Sightseeing in Halifax and Dartmouth – Dahlias, Seafood and More

Continuing with my husband’s and my visit to our older daughter in Nova Scotia, Canada, a couple of our days were spent in the capital city of Halifax, and neighbouring Dartmouth.  Fisherman’s Cove is a quaint section of the Dartmouth shore area, first charted as the “Eastern Passage” by Captain James Cook, as a description of its location within the Halifax Harbour.  In 1996, it was re-developed, acquiring its current name and becoming a tourist attraction, while preserving its original use as a wharf for local fishermen.  A strip of whimsical and colourful structures houses a variety of souvenir stores, restaurants and ice cream parlours (slide show below):

A nice take-out restaurant nearby is John’s Lunch (352 Pleasant Street, Dartmouth, NS).  Established in 1969, it has been honoured several times with The Coast’s ‘Best of Halifax Awards’ for “Best Fish & Chips”, “Best Seafood” and “Best Diner”.  This was truly some of the best I have ever had, and a very good value for the price, as well.  In the photo below, from left, scallops & chips, award-winning fresh haddock & chips, with coleslaw and malt vinegar on the side:

From Dartmouth, it is easy to reach downtown Halifax in no time across one of the Halifax Harbour bridges, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge (opened in 1955) or the A. Murray MacKay Bridge (since 1970), or via the passenger and bicycle ferry, pictured below, with a view of the MacKay bridge and the Halifax Harbour in the background:

The Halifax Harbour and boardwalk are the perfect platform to start a visit of the city, just looking at the ferries and other ships as they come and go, while enjoying some fresh air from the sea breeze.  Then, located at the heart of this historic waterfront, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (1675 Lower Water Street) offers a very well curated timeline of Nova Scotia’s rich maritime heritage, starting thousands of years ago with The Mi’kmaq, founding people of Nova Scotia who, to this day, remain the predominant aboriginal group in the province.  The Mi’kmaw nation is comprised of thirteen Bands/First Nations, each of which is governed by a Chief and Council.   The birchbark canoe shown below belonged to Chief Malti Pictou, used during the mid 1800s until early 1900s to hunt porpoise in the Bay of Fundy; back then, porpoise hunting was a source of oil and income from its sale:

Other permanent exhibitions included craft boatbuilding, the Days of Sail to the Age of Steam, with real and model ships, and historical displays of artifacts and photographs from wrecks and some naval disasters.  There is a room dedicated to the Titanic, which on her maiden voyage from England to New York, was bashed by an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean in the late hours of April 14, 1912; it was hoped that the Titanic could reach Halifax, but unfortunately, she never made it, sinking less than three hours after the collision.  In the days following the rescue of survivors (around 700), four ships from Halifax had the sad mission of recovering bodies, and ultimately 150 of unclaimed remains were buried in the city.  There is also a sobering exhibit of the Halifax Harbour Explosion, occurred in 1917.  During World War I, Halifax had become a hub for the war effort, and the stop point for Canadian, British and American soldiers going to or coming back from Europe.  Before the war, ships carrying munitions or explosives were not allowed into the inner reaches of the Halifax Harbour, but the British Admiralty was in command of the port during wartime.  On December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont-Blanc, filled with tons of benzol, picric acid, TNT, and gun cotton, was arriving in Halifax to join a convoy across the ocean, when it collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo, which was on its way from Halifax to New York, to pick up relief supplies for Belgium; Mont-Blanc’s hull was damaged, and the generated sparks were enough to ignite its deadly cargo, causing the explosion of the ship, and sending out a shock wave in all directions, followed by a tsunami that washed violently over the already devastated shores of Halifax and Dartmouth.  Close to 2, 000 people perished, and many were blinded, maimed and left homeless; the rescue, care and rehabilitation efforts from the military and medical crews that were already in the city due to the war, along with help from near and far from allies, as far as Australia, began right away, and went on for years.  The exhibition at the museum serves as a memorial to the victims, a cautionary tale so safety protocols are improved and observed, and a homage to all those brave and generous rescuers, canonized by grateful Nova Scotians in symbolic ways, such as the large Christmas tree, sent every year from the Nova Scotia woods to Boston, a city that provided essential relief and support in the wake of the explosion.

On a much lighter note, a 100% Nova Scotia piece of recent history is the display, shown below, of the studio models for the set and characters of the children’s television series Theodore the Tugboat, in his red cap, who lives in the “Big Harbour” with all his friends (other boats, and also buildings, such as the perky Town Clock on the hill):

The show originated from, and is based on, Halifax Harbour, filmed in a former school gym actually filled with water, using radio-controlled ships and machinery. The background set, inspired by the cityscape of Halifax and Dartmouth buildings, was built by the art department at CBC Halifax.  Production started in 1996 and ran until 2001; the show premiered in Canada on CBC Television, then going to Public Broadcasting and Qubo in the United States and another eighty different countries.

A great follow-up is to head to The Citadel (5425 Sackville St, Halifax, NS).   During colonial times, Halifax was one of four principal overseas naval stations in the British Empire; a system of coastal fortifications was built to defend the Halifax Harbour and surrounding waters. The Citadel, strategically located on a hill, was the command post, from where any sordid approaches, by land or sea, could be detected.  From the photo below, taken from the Citadel hill, note the similarity to Theodore’s “Big Harbour” including the Town Clock on the hill, on the right, and in a closer view:  

From the Citadel hill, it is just a short walk down to the Halifax Public Gardens, located on an entire block bordered by Spring Garden Road, Summer Street, South Park Street, and Sackville Street.  The main entrance at the corner of Spring Garden Rd. and South Park St. welcomes visitors through ornate iron gates:

Officially opened in 1866, but founded in 1836, these gardens are one of the finest examples of a Victorian garden, with characteristic features such as carpet beds, tropical display beds, and a well-structured garden plan.  On September 1st and 2nd, 2022, the gardens hosted their 11th annual Dahlia Days celebration; even after hurricane Fiona passed through the city and the gardens, damaging trees and small structures, the dahlia gardens still looked beautiful at the end of the month, when I took these photographs of Mexico’s national flower:

A wonderful place for a break and a hearty meal in the area is Black Sheep Restaurant (1496 Lower Water Street, Halifax, NS):

Featuring local ingredients and a very creative fusion cuisine, their menu provides a perfect opportunity to try a combination of traditional and innovative dishes.  We started with some fresh oysters (photo below, left); truth be told, not as fresh as the ones we had in Cape Breton, but my husband enjoyed a summer salad with poached shrimp, melon, fregula (type of pasta from Sardinia), peanuts, chiles, nuoc cham, cilantro, and mint (photo below, right):

A wonderful place for a break and a hearty meal in the area is Black Sheep Restaurant (1496 Lower Water Street, Halifax, NS):

Featuring local ingredients and a very creative fusion cuisine, their menu provides a perfect opportunity to try a combination of traditional and innovative dishes.  We started with some fresh oysters (photo below, left); truth be told, not as fresh as the ones we had in Cape Breton, but my husband enjoyed a summer salad with poached shrimp, melon, fregula (type of pasta from Sardinia), peanuts, chiles, nuoc cham, cilantro, and mint (photo below, right):

The star of the meal was the Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder, a tasty combination of cubed potatoes with local shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, and fish, all in a creamy broth:

As I took a quick photo of my daughter’s bowl (as seen above), before going back to my giant burger, I was already planning how to modify this recipe back at home, so that I could preserve the principles of the dish, while avoiding shellfish so I could have a taste of more true Maritime flavours (but maybe with a Mexican twist somewhere?) …   Stay tuned for more on that in my next post.