Day 10 - A Taste of Halifax
Halifax, Nova Scotia has a proud history of salvaging things from wreckage. The star-shaped Citadel, an expensive project that was outdated by the time of its completion in 1856, has been repurposed as a museum and National Historic Site. The sailors of Halifax have long practiced the maritime tradition of recovering—and keeping—items from nearby shipwrecks. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, a really brilliant museum located in downtown Halifax, has many such objects on display, including a decorative post and a deck chair from the Titanic.
The Titanic is Halifax’s most well-known rescue story. Following the ill-fated liner’s iceberg collision in 1912, the White Star Line sought the help of Halifax’s cable ships. These turned from their usual duties repairing underwater telegraph cables to search for bodies 700 miles out to sea. Each ship was equipped with coffins, a priest to bless the bodies and an undertaker to embalm them. Of the 306 bodies that were recovered, 209 were taken to Halifax for interment. The rest were buried at sea.
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has an informative film about this recovery process. Items that were salvaged, including the tiny shoes of an anonymous 4-year-old victim, are tastefully displayed alongside objects retrieved from other shipwrecks. The message seems to be that though the Titanic is world-famous it is not the only maritime disaster to occur near Halifax.
Fortunately our party did not arrive in Halifax beset by disasters and requiring rescue. Nonetheless, it was thanks to the wonders of the city that we were able to salvage our day from an inauspicious start.
Following a somewhat rambling morning of touring, we settle down at Salty’s for a delicious lunch. The restaurant is located on the picturesque Privateers Wharf and offers a variety of fresh seafood. Their lobster roll, a succulent blend of fresh lobster and just the right amount of lemon mayo, has been voted the best in Halifax for 2 years running. That’s what I order, and it’s certainly delicious. Kat and Jen get the crab cakes and seem to really enjoy them as well. For dessert we sample Cadix, a house specialty. The Belgian chocolate mousse over a hazelnut and white chocolate crust is simply too rich to finish alone, so our entire party splits one. Yum!
Our next stop is the Propeller Brewing Company. Brewmaster Don Harms shows us around, recounting Propeller’s history as he goes. The brewery only opened in 1996, but it has already outgrown several warehouses and is close to outgrowing its current one. They don’t presently have plans to export beyond Canada, but if you ever find yourself in Halifax you can stop in and try their craft ales. Propeller even makes sodas, though we don’t sample any. My favourite brew is the Porter, which I heartily (sorry, that veered quite close to bad pun territory) recommend.
Our final stop is the Garrison Brewing Company, which is conveniently located near the port where the Norwegian Jewel is docked. Don is kind enough to give us a ride over since we’re already running late. Let me re-iterate: the brewmaster at a competing microbrewery gave us a ride to Garrison. That’s just how nice the people of Halifax are!
The tasting room is significantly more crowded than Propeller’s due to Garrison’s proximity to the port. The deliciousness of the beers can’t hurt either! We try some unusual specialty brews, including jalapeno beer. The girl manning the tasting station told us that it tastes just like drinking a beer and eating nachos and the description is pretty spot-on. We scramble to purchase a few bottles just 5 minutes before we need to be back on board the Jewel. There’s nothing like a good meal and a few beers to leave you satisfied at the end of the day.
View interactive map of the voyage
Back to Travel Diaries
Read the other articles:
Day 12 - Air vs Sea
Day 12 - Homecoming
Day 10 - Battle of the Brews
Day 10 - Taste of Halifax (you are here)
Day 10 - Halifax: Ghosts and Breweries
Day 9 - The Cultural CV
Day 8 – A Very Special Privilege
Day 8 – Quidi Vidi Brewery – Beer, with a side of history
Day 8 - Signal Hill and the Village of Quidi Vidi
Day 8 - North America's Far East
Day 8 - New Found Land
Day 8 – Land! Land! St. John’s, Newfoundland
Day 7 – You Have Permission to Enter the Bridge
A Peak at the Inner Workings of the Norwegian Jewel
How to Pour Champagne in a Moving Vehicle
Days 0-4 Dover to the Shetlands
Useful links
Garrison Brewing Company
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
Propeller Brewery
Saltys
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