Arrival in Halifax is under cloudy, threatening skies. The weather forecast is for showers. In my walk around town I do get wet.
Halifax is a nice, medium size city and the people are friendly enough. There is a Boardwalk along the waterfront that hosts the usual dining establishments as well as various water oriented attractions: harbor tours, maritime museums, historic vessels and retail shops. The building on the pier where we docked is chock-a-block with various types of shops selling clothing, jewelry and those kinds of things.
In 2005, following the National Convention in Seattle, I took some vacation in the Pacific Northwest. My travels took me to Victoria, British Columbia. After leaving the ferry I went to Canadian Customs where I was summarily pulled from line for “further investigation.” I will not bore you with the details but I did gain admission to our neighbor to the north. All in all, I did not find it to be a pleasant experience so I had low expectations for Halifax, especially as a native in Victoria said that Western Canada was “so much more friendly” than the eastern part. Because of Halifax, Canada is redeemed.
Halifax is a working port. There is a petroleum terminal on one side of the harbor and a container terminal on the other. There are also piers that handle more conventional (but increasingly rare) cargo.
The container terminal is in operation but does not appear to be operating at the frantic pace evident at some other places I have visited. Containers go on tracks and wheels (trains and trucks). This is not a terminal that has been reconfigured to handle the new class of container “super-ships” of 1,000 or more feet in length.
Next to the container terminal is a massive grain elevator. Near the end of the day some tugs assist an obviously empty bulk carrier to its pier. This ship appears to be a several hundred feet long and it will take some time to load it.
As the M/S Carnival Victory gets ready to cast off the sun breaks through. Sunset is a brilliant show of various colors. Two other cruise ships were in port along with us. One, the Princess Cruise Line’s Sea Princess is already gone when we leave. Princess Cruises is the line featured in the TV show “The Love Boat.” This show is generally credited with jump starting the interest in “cruising.” The other is the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Explorer of the Seas. Neither of these is as large as the Carnival Victory. Tomorrow is a day as sea as we return to New York for a Saturday arrival. I will use some of that time to pass along some information about the ship itself.
In 2005, following the National Convention in Seattle, I took some vacation in the Pacific Northwest. My travels took me to Victoria, British Columbia. After leaving the ferry I went to Canadian Customs where I was summarily pulled from line for “further investigation.” I will not bore you with the details but I did gain admission to our neighbor to the north. All in all, I did not find it to be a pleasant experience so I had low expectations for Halifax, especially as a native in Victoria said that Western Canada was “so much more friendly” than the eastern part. Because of Halifax, Canada is redeemed.
Halifax is a working port. There is a petroleum terminal on one side of the harbor and a container terminal on the other. There are also piers that handle more conventional (but increasingly rare) cargo.
The container terminal is in operation but does not appear to be operating at the frantic pace evident at some other places I have visited. Containers go on tracks and wheels (trains and trucks). This is not a terminal that has been reconfigured to handle the new class of container “super-ships” of 1,000 or more feet in length.
Next to the container terminal is a massive grain elevator. Near the end of the day some tugs assist an obviously empty bulk carrier to its pier. This ship appears to be a several hundred feet long and it will take some time to load it.
As the M/S Carnival Victory gets ready to cast off the sun breaks through. Sunset is a brilliant show of various colors. Two other cruise ships were in port along with us. One, the Princess Cruise Line’s Sea Princess is already gone when we leave. Princess Cruises is the line featured in the TV show “The Love Boat.” This show is generally credited with jump starting the interest in “cruising.” The other is the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Explorer of the Seas. Neither of these is as large as the Carnival Victory. Tomorrow is a day as sea as we return to New York for a Saturday arrival. I will use some of that time to pass along some information about the ship itself.
