Dartmouth, and home

Having pretty much explored all of Halifax’s downtown, I decided it was time to take one of those ferries across the harbour and check out the other side - Dartmouth.  Dartmouth is on the east side of the Halifax Harbour and has history dating back until 1750, a year after Halifax.  Until 1996 Dartmouth was considered a separate city from Halifax however, following governmental amalgamation, Darmouth is now considered part of the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Woodside Ferry Terminal in Dartmouth

Looking across the harbour back to Halifax

Similarly to the Halifax side, there is a walking trail along the harbour in Dartmouth.  It’s a 3 kms trail extending between the two ferry terminals.  Different from Halifax though, this trail winds its way through more parkland and has less commercial development.  The two sides are different but equally lovely.

Dartmouth Cove

Sections of the trail pass by an industrial area

This is one of 12 commemorative markers that were installed in 2018, in significantly relevant locations, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.

Originally Greenvale School, this building opened its doors in 1915.  It survived the Halifax Explosion in 1917 with little damage and served as an infirmary, morgue and place of refuge for many area residents who had been left homeless by the disaster.  The school closed in 1987 and the building was transformed into residences.  The public art installation, School Chair, is a marker of scholastic activity and reflects upon the legacy of the Greenvale School.

The oldest church in Dartmouth, built in 1817, Christ Church was the first building used exclusively for Sunday worship. 

The oldest structure in Dartmouth is the house of William Ray, a Quaker and cooper, which was built in 1785.

Leaving from the Alderney Terminal

Technically my trip didn’t end immediately after my time in Dartmouth, but end it did.  Because I didn’t want a flight crazy early in the morning, and because I had lots of time, I opted for a return flight through Ottawa with just a 40 minute layover, so not bad at all.  I do love flying!!

Plane # 1 for the return flight

The moment of take off!

Goodbye Halifax…

…and hello Ottawa

Plane # 2 - this time one of the new Porter jets.

That’s my runway!

Looking down on the Rideau Canal.  You can see some sections that are open water this winter - for the first time in its 53 year history, the Rideau Canal Skateway will not open for skating at all.  This winter has been too mild.

The Ottawa River

I just love being above the clouds!

Life is pleasant on Porter.  Beer and wine served - only one, but it’s free, and it’s in a real glass!

Further south in Ontario now - looking down on Lake Simcoe

Hello to the urban sprawl of Toronto.

Hard to see when the photo is small, but off in the distance is Toronto’s downtown core and the CN Tower.

Traffic on the 401 doesn’t look too bad at all!

Sunset from the airport - and the end of my trip.

Halifax - along the harbourfront

The Halifax Waterfront boardwalk is a public footpath located on the harbour waterfront.  The boardwalk’s southern terminus is at Halifax Seaport, an arts and culture district that also houses the cruise ship terminal, and stretches northward along the coast for approximately 3kms before it terminates in front of Casino Nova Scotia.

The Historic Properties are a collection of historical buildings on Halifax’s boardwalk that reflect the time period beginning with the War of 1812.  The main contribution of Nova Scotia in the War of 1812 was privateers.  Over 35 Nova Scotian Privateers seized more than 200 American merchant ships and their cargo.  Merchants and traders bought them at auctions in Halifax and promptly resold them - in many cases, they even resold the Americans their own goods.  Privateering was a risky business: almost a quarter of those who sailed from Nova Scotia’s ports were captured by Americans, burnt or lost.  This area in Halifax has ten of the city’s oldest building.

The Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry is the oldest saltwater ferry in North America and the second oldest in the world (after the Mersey Ferry linking Liverpool and Birkenhead).  Today the service links downtown Halifax with two locations, Alderney Landing and Woodside, both in Dartmouth.  The official ferry service between Halifax and Dartmouth began in 1752 and has been running continually since then.

Georges Island in Halifax Harbour, is a glacial drumlin and the largest island entirely with the harbour.  The island is the location of Fort Charlotte, named after King George’s wife Charlotte.  Fort Charlotte was built in 1789 and the whole island is now a National Historic Site of Canada.

The Emigrant - created by sculptor Armando Barbon

The Volunteers (by sculptor Marlene Hilton Moore), created to honour the thousands of women and children who volunteered during the Second World War.  The figures represent females of all ages: an older woman with her Mi’kmaw basket and knitting, a volunteer at an African-Canadian canteen and a young girl gathering salvage items for recycling.

The Naval Dockyard Clock was fabricated in London, England in 1767 and kept time in peace and war for generations of sailors and dockyard civilian workers from 1772 to 1993.  The dockyard clock is the last remaining architectural feature of the original Halifax Naval Dockyard and one of the oldest turret clocks in Canada.  In 1996 the Navy presented the clock to the Halifax Municipality for placement at this site where European settlers first landed in 1749.

Halifax Harbour is one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world.

Downtown Halifax skyline