When I planned my trip to Newfoundland and Labrador, I included St. Pierre and Miquelon, a little bit of France just off the coast of Canada.

To get there from Newfoundland, I could (a) keep my rental car at an outrageous daily rate for three more days and take the ferry from the Burin Peninsula, or (b) I could fly from St. John’s on a Sunday or Wednesday which would mean cutting my St. John’s time by one day or increasing it by two, and staying in St. Pierre either three nights or four.

I instead chose (c): fly to Halifax on Tuesday, stay one night, and spend two nights in St. Pierre. Then back to Halifax and home to Vancouver. For both scheduling and budgetary reasons, (c) worked best and included the bonus of a few hours in Halifax.

I spent my time in here wandering about with my camera. I expected to find an historic city, and to some extent I did though Halifax also presents a very modern face. The waterfront surprised me. It had the feel of a midway at an exhibition.

Once away from the waterfront, I did find my historic Halifax.

I found some whimsical touches too.

I even climbed up to the Citadel, intending to take the tour and soak up some history like a good Canadian. But just as I got there, two busloads of chattering students erupted on the site and I decided to give the tour a skip. However, I did admire the Citadel tower and its bells and the view from there to the harbour.

I spent a quiet time wandering about the Old Burial Ground from 1749-1844, reading the tombstones and considering Canada’s past. I have included a photo of one of the interpretive signs.

Certainly words to ponder.

Next stop on this amazing journey I’ve had: France! See you there.