It was almost 50 years between visits to Halifax. My first visit was to study there for a year during the 1975-6 academic year. Notably, it was my first prolonged exposure to cold. Clothing suitable for a winter in Vancouver, were not suitable for a winter in Nova Scotia.
Every urban visit seems to promote the same reaction. I am a ruralist, and this is not really my scene.
Positive experiences
My relationship with the Staples office supply chain is directly related to my use of Logitech computing accessories. Previously, when in Canada, I would visit a Staples store, and look at the latest Logitech keyboards. English language keyboards were often available before Nordic keyboards, so I could make a decision earlier based on what I found. This is why I own seven Logitech keyboards, including two of model K380, my favourite, kept in reserve, just in case . In Halifax, there were no new accessories, so I spent more time looking at curved monitors. It was a positive experience. Prices seemed to vary extensively from over CAD 1 000 to under CAD 120. My companion explained that much of this price difference could be attributed to the monitor’s refresh speed. He felt that an ultrafast refresh was only something for gamers and video producers to worry about, not his father.
Of course we had to visit the Halifax train station. It is undergoing a CAD 6M rehabilitation that started in 2018. The challenge with trains in Canada is that they most often do not meet the needs of travellers. Earlier this year in France, we used trains as our primary means of transport, although there were a few bus substitutes on Corsica. This was not possible in maritime Canada or Maine. Only one train a day arrives and leaves the Halifax train station.
Peggy’s Cove
Peggy’s Cove is less than 50 km/ one hour by car from Halifax. It is a tourist trap. Instead of visiting it, spend your time in Lunenburg, 100 km/ 1h10m down the road, or even a bit less if one just drives there from Halifax.
Lunenburg
Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, founded in 1753. Historically, its economy relied on the offshore fishery. It experienced prosperity in the late 1800s, and much of its architecture dates from then. In 1995, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site. UNESCO considers the site the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America. The core of the town is also a National Historic Site of Canada. The Schooner Bluenose (1921) and its 1963 replica were both built at Lunenberg.
Bay of Fundy
When we left Halifax we headed towards the Bay of Fundy. We headed out of Halifax on Highway 101. The first stop was at Windsor, and its railway station. It is the antithesis of the one found in Halifax. No trains stop there any more. The station is owned by the Windsor and Hantsport Railway, which no longer operates trains. This prefabricated metal structure replaced an earlier station building when the railway line’s route through Windsor was changed in the 1970s.
We then visited the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, which had a Canadian made Lancaster bomber on display, along with other aircraft. While not really open to the public we got to see more than most tourists, because one visitor was receiving a special viewing of the Lancaster, because her father piloted such an aircraft during World War II. The inside of the museum was also interesting.
Continuing on, we then stopped at Digby.
… with murals and old boats. The tidal difference can be up to 8 meters. This contrasts with about 2.5 meters near Cliff Cottage.
Yarmouth
At the end of the day we reached Yarmouth, where we stayed. Standard procedure says that we stay three nights in one location. This was the one exception on the trip, one night. In the morning we boarded The Cat that departed for Bar Harbor, Maine.
Culture shock
Whenever I visit Canada I experience culture shock. One would almost believe I was born in Norway, not in Vancouver. Here are some of the less than positive experiences I encountered on this trip.
Walking the streets of Halifax, I came across the Board Room. Sometimes, this is a cafe. At other times it is just a place where one can play 600+ board games. At Cliff Cottage, the choice is probably only about 50 games. However, you will not be charged anything for playing any of them. At the Board Room the fee for 3 hours is CAD 10 + sales tax. My first challenge was understanding North American urbanese. What time is 12PM? All my devices (indluding my brain) present time using 24 hour clocks. However, in a matter of ms, I had translated this to 12:00 = noon. If it had been 12AM, my brain would translate it as 00:00 = midnight.
Travel involves the use of money. For me that means a bank card, sometimes an app called Vipps – that works in Norway and Sweden. I have come across restaurants that do not accept cards. These places know where the closest automatic telling machine (ATM) is located. I decline to use it. I suspect the reason for their non-acceptance of bank cards involves tax evasion. I pay my taxes, and expect everyone else to pay them too. I have always found a restaurant close by that accepts a card. I do not want to end up with currency that I cannot use.
Sales tax vs Value-added tax (VAT). In Norway, the VAT rate is 25%. So when a shopkeeper buys or sells something, the price includes the VAT. The VAT earned on sales minus the VAT paid on purchases is paid to the government. This system means that the price marked on an item, or shown in a menu, is the price to be paid. There is no sales tax added on afterwards.
Tips. Tipping just isn’t done in Norway. People are expected to do their work, and employers are expected to pay living wages (or more) for it. Thus there is no need for tips. I especially dislike the north American card readers used in restaurants, and the range of tips expected. Yes, I should have taken a photo of one of them: It had five choices: 15, 20 and 25%, other % and fixed amount. I had to use the fixed amount and insert 0. It worked. Of course, the amount paid included the sales tax.
For the Halifax transit authority (HTA), money also means cash. Cash is a very messy medium of exchange, even if tax avoidance is not an issue. Coins and bills are typically dirty, Cash has to be counted, up to several times. So, I can’t understand that the HTA reduces their costs by demanding cash. In this particular case, the situation meant that I could not take the Dartmouth Ferry.
Then there are the parking garages. They don’t accept cash. We came across multiple apps. They typically have a wallet where one is expected to deposit funds to pay for the parking, but they want an excessive balance put into that wallet. We have always found parking and apps that allow for direct payment of the specified amount.