Halifax, Nova Scotia and the surrounding area is fascinating ─ whether you're a history buff or simply interested in visiting great tourist attractions. Following are highlights of the trip I took there several years ago:
Drive from Halifax to Cape Breton Island and experience its rugged coastline and breathtaking sights at every turn. Lookoffs carved into the sides of mountain offer unforgettable vistas of the ocean where pods of whales and bald eagles diving for fish may be seen.
Citadel Hill overlooks the entrance to Halifax Harbour. This site was chosen by the British in the late 1740s as a means of defense against the French. The star-shaped fortress was designed to repel an attack by the United States. Designated a national historic site, the fort is maintained as it existed during the early nineteenth century complete with period costumes, exhibits and displays. Every day at noon, there is a ceremonial firing of a cannon and soldiers in Scottish-style uniforms hand off their long guns.
Citadel Clock Tower, also called the Town Clock, was ordered by the Duke of Kent in 1800. Reportedly the prince, who was commander in chief of the military forces in British North America, wanted to solve the problem of troop tardiness, hence the clock. An octagon built on top of a white clapboard building, in 1803, the four-sided clock face with its 13-foot pendulum began keeping time.
A lighthouse overlooks the ocean at Peggy's Cove, a fishing village and tourist attraction on the South Shore where houses hug a narrow inlet on a bluff facing the Atlantic.
Map of Nova Scotia area. During WWI, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One contained tons of dynamite resulting in the biggest man-made explosion until the atomic bomb, killing 1900, destroying over 1600 homes and damaging another 12,000. A memorial bell tower at Fort Needham was erected, where every year a service is held in memory of the people who died.
Until you're able to visit Nova Scotia, read about these and other attractions in my novel, "Halifax". As one reader said, "The descriptions of Halifax are wonderful and make me want to go there."
Ebooks of "Halifax" for kindles may be purchased on Amazon at bit.ly/JoanMauch, at Barnes & Noble for Nooks or the paperback through this website.
Ebooks of "Halifax" for kindles may be purchased on Amazon at bit.ly/JoanMauch, at Barnes & Noble for Nooks or the paperback through this website.
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