Wednesday, August 6th - where shall I start?

Conditions at 5:30 am: 18' that feels more like 24
Expected later: a hot and humid 24', feeling more like 30' with a great chance of thunderstorms later this afternoon

On the Dartmouth Ferry

Well, it was a very BUSY few days. Let's start with last Thursday - gosh it's almost a week ago now. Left

Now, that's a lot of clams!

home early and stopped and picked up some coffee and muffins and dropped by the shelter to have a quick visit with Lloyd. He was going to be gone to Ontario when I got back so it was nice to connect before we both headed our separate ways.  I hit the bank, gassed up, picked up a bridge pass and I was on my way by 7:30. It was a nice mild morning here on the island but by the time I got to Amherst, NS, it was cool and rainy. I stopped at the tourist information to pick up a map and I also picked up a fleece jacket, as I had only brought a very light jacket. Then I was on my way to Halifax (where it turned out to be very warm and sunny!). I had called my friend Nancy, who lives in Rockwood, ON but was visiting family in Halifax. I got directions to her hotel and met up with her around 11:30. After we exchanged birthday presents (we bought each other a bottle of wine- surprise!), it was off to explore. We drove downtown and parked and walked around downtown and just generally caught up with each other. When we got hungry, we took the Dartmouth Ferry and landed just down from a local restaurant that's been there forever (or so it seems - Nancy went there as a child). They have what Nancy describes as the BEST fried clams in the city. We ordered up two plates full and we were not disappointed. It's called John's Lunch and it's been there since 1969. They are obviously doing something right to be in business that long.

When we were done, it was across the street to Tim's for a tea and then back to the ferry for the return trip. We checked out where things were and just where the residence was that I needed to find later. I used that opportunity to check in and get everything sorted. I was expecting James on a flight around 10:00 pm but due to volume and several false starts, he finally arrived shortly after midnight. I had stayed with Nancy at her hotel until time to pick him up.

After picking him up at the airport, we found our way back downtown, only taking a couple of wrong turns but eventually ending up where we needed to be. We finally got to bed around 1:00 am. Then it was up early in the morning to meet up with Patti. She had worked the flight that got in around 2:00 am. James and I stopped and had a bite of breakfast before heading to the Lord Nelson to wake her up. Once she was dressed we headed out to explore Halifax!

Trying on uniforms in the tailor shop

Our first stop was the Citadel, #1 on James to-do list for the area. He preferred to explore on his own, rather than take a guided tour. We probably spent half our day there, as he has a keen interest in
military history. When we were finally fully educated, it was back downtown to the Maritime Museum followed by a tour of the Sackville, a ship that is permanently harboured next to the museum. By this time, we were all getting a little hungry so it was off to a local restaurant that was recommended by Nancy for an early supper.  After a delicious meal, we started out walking, AGAIN, till we got to the University residence. We picked up my car, and went on a tour of  Prospect Point Park. There are some ruins there that apparently we just had to visit. Of course it required more walking along trails. I found a bench part way and took advantage of the opportunity to sit and wait for them to get back. Once our mission was accomplished there, it was back to the Citadel for the Ghost Walk Tour.  We were divided into two groups that were led by two different people. Our leader wasn't the best story teller, but she got the point across. It was informative and interesting and before we knew it the time was 10:00 pm. Another very full day. We dropped Patti off at her hotel as she had to catch the bus to make  her flight at 4:00 am the next morning, while James and I could sleep in a little later.

Fairview Cemetery

We had to check out of the residence by 10:00 am so we slept as late as we could then quickly packed up
our stuff and headed out again. We were planning our trip back to PEI and decided to make a quick stop at Fairview Cemetery, where a large number of Titanic victims are buried. It was a good addition to his visit to the Maritime Museum the day before.

After that it was on the road to PEI. Unfortunately one of the ferries was broken down so only one was runnning. We decided to travel via the bridge. It turned out to be a good thing. On the way we saw a sign for Joggins Fossil Cliffs, and James thought it was something we should check out. The sign did indicate it was a
UNESCO HERITAGE SITE so he thought it should be visited. It was a bit out of the way but then we might never have this exact opportunity again. It was another educational experience for James and he was glad we made the trek. (Ironically there was a video about this particular site on the Weather Network on Monday).

Searching for fossils at Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Once we got to Charlottetown, we stopped at the store for groceries for our camp out. Hot dogs and buns, marshmallows and we were away. We also picked up some mussels for that night's supper, before leg two of our trip - camping on the beach.

Check back next time for the rest of the story!