It was a Sunday morning when we arrived in Halifax and decided to find church where we could worship, give thanks for safety, enjoyment on our holiday and to have fellowship with our 'brothers and sisters' in Halifax.
We headed for the tourist bureau to get a map, to locate a church in close proximity to the port. We took a took a pleasant stroll along the waterfront boardwalk which snakes its way for 2.5 kilometres around the coast.
There was plenty of activity in the early morning sunlight where clothing outlets, restaurants, cafes and tourist attractions were already either already open for business or were setting up to open up. There were joggers, cyclists, families with playful pets and scateboarders all energetically sharing the boardwalk as we mingled with them and other tourists or fellow cruise shift passengers. We heard the sounds of boppy music before we saw where it was coming from. On a pier extension overlooking the ocean a group of at least 30 lycra-clad men and women were 'riding' stationary bikes 'for all they were worth' and in tune with the music- a modern twist on the outdoor gym. An insanely enthusiastic instructor belted out words of praise and encouragement over the sound of the boom-box and whilst we try to keep fit by walking we agreed that this form of exercise is far beyond this Aussie couples' comfort zone and ability.
St. Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1749 and is an historic church. The cost of building St Paul's Church, here in Halifax, was paid for by Queen Victoria who wanted to establish a Church of England presence In the newish town. In the vestibule we saw photographs of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and other family members who have worshipped here in this church in Halifax, during their visits. St. Paul's was about a 20 minute walk from the ship and we had to climb a steep hill but as we walked, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city, the sea breeze and the adventure of finding our way around a ' new' city. The morning service was a traditional formal Anglican Church one but when we arrived the service was half over because the tourist bureau were not aware that the summer services started 30 minutes earlier. We arrived in time for a couple of hymns and the communion service and we were able to pray and felt blessed to be with other Christ followers. Over morning tea we were made very welcome by many of the local parishioners and they were interested in hearing about Australia, our multi-cultural church in Wollongong and our cruise ship Bible Study and Sunday Service ministries. 
We also learnt that they have a modern style service every alternate Sunday to cater for their younger parishioners. They have a Sunday School program which is run in a tent, set up in the grounds during summer. In winter when temperatures are cooler but not freezing the children meet indoors in a side hall. We took a photo of the outside of the church but it has " disappeared" so we have included an inside shot and the entrance. Another interesting thing we learned was that Samuel Cunard, the founder of the Cunard Cruiseline was born in Halifax, was christened and worshipped at St Paul's Church and married here before relocating to Britain, later in life. We had passed a life-size monumental statue of him on the our walking jaunt to the church earlier in the morning. Samuel Cunard (1789-1865) statue. It states that "for more than half a century the S. Cunard & Company wharves on Halifax waterfront were the centre of a vast shipping trade to the West Indies. He was a visionary who foresaw steam power replacing sail on the North Athlantic and he was the pioneer of ocean steam navigation when the first flagship, the RMS Britannica, a paddle steamer arrived in Halifax from Liverpool in 1840. Samuel Cunard, the 'Steam Lion', was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1859.
Leaving the church we headed up the steepest hill in the town, to visit the Halifax Citadel, a national historic site. Shaped like a star shape this19th century fort looms over the Halifax skyline on a hill behind the city. The citadel was built in 1856 as a protection for the city and it was an important naval station for the British Empire. It was about midday as we began to climb the final grass knoll to the entrance, (a practise-run for Machu Picchu) when we were TOTALLY surprised and almost 'blown off our feet' by the booming blast of the 12 noon canon fire. I think we were in the line of sonic fire because our ears hurt as they took the full impact of the blast sounds. It was also extremely hot and as there was no shelter on our climb up the hill, we were glad that we had cold water. The very young, uniformed guard must have been suffering in what is considered extreme heat (31C) for Halifax, but he showed no indication that he was under stress even though he was wearing the similar-type of uniform worn by the guards at Buckingham Palace London except that kilts were wore instead of trousers.
These barracks were similar to two two other forts we had seen, one at Quebec and another at a place both of us can't recall so as there was a king-size line of tourists we decided not to 'do' the inside tour. We did enjoy the breeze from the ocean and views over the city in the direction of the Public Gardens which we'd planned to do next. We could see a tiny island only a short distance from Halifax's shoreline. It has a lighthouse and three dwellings and the remains of fortifications and we would love to have been able to explore it but time restraints and lack of information about this island prevented us from satisfying our curiosity. Maybe we will google it when we get home.
The Public Gardens is one of the rare surviving Victorian Gardens in Canada today. The gardens are built on land that was the original Common -set up in 1841 they year Halifax was incorporated as a city. At the time, it was fashionable to be seen walking in the Gardens, enjoying the music supplied by small military bands. They Gardens have been established as a on a 16 acre site and were designed by Richard Power, an immigrant from Ireland who arrived in Halifax at the age of 23. He served as Superintendent of the Gardens for 45 years, starting in 1874. During his term the Gardens acquired its ornate bandstand, decorative the wrought iron gates at the main entrance, bearing Halifax's original coat of arms, statues, a large pond, Victorian-era fountains gardens and many varieties of plants, flowers and trees. The Public Gardens have been the source for many trees that beautify public spaces throughout Halifax. Some trees planted by the earliest settlers are still thriving today. In recent years a public lawn tennis court and an ice scathing rink have been added as new attractions in these pretty gardens.
We wandered through the gardens, enjoying the sweet perfume of the summer flowers and noted how big the bumble bees were and how tall the older oaks were. The bandstand is used regularly for public concerts and we smiled at the model 'Titanic' ship lying sideways on the pond, surrounded by friendly ducks seeking snacks from the public who in general seemed to be following the " PLEASE DO NOT FEED the DUCKS" signs. We saw many families enjoying picnics in the park, whilst others were just relaxing on benches or reading the Sunday papers. It was now about 1.30pm and the temperature was still rising so we decided to walk back to the port area and catch a bus to visit the Titanic cemetery. This is where many of the victims were buried following the sinking of the Titanic after it collided with an iceberg.
On our way to the bus stop we came across Government House being guarded by two army soldiers. A crowd had gathered and when we inquired what they were waiting to see, they told us that "the changing of the guard" ceremony would be taking place in 15 minutes, so we decided to stay and watch the soldiers orchestrate the guard change-over. To our surprise, a small band of soldiers being led by a kilted-soldier, playing a bagpipe appeared at the side of the Government House building. They marched down towards the two soldiers who were to change places with two soldiers. The bagpipes played throughout the ceremony and as the retiring soldiers were escorted back to their barracks the bagpiper struck up a new tune. It was wonderful to hear. Ken took a video just to record the bagpipes.(I now know what to buy him for Christmas this year) As the group disappeared behind the building we remarked to each other, "What a pleasant and special event we have just had the chance to witness."
We took a bus to a shopping mall so that we could get some lollies and toothpaste and we also had a snack lunch before walking to the cemetery. Our instructions were not complete so we took some time to find where the cemetery was. When we did find its' location we were a little underwhelmed as we learnt that the Titanic victims are buried at several cemeteries across the city where we'd tramped all morning. We had been led to believe that all of the victims had been buried at the spot we were visiting. We stayed to read a report on the Titanic tragedy on a nearby sign. "0n April 10, 1912 the Titanic left on her maiden voyage with over 2,000 passengers and crew members aboard. Four days later, she struck an iceberg at 11.40pm, just south of Newfoundland. She sank in 2 hours 40 minutes. A little over 700 survivors in lifeboats were rescued by the Carpathia and taken to New York. The White Star Line, which had officers in Halifax, commissioned four Canadian vessels to look for bodies in the area of the disaster. Two of these vessels, the Mackay-Bennett and the Minia were cable cars based at Halifax. The four ships were able to recover 328 Titanic victims. Many were buried at sea but 209 bodies were bought to Halifax, the closest major port to the area of the sinking. Ninteen of the Titanic victims thought to be Catholic were buried in Mount Olivet Cemetry and over the years many relatives, friends and visitors have come to honour the memory of the Titanic victims.
Some of the headstones do not have names because there were no distinguishing marks or personal belongings that would enable a positive identification of the body. Margaret Rice was only identified later in 1912 a few months after the headstones were carved. The only clue to her identity was a bottle of pills found in her possession. The prescription was traced back to a pharmacy in Ireland. Margaret Rice was a young widow who was returning to the United States with her five boys ( aged 2 to 10 years ). The bodies of her sons were never found. Even today research with DNA input means that some of the unmarked graves may yet be able to be engraved.
We caught the local bus back to the port, walked back along the promenade, again passed monuments to Christopher Columbus and Samuel Cunard. We also took a late afternoon photo of the tiny island we'd seen from the Halifax Citadel at midday. We had had another fulfilling day and after a five minute walk we were back on the Sea Princess, ready for a shower and a time of resting before going to dinner in the dining room.
