Halifax

We drove into Halifax and spent the day walking around. Mostly in the rain. Supposed to rain all day tomorrow as well.

It's nice to be back in a city. In the grand scheme of cities Halifax is pretty tiny, but after being in NB and PEI it feels huge.

Before heading out for the day I wanted to give some love to Cocoa but she was in the employee break room begging and hoping for snacks. When we got back at night she was doing the same. I hope I get to see her tomorrow. I may have to pick up some scooby snacks to get her attention.

After a delicious Thai lunch we drove to the Public Gardens for a stroll, which is when it started raining. Walking back towards downtown and the Halifax Harbor we hopped in and out of shops to avoid the rain as much as we could. And window shopping is always fun. I found a little art piece that I'm going to think about and see if I still want it on Wednesday. It's a traditional rug hooking made by a couple in their 70s who have been hooking for 60 years. Hooking rugs, not turning tricks. Well at least I hope not.

While at the waterfront we spotted a Cow's ice cream shop - advertised as the best in Canada. It was mighty tasty. They didn't have little tables inside so we huddled under a little awning and enjoyed the rainy scenery of the canal between Halifax and Dartmouth.

A few fun facts:
1) Donairs - a variation of the doner kebab is a rolled up sandwich that originated in Halifax. Carol decided to try one in PEI and had two bites before throwing it away. But there are signs for them everywhere, so we're assuming she just got a bad one. If they have a vegetarian variety I'm destined to get one tomorrow.
2) Alcohol - is pretty expensive here. It's also only sold in liquor stores. I've been on the wagon the last two days, just not feeling it. But I'll have to hit the booze again tomorrow in celebration of Megan's birthday. Want to try some locally brewed beer.
3) Hockey - we're gearing up to watch the 3rd game and have seen lots of Bruins signs and fans in the last three provinces. Finding that odd, I was excited to see that the little newspaper that the hotel set outside our door this morning had an article on the front page about that. The Bruins have a large fan base here because of family ties and historic north-south loyalties. Wonder how the Canucks feel about that. I'm still secretly rooting for them. The article also mentioned the interesting tidbit that before each game the Nova Scotia Transport Minister drops his front false teeth in his Bruins beer mug - part of his pre-game ritual. Interesting.
4) Boston love - apparently people also call Halifax a small Boston. We saw that a bit today while walking around. Best part was when Megan spotted a Cheers. Since it's not legit I bet they don't know everybody's name.