I (Briefly) Went Back To University + Winery Drinking

I made a brief stop to somewhere where I have not been in over ten years earlier this summer. I went back to my old university (Brock University) for a visit, and so much has changed from when I graduated back in 2013. I wish I had more time to properly explore my old alma mater, but I was able to do a quick run-through of the university to see what was new and what was still the same.

Halifax Hodge Podge Of Stuff I Did

This is the second blog post detailing the rest of what I saw and experienced in Halifax. There were still so many interesting neighbourhoods, restaurants, views, and locations I want to tell you about, so I will tell you about them below.

Exploring the Halifax Waterfront

This will be the first of two blog posts of all the other things I experienced while staying in Halifax that did not need its own blog post. There are many things remaining to cover on my Halifax trip, including the waterfront, food and dessert spots, and interesting neighbourhoods and locales. This post will mostly cover the waterfront.

The Canadian Museum of Immigration At Pier 21

After checking out the views at the Halifax Citadel, I took a ride to the Canadian Museum of Immigration, which is one of Canada’s national museums. Rather appropriately, Halifax’s Pier 21 is where this museum is located, where nearly one million immigrants landed here between 1928 and 1971. I know immigration is a hot topic these days in Canada and around the world, but this museum serves as a reminder of how important immigration was to Canada in its formation and identity as a country.

The Mighty Fort Of The Halifax Citadel

The Halifax Citadel is what I would consider to be the iconic landmark of Halifax. The Halifax Citadel is a Victorian-era fort situated on the top of Citadel Hill overlooking downtown Halifax. I could not be in Halifax and not check out the Citadel, so I work up one early morning and made my plan to visit the fort. Halifax was already a hilly city, but I would have to further walk up Citadel Hill to enter the fort. 

Mahone Bay Photo Gallery

After leaving Lunenburg, I drove north up a windy road to the small town of Mahone Bay. I did not spend a lot of time here, maybe an hour tops, but I did check out some of the views and went into a few stores to check out some goods. Mahone Bay is a quaint town but does get some tourists who come this way. There was a nice walk along the coast of the bay along with the main road with a few more shops and restaurants selling ice cream.

Anyways, here are some more pics I took of Mahone Bay:

Exploring The Port Town Of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

After my expedition to Peggy’s Cove, I hopped back into my rental and drove westward down Highway 103 to the scenic port town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. British settlers founded the town in 1753 as a British settlement, and the town still retains buildings and an atmosphere dating back to the 19th century. There were a few things that I wanted to check out while I was in the town for a couple of hours, so I will condense this experience into one blog post.

Halifax Public Gardens Photo Gallery

Across from my hotel in Halifax were the Halifax Public Gardens, which is a Victorian-era public garden. I had a chance to go for a walk around these gardens to see the beautifully-manicured flowers and the pond, among other things. There were statues and other structures to check out as well. The walk was quite nice, with many visitors sitting on the benches relaxing or walking the many paths to see all of the flowers. I did not take too many pictures, but I will share them here:

Foggy Mornings At Peggy's Cove

I could not go to Nova Scotia without making the trek to Peggy's Cove, but I never knew why Peggy's Cove was so popular with tourists. I have always heard about it and thought "Oh neat! It is a lighthouse by the ocean, looks nice". I did not think anything more than that about Peggy's Cove until I went there, and then I was able to develop my own opinion about this place. Let me tell you all about my trip to Peggy's Cove.

A Cèilidh On The Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour

On the late afternoon/early evening of my first night in Halifax. I booked myself in to take a tour of the Alexander Keith’s Brewery in downtown Halifax, which had been in operation since 1820, making it one the oldest breweries in Canada, though not THE oldest. I generally like Alexander Keith’s beer, though it is not my go-to beer; I just wanted an excuse to visit the brewery. I cannot remember if I have ever been on a brewery tour but this was certainly an experience. I walked into the old building and into an indoor courtyard where I got my ticket from the reception desk/gift shop and waited for the tour to begin.

My Solo Jaunt To Nova Scotia

I went for a brief exploratory vacation to New Scotland; more formally known as Nova Scotia. I did not go to Nova Scotia with anyone; in fact, I went on a solo vacation. I know, this may sound scandalous to some, but I have some reasons as to why I went to Nova Scotia by myself.

Drinking In The Library (Bar)

After the Formula 1 exhibition, I had an afternoon in Toronto to treat myself. I could not think of a better way to treat myself than to go to a hotel bar inside one of the most prestigious luxury hotels in Toronto.

The F1 Exhibition In Toronto

There has been a renewed casual interest in Formula 1 racing in the last few years. Most of this interest would come from the success of the Netflix show "Drive to Survive", which offers an inside look of the various F1 teams and many of the races on the F1 calendar. "Drive To Survive" does its part to amplify the drama on the track, as well as off the track, despite some accusations from detractors that Netflix and/or the producers of the show artificially manufacture this drama. The success and documentary style of "Drive to Survive" has influenced similar documentaries to show up on Netflix, covering sports such as tennis, golf, and rugby.

The Toronto CN Tower Edgewalk

Last week, I did the unthinkable. I went in the CN Tower and completed the Edgewalk. Normally, I would not do these kinds of activities where the star attraction was how high you were from the ground, but with a need for blog content (and a little bit of peer pressure), I decided to go and complete the Edgewalk. The Edgewalk is an attraction where you walk around the outside edge of the CN Tower while suspended over 1100 feet in the air, taller than Canada's tallest skyscraper. I will talk about the whole experience, and offer my thoughts on this rather harrowing attraction.

A "Little Canada" In Canada On Canada Day

On Canada Day, I spent some time at Little Canada, which is an attraction that recently opened its doors a couple of years ago at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto. Little Canada is a showcase of miniature-scale dioramas of various locations in Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, and beyond. Before I talk about my experience at Little Canada, I will share a personal anecdote of mine.

Parliament Hill Night Walk

On my last night in Ottawa, I went for a long walk around Parliament Hill so I can see what our country's main government building looks like at night. Also, according to Google Maps, The Library of Parliament is open 24 hours, so I thought the library would be worth checking out.

Spending A Rainy Day On The Rideau Canal

As a part of staying a couple of nights in Ottawa, I went for a boat ride on the Rideau Canal, which was certainly a unique experience. Right of the bat, I have to say that during the duration of the boat ride, there was heavy rain coming down from the sky. Thankfully, there is a covering over the boat, so I did not get too wet (except if you were sitting right at the side of the boat). The rain did not worsen the experience in any way, but rather made the experience more interesting.

Diefenbunker Museum Media Gallery

After my couple of nights at Mont-Tremblant, I went over to Ottawa to spend a couple of nights there as well. Before I was due to check in, I went to the Diefenbunker Museum for a tour. The Diefenbunker Museum is an underground bunker built in the early 1960s due to rising tensions stemming from the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear attack, the bunker can house key government officials (such as the Prime Minister) where they can continue to execute their duties. If the bunker is under lockdown, there is enough food to feed a staff of 535 people for 30 days.

Mont-Tremblant: The Rest Of The Highlights

I have written my posts about going up to the summit to Mont-Tremblant, as well as experiencing Tonga Lumina. However, this is my post about the other things that were going on while staying at Mont-Tremblant. I stayed two nights at the 'Place St-Bernard' hotel in the middle of the Mont-Tremblant village.

Searching For The Giant At Tonga Lumina

One of the major summer attractions during my stay at Mont-Tremblant was the Tonga Lumina walk held every night at the mountain. Tonga Lumina is a walk that is self-described as a 'sensory experience', in which you walk down a path with various lighting and sound effects. Tickets are $27.99 plus tax for an adult.