Halifax - Zuiderdam - Canada/New England - June 23, 2025

Good morning from Halifax, Nova Scotia!  I caught the pilot boat as I was eating in the Lido buffet and then headed to the bow to watch sail in.

Georges Island

And then my nephew and I headed out with a goal to see the Citadel and maybe the Maritime Museum.

This was stamped on the sidewalk in various places.  It made me smile.

The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site is on the top of a hill and so besides climbing steep streets, we had some stairs to climb.  Lucky for us Canada had made admission free for all this summer so we walked in and wandered.

Watch where you climb

The views this high up were really nice.

After touring the Citadel, we made our way down the hill towards the wharf and boardwalk. We came across this square in front of the City Hall with a Fallen Peace Officers Memorial.

And then made it to the boardwalk.  

An interesting set of steps that didn't really lead anywhere

And you couldn't even see the steps when you were looking down which made them a bit treacherous to descend.

This is part of the Maritime Museum but was not open.

We did go in and walk through the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which includes both an actual (behind glass) and replica (out in the open to sit in) Titanic deck chair.

My Mom had mentioned Dave's Lobster and how good the lobster rolls are plus the fact that you can get one without mayo so we had to check it out.  It's not cheap but lobster isn't cheap and they put a lot of lobster on each roll so it was so worth it!

From the dock, some of the fog and haze had cleared so I got a better shot of the lighthouse on Georges Island.

We left port while we were eating so after dinner, I walked out onto the promenade to get a few views of sailing away and even catch the pilot boat.  My Instagram account (@rebmakla_travel) has a reel of the pilot boat from this night, along with reels from the rest of the trip.

Then I found some space for some quiet time and to edit photos.  I ordered a large bottle of sparkling water and then a Chambord before I wrapped up and went to bed. 

Halifax- Zuiderdam - Canada/New England - July 3, 2025

Having wandered Halifax with my nephew the week before, I decided to take this day to wander myself.  As I was enjoying my first cup of coffee in the Lido, I spotted the Lighthouse on George's Island.

And then off I went.  It was a bit rainy, so I took my rain jacket but didn't need it long.

 I love coming across murals!

And then I walked past what looked like a really old cemetery so I took a moment to step inside.  The cemetery dates to the late 1700s/early 1800s.  

One interesting grave I came across was British Major General Robert Ross.  In 1814, Major General Ross commanded an army to attack the Americans and captured Washington, D.C., burning public buildings of the city, including the White House.  He then continued to Baltimore where he was killed by a sniper.  His grave is this largest one in the next three photos.

From there I continued on to the Boston Public Gardens - this was my goal for the day that set the direction of my wanderings.  I had brought just my macro lens in hopes of getting some good flower photos.  And although, I did get a few really good photos, I was very distracted by the baby mallard ducks, in various stages of growth.

Watchful mom, although she did give them quite a bit of freedom to wander before she would follow

A miniature Titanic

The street leading to the gardens had a lot of shops and sights I wanted to return to so I retraced my steps after walking the gardens.  One of my stops along that street was Tim Hortons for a latte.  I wanted to be able to say I had tried Tim Hortons.  It's what I would expect of a large chain, although the prices are a bit better than Dunkin or Starbucks.

This next building intrigued me so I pulled out my Google maps to see what it was and discovered it was the new library which makes sense as a city bus emptied of children with chaperones right in front of it.  The photo after it is the old library just a block away.

I noticed that Saint Mary's Cathedral Basilica's doors were open so I stepped inside.  They were in the middle of some renovations but you could still see its beauty.

I continued down towards the wharf and boardwalk, not sure what I would find next.  The streets are really neat to just wander down.

I was getting hungry by this point and the Lido buffet back on board just didn't sound very appetizing, and then I walked past Dave's Lobster.  They offer an amazing lobster roll.  I had tried the Some Fancy version last time which doesn't have any mayo and this time decided to try their more traditional Local version.  It was so worth it and the atmosphere and view on the wharf is really nice.

In this photo, you can also see the Atlantic sea glass jewelry I picked up from a store filled with locally made goods.

As I got closer to the cruise terminal, I paused at three sculptures.  

The Emigrant by Armando Barbon
"The pain of separation he overcame,
with faith and hope his heart aflame."

The Volunteers by Marlene Hilton Moore

I hadn't noticed before, this small hidden area with a great view of the ship.

Ruth M. Goldbloom, O.C., O.N.S. (1923-2012)

The afternoon was spent relaxing with family and sipping wine on my parents' balcony.  It was a beautiful, although a bit chilly afternoon.

We saw this pilot boat head out and then a little while later the container ship in the next photo showed up so I suspect that was the destination of the local pilot.

And then the wind suddenly calmed and this fog started to roll in.  I didn't have my camera with me so I just watched the magic - it was quite amazing!  These next photos are courtesy of my Dad who did have his camera out.

After dinner together, some of us went to listen to the interview with the Captain in The Rolling Stones Lounge.  And then before bed, I took a bit more time to enjoy the fog from the promenade deck.  I loved having a cabin one deck above the promenade.

The promenade wraps all the way around and in the back, people in the main dining room can look out so there was quite a few eyes on me as I took this selfie, but oh well!