Shoot, I forgot all about it. Sorry folks!
Half way down, I reach a side gate to the Public Gardens. They are open annually from approximately May 1 until November 1. The landscaping style is Victorian formal and provides a popular setting for wedding and prom photos. The gardens also feature a bandstand that is used for free public concerts on Sunday afternoons during the summer.
The trees and flowers are well tended and many people enjoy feeding the ducks who make the gardens their home. The Public Gardens were badly damaged by Hurricane Juan in 2003. Many trees were destroyed, necessitating the early closure of the gardens and some redesign. The gardens reopened on Canada Day, 2004 after a restoration aided in part by $1 million which was raised during a radio telethon.
It's too tempting, so I enter.
A walk around and take a look back at the building. It's been turned into a really charming colonial coffee house.
I decide to take a seat on the bench and admire the Victorian bandstand that I mentioned earlier. This is a famous Halifax landmark. The Halifax Public Gardens is one of the finest examples of a Victorian garden in America. Halifax does downtown green areas very well. What passes for a park in Halifax is of a very high standard.
A view to my left and towards Dalhousie University a few blocks away.
I walk towards the main pond. If anyone is familiar with that Canadian television satire, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, this place might look familiar.
Another look back. I was hoping to document this on a crisp sunny day, but that doesn't look in the realm of possibility today.
This is the main pond. I'm not sure its official name. The ship is a nod to that famous ship, the Titanic. The majority of those that perished on that ill fated voyage are buried in Halifax cemeteries. Jack Dawson, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Hollywood film, Titanic, is also buried in Halifax.
I wait till a duck gets into perfect position for a photo with the ship. Hurry up, it's beginning to rain!
I leave the pond, and continue through the park.
A cute little bridge, apparently. There's a beautiful little duck pond beneath it.
I walk across the bridge, and the downtown core comes into plain sight. This is one of Halifax's grand old hotels. It's called the Lord Nelson.
I walk towards the main gate at the corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park Street. You may remember that I started my tour of the downtown at South Park, but that was a few blocks south of here. I've almost done a complete loop. This photo is looking back inside the park from where I just came.
I walk down Spring Garden Road and come across a tourist shop that specializes in all things Nova Scotian. How more Nova Scotian can you get than this. A sweat shirt depicting the famous Bluenose schooner which appears on our money, a yellow rain coat with a boat on it, a beer barrel, fish net, and Nova Scotia's official tartan.
I'm not a big fan of plaid, but I love Nova Scotia's tartan. Burberry? Pffft!! I venture inside in search of a fleece scarf in Nova Scotia tartan, but unfortunately, they were all sold out.
On a side street, I stumble on Pete's Frootique. Pete Luckett is a traditional English fruit and vegetable stand proprietor as authentic as any you might find in the markets of London. He started selling fruits in nearby Bedford, Nova Scotia. His charm and exuberant enthusiasm for quality fruits and vegetables made him a huge success and a very rich man. He is a local institution and as close to a celebrity grocer as you can get. He's even appeared on national breakfast television shows discussing the trendy new variety of the day. "Too-de-ly-doo!", as he always says.
This is Pete's Frootique. I promised you giant pumpkins, so here you go. Nova Scotians have a passion and talent for growing monstrous pumpkins. People buy and sell seed from prized pumpkins in the hope of challenging for a world title. Nova Scotia pumpkins have many times taken top spot. These are very very modest in size compared to the really giant ones this province often produces.
Halifax is my favourite place to be in late October. Colonial architecture, crisp air, and a stunning display of reds and oranges. Not only is foliage some of the most spectacular on the continent due to the latitude and cold fall temperatures at night, but they celebrate those 2 quintessentially Canadian holidays, Thanksgiving and Halloween, with great vigour. Nova Scotians are unparalleled in the quantity, size, and variety of pumpkins they display on their porches and window sills. Halloween in downtown Halifax is a visual treat.
Is this another hurricane? No, but this looks like it will be fierce, nonetheless.
I'll stay here in the coffee shop. I decide to buckle down for a long stay.
Stay tuned as I take a few shots of downtown Halifax as I wait for my drive to Tatamagouche and the North Shore.