Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - A Day in Halifax

I picked a B&B near Halifax for the ease of sightseeing on my one full day in the area.  Some folks had suggested I visit and move on; others said two nights and a single day wasn't enough and that I should consider at least a week there.  I will admit, for me, somewhere in the middle would have been better . . . perhaps three or four days to wander around and take in more of the area would have been better.

I did choose the Blockhouse Hill B&B in Dartmouth because of it's close proximity to Halifax.  Had the weather been better, I would have taken the ferry across to the Halifax Harbour but that wasn't in the cards for me.  A little bit about the B&B . . .

Fred & Marion were my hosts.  From the time of my booking about a month out, Fred was in contact with me to assure my planning was going well and to offer his assistance.  He had done some initial calling on my behalf to find out the details for the 5-pin bowling center located on the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Halifax.  Fortunately, I was able to get my 5-pin bowling groove on over the weekend, so there was no need for me to make time in my already jammed schedule, particularly since I was thinking about making that visit on Monday night when I arrived into Halifax.

Fred & Marion's home is a quaint house in a nice, quiet neighborhood.  They live on the ground level, with guests having the upstairs.  There are two very nicely furnished bedrooms along with a shared bathroom and sitting area.  During my stay, I was the only guest, so I had the entire upstairs to myself.

Marion prepared a delightful breakfast the two mornings that I was there.  Homemade muffins and granola to start the day right, followed with a breakfast entree.  One morning it was poached eggs, the next french toast.  Hot tea and juice rounded out the meal.

After breakfast, I headed into the city.  It was a dreary day, with rain showers in the forecast throughout the day.  One of the main things I wanted to do while in Halifax was to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.  Located right on the harbor, it's a beautiful modern building.  I thought the admission fee was very reasonable, at $9.55 (CDN) during the main tourist season.  Beginning November 1st and through the winter months, it's just $5.15 for adults.

Admittedly, the sinking of the RMS Titanic back in 1912 has been a historical fascination to me for many, many years.  With Halifax being approximately 700 nautical miles from where the ship sank, it was her people that would provide recovery and human services to the souls lost and their families.  At the maritime museum, there is a very interesting film that tells the Titanic story from the perspective of the people of Halifax.  It was somber and poignant; enlightening and heartbreaking.

The museum also has a number of artifacts from the Titanic including one of the original deck chairs.  (The photo to the right is a replica made based on the original that was recovered at the wreck site.)   As the story goes, it is a tradition that when there is a recovery of a shipwreck, those involved often keep something from the ship.  This is not done as some ghoulish scavenger motive, but more to recognize and honor their efforts.  Such was the case with the deck chair, which was subsequently donated to the museum.  There were other such relics from the Titanic that now appear in the museum.

Some of the other things that I found interesting include the china and silver displays and figure heads with their "guiding eyes" from a variety of shipwrecks off the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia; as well as educational exhibits on the shipbuilding and naval wartime history.  On a more personal note, I shed a tear when I saw something that created a flashback memory to my own childhood.

My mom had sailed on the Queen Mary back in the 1950's and had two steamer trunks identical to these.  I remembered them in our basement with all of the other stuff that a family of five accumulates over the years and never really giving them much thought.  What I wouldn't give today to have one of them now!

After kicking around inside the museum for a couple of hours, I headed outside where the skies had started to clear up.  There were a number of tourist shops and food vendors along the harbor walk.    

I stopped at the fish & chips place for lunch.  It was good although a bit pricey for the small amount of fish that was actually in the basket.  But whatever, I was on vacation and had frankly spent very little on food throughout my trip.  I also felt OK about it since this would most like also be my supper.

After grabbing a bit to eat, I headed off to find one of the three cemeteries that serve as the final resting spot for many of the Titanic victims.  While some of the recovered bodies were returned to next of kin, there were hundreds not identified or whose next of kin couldn't afford to have the bodies returned.  This was particularly the case of those from England, Ireland and other parts of Europe.

One of the most moving stories was that of the "Unknown Child" who was recovered by one of the search boat crews.  As with all of the unidentified bodies, a number was given and a detailed description of the lad was made.  The fourth pulled from the icy waters by the CS Mackay-Bennett, he could only be identified as a "NO. 4 - MALE - ESTIMATED AGE, 2 - HAIR, FAIR.  CLOTHING - Grey coat with fur on collar and cuffs; brown serge frock; petticoat; flannel garment; pink woolen singlet; brown shoes and stockings. No marks whatever.  PROBABLY THIRD CLASS."

When his body was brought to Halifax, he was laid to rest at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.  While most of the unnamed grave sites only include their victim "number" and the date of death, the crew aboard the Mackay-Bennett felt this child deserved more, so they personal paid for the memorial that sites atop the grave.

With the forensic capabilities of the 21st century, the young child was identified through DNA testing in 2011.  The Unknown Child was Sidney Leslie Goodwin, the youngest of six children.  Their entire family of eight perished as their father was bringing his family from Britain to New York to go work with his brother in Niagara Falls.  Only two of the other siblings were ever recovered and identified.

Few of the 121 grave markers are as elaborate as the one on the left in this photo.  For those who were positively identified, the marker on the right is typically what was placed in the cemetery.  There are a number of graves, however, that bear no names, only their "recovery number" and the date of the sinking of the Titanic.   

Today the cemetery is a popular destination for tourists and family members of those who perished.  While paying respects to those who have died, I couldn't help but to notice one lady grieving at a particular grave.  The gentleman did what he could to console her, but her pain was not easily relieved.

After my time in the cemetery, I drove across the city to the St. George Church, also known as "The Round Church" which has its own tie to the Titanic tragedy.  Established in 1800 as an evangelical Lutheran congregation, the church held services back in 1912 during the recovery efforts that brought the deceased into Halifax.  With the forensic science leading to the identification of "The Unknown Child" a memorial service was held there for young Sidney Goodwin in 2011.

I did a little drive-by sightseeing through Halifax but didn't dawdle as I didn't want to miss the direct bridge into Dartmouth as I did the night before.  Besides, with it getting darker earlier, I wanted to be comfy and home at the B&B.  Mission accomplished!  I reached the bridge as rush hour was starting, and I was back to Fred & Marion's by 5:30pm.

As planned, today was a short drive day . . . only 16 miles!