July 23 & 24 2024 - Canadian Cruise Vacation Days 4 and 5 - Halifax and Sydney NS

The ship arrived in Halifax about the time we woke up.  We didn't have an excursion booked, opting to self-guide in Halifax which worked well because the cruise dock is a short easy walk from town.  As an American, I rarely hear Halifax mentioned as a city of note.  In fact, in general, Americans only mention Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and maybe Ottawa when naming Canadian cities of note.  So I was surprised that Halifax is a good size (400K+) city.  I didn't expect mid-rise apartment buildings, luxury hotels or very high-end clothing shops but these were all present too and not just in the cruise ship catered area near the waterfront.

Our Halifax explorations started with my parents on an easy walk to the Atlantic Maritime Museum.  The museum was very good but had a lot of people in it since there were 2 ships in town.  I learned a few details about ship's buoyancy and markings that I'd never thought about before.  The extensive exhibit about the Halifax explosion of 1917 was excellent also. 

I shopped for a new dress shirt to supplement the one I brought with me.  I was pretty shocked when we ended up in a store where the 110 dollar shirts were the bargain bin and most of them were 300.  I enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere and service but none of the limited stock I would possibly afford fit me.  The sales person was very nice and enjoyable to talk to and, as it turns out, is from Sydney, the next day's port of call.  Brian and I logged a ton of steps in Halifax, many of them going up and down the substantial hills.  I ended up getting a shirt at. a less luxury oriented shopping center which also had a food court where we had Indian food, a welcome change from the amazing but indulgent food on board the ship.  The rest of the day was spent on-board and was pleasant but unremarkable.  I saw a stand-up comedian perform and I thought his set was solid and the audience in general really responded well to him.  

Sydney was our 2nd Canadian port and it was much much smaller than Halifax.  Our excursion wasn't until 1:30 pm but Brian and I wanted to get in a lot of steps so we headed out shortly after arrival.  Sydney was a lot more like my imagined small port city than Halifax.  There wasn't really that much to see there but there was a surprising amount of construction going on all over town.  Our excursion to the Highland Village Museum didn't gather until 1:30 pm and was delayed somewhat waiting for the earlier tour to return.  The bus trip was just under an hour each way and between the driver trying to hurry and Canada's typically bumpy and narrow provincial highways, neither I nor my step-mother enjoyed the ride.  What was a winner was the stunning views from the top of the hill where the living museum is set.  Looking out from there was truly awe inspiring and postcard perfect.  Our weather was also wonderful, upper 70's and not humid.  There are about 12 buildings you can go into and they are arranged chronologically to emphasize how life changed over the centuries and reflected both the technology available and the increased expectations people had as time went on.  Some farm animals, a blacksmiths shop and several presentations about making fabric (from wool OR flax) rounded out the site's look at early life on Cape  Breton Island.  They also had 'oat cakes', a traditional but still popular baked item associated with the area at the last stop, the modern visitors center at the lower lot at the bottom of the hill where the buses would re-board from.  We got back to the ship a few minutes past all-aboard time but I don't think it was enough to mess up the day's schedule.  My dad didn't feel well all day, walking only a small part of the museum circuit and skipping dinner completely.