It's a gorgeous day at the farmette. Can't wait to get out in it. So am going to do a quick photo montage of our trip to Halifax. Which was tremendous - every day was sunny but one, and that day was just misty/foggy, kind of like the weather in the original Scotland.
The streets are filled with lovely old houses like this one. The colours are incredible - pink, purple, blue, yellow, even black! Many of them date back to the 19th century, and a few as far back as the 17th, when Halifax was a bustling port for North America.
It's still bustling. It's still a working industrial port, and on the foggy day, we saw the big cranes that load shipping containers onto massive vessels that then head out into the wide Atlantic.
Halifax is a fascinating combination of really old and really new. The waterfront has been completely upgraded with a boardwalk that runs the entire length of the city.
Shops line the promenade offering everything from beaver tails to ice cream, and tourist trinkets to harbour tours, along with tonnes of restaurants with scrumptious seafood that's caught fresh every day.
Construction was underway in several areas - putting in condominium complexes that, according to one of our guides, will cost as much as $6,000 a month for rent. What!
We took in the public gardens that grace the centre of town - the rhododendrons were in full bloom, so we had to take a minute to get a few shots. Lots of gangly graduating kids in their best bib and tucker were roaming the place with proud parents. Everyone wanted to capture the big moment with the kaleidoscope of colour in the background.
The museum at Pier 21 is always a must-see. It, too, has had a big facelift since we were there twenty years ago. The stories of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants that have come to Canada from desperate situations all over the world were really touching, and made me proud of our reputation as a welcoming nation.
We were also lucky enough to be able to tour the Bluenose when it was in port. It's the official schooner that's on all of our dimes.
We also rented a wee car and took a day trip down to Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove. No matter how touristy they seem, these places still tug at my heartstrings.
As you can see, we couldn't resist playing up the whole 'visitor from away' thing by taking a selfie in front of the iconic lighthouse.
Halifax is a fantastic place to visit - highly recommend it for the friendly people, delicious food and interesting and informative attractions. Best of all, though, Rob and I agree that it's the soft salt sea air that truly makes the trip worthwhile.
Well, time's a ticking, and my vegetable garden is calling out to me - complaining about all the bloody weeds that sprang up along with the peas, beets, radishes and carrots that surfaced in all the rain we got here while we were gone.
Until next week.