and shower rooms on each floor. More importantly there was a wonderful view across the sound, so I could keep an eye out for the arrival of the boat that was carrying my motorbike to Canada.
(You can find the terms and conditions for staying at Dalhousie at this website. http://www.dal.ca/dept/summer-accommodations.html)
Gerard Hall of Residence, Dalhousie University, Halifax.
Having unpacked, I left my mascot Eeyore watching from the window while I went out to explore. Halifax is a lovely little city on the waterfront with a modest population of 400,000 and has a history dating back to the early days of Canada. The commercial shipping docks have moved further upriver, or across the sound to Shearwater. This has enabled the capital city of Nova Scotia to refurbish the old wharfs by making the worlds longest harbour front boardwalk that stretches the whole length of the old harbour. Walking down the hill to the old harbour I was pleased to see that the older clapboard houses with their cedar shingle clad roofs still managed to co-exist alongside their bold new neighbours. One thing that did strike me was the amount of cables that festooned the streets, they didn't seem to have buried any of them. Sometimes I would find an attractive angle to photograph a building, only to see that the wires obstructed the view to such a degree that it was not worth taking the photograph.
The Harbour Boardwalk in Halifax
I felt very much the tourist here, but had no difficulty in reminding myself that this was to be just a pleasant interlude before the real thing. I purchased a book of maps covering the whole of North America, plus a couple of highlighters and also a book on wild bears and the dangers thereof. My greatest fear on this trip was of meeting a bear on the trail or in a campsite, because I intended to go through some wild and desolate places far away from the nearest civilisation. Having briefly explored downtown Halifax; it took me ages to figure out that 'downtown' just means 'the shops' to North Americans, I can be really thick when language says something it doesn't mean; I wandered back down Hollis Street towards my accommodation.
The Boardwalk and Downtown Halifax.
Modern office blocks in downtown Halifax
Where Hollis meets Morris, sounds good that phrase, where Hollis meets Morris there is a small bistro on one corner called 'The Wired Monk'. Part of the building is used as a jazz club, and the name of the bistro honours Thelonious Monk, the jazz pianist. I stopped for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie and fell in love. They make the most wonderful pie I have ever tasted, chocolate and pecan. It was not on the menu every day, but when it was I stopped to worship.
The Wired Monk, where Hollis meets Morris.
Another reason for sitting there at an outside table was so that I could watch the traffic. Here in Canada and in many of the US states, you can ignore a red light if you are turning right and the way is clear. Remember that they drive on the right over there. On junctions with no lights, the person who reaches the junction first has the right of way. This the drivers courteously abide by, as do they observe the rule that pedestrians always have the right of way. If I was walking and not sure of the direction I needed to take at a road junction, I soon learnt to step away from the kerb as I brought whole lines of traffic to a stop by just hovering there. Out of sheer embarrassment I crossed even if I realised I needed the other direction. Coffee and pie done, I headed back to my room for a nap and then a shower before going out to find somewhere to eat.
From my dorm. window: Early morning mist across the sound.
Tomorrow: Out of the fog appear the ghostly shapes of tall masted ships.
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