The alarm rang at 6am. We wanted to beat the tourists to Peggy’s Cove to do some time-lapse photography.  We all groaned when the alarm went off but it was totally worth it when we saw that lighthouse without swarms of people around it, just the blue sky and the waves of the high tide. We ventured way out onto the rocks on the point where we set up the GoPro to do a 15 minute time-lapse session.  We can’t wait to see the footage.

Since it was quiet in the cove we took the opportunity to film the intro to the episode on the dock, where all the boats are moored. We also stopped into the Amos Pewter shop and bought a few gifts for our families.  The pewter pieces are locally made and they even have a demonstration area for visitors to observe the process.

Vicki from the Bluenose Sidecar Tours had given us the name of a local legend. Ivan Fraser is an artist, photographer, and author who has taken the legend of Peggy of the cove and written a series of books based on her character.  He incorporates people and events from the Peggy’s Cove area, including his own family members. His house is hard to miss- the whole structure is a beautiful painting of the waves crashing around the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse.  Add to this a giant lobster trap, a rowboat, and a painted tree and you know an artist lives here. Ivan greeted us with a giant smile and gave us a tour of the house he grew up in, relating his real life experiences to those of Peggy, the main character of his books.  Ivan has written three books about the legend of Peggy. The book series is called Peggy of the Cove.  He also showed us some of his beautiful artwork and photography.  Kimberly was the only one who could play the piano so she had the honor of playing Ivan’s grandmother’s pump organ.  After the inside tour we were able to go “play” outside in his yard.  We snapped pictures of us inside the lobster trap, carrying the handbarrow, posing a fishermen, and holding a life-size ship anchor (made out of pool noodles). If you want to spend a couple of enjoyable hours we recommend a stop by Ivan’s.

On the way back to Halifax we stopped at The White Sails Bakery. We needed a little snack and this is one of the places Vicki and Kevin had pointed out to us on our sidecar ride. Vicki had recommended their specialty… something called Sugar Pie. (Courtney)  It is like nothing I have ever had before… a mix between a custard pie and a chess pie. With a name like Sugar Pie, how can you go wrong.

After navigating the one way streets of Halifax with some minor GPS glitches, we finally arrived at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.  Joyce occasionally does steer us wrong so it then we rely on maps and instinct.  At one red light we spotted a bagpipe band coming down the street. At this point we kicked Production Assistant Kimberly out of the car with the camera and told her to get a good shot of them.  Don’t worry we went back and picked her up!

The museum is located on the Halifax Harborwalk. This is a boardwalk area and wharf, filled with pedestrians, ships, yachts,restaurants, and street performers.  We started with our museum tour led by Bob.  He is a seaman, who spends April through November in Halifax working with his wife at the museum, and the rest of the year on his boat in the Bahamas. What a life! He is the perfect image of a sea captain with his white beard and the twinkle in his eye.  He guided us through the museum highlighting the Titanic, Halifax Explosion and the C.S.S. Acadia exhibits.  We heard many fascinating tales about the Titanic tragedy and its impact on Halifax.

Another event which has shaped the city of Halifax is not widely known outside of Canada, except for maybe in Boston, is the Halifax explosion of 1917. The Mont Blanc was a ship carrying ammunition and fuel into the harbor. The Imo, a Norwegian vessel, collided with the Mont Blanc igniting the fuel.  The ship pulled into Pier 6 and exploded, leveling the north end of the city.  The force of the explosion was so powerful that one of the ship’s anchors catapulted to the other side of the peninsula where it landed on a beach. It can still be seen there today.

After leaving the museum we walked along the boardwalk toward some of the ships anchored along its docks. One in particular caught our eye since it was an American Coast Guard vessel.  This is not just any old Coast Guard ship… this is the Barque Eagle, a tall ship.  The crewmen were all standing around willing to answer questions about the ship. Then to Courtney’s delight we found out that we could go on the ship and walk around on deck.  The helpful crew answered any questions and were very friendly. I’d say they were representing their country very well.

Since one of our mottos is “ask the locals”, we had asked Bob where he would go eat on the waterfront. He suggest the Waterfront Warehouse restaurant. This is literally in an old refurbished warehouse.  It was a lovely cool evening so we sat outside in their patio area. fortunately for Heather they offered one non-seafood item on the menu….chicken marsala.  Courtney had a bouillabaisse with enough seafood in the pot for at least two people.  Oysters, shrimp cocktail and a couple ciders rounded out a great meal.

We walked down the boardwalk a little further to get a shot of the Sambro lighthouse and the mouth of the Halifax harbor. This light is on George Island and warns ships navigating though the narrow part of this very busy harbor.   Courtney spotted a store called Sugah that Heather had mentioned wanting to check out.  This place is full of candy, most of which are unique handmade chocolate bars.   Courtney bought one for her husband with potato chips, coffee and almonds  mixed into the chocolate.  What a unique treat and a great way to end a very busy day!

Enjoying the Journey on the Halifax Harborwalk,

Courtney and Heather