Monday, August 13, 2012

East Coast Tour - Day 10

That's right - Day 10. We're in the double digits! 

Today was our play day in Halifax! We took a gentle morning to reset ourselves after a busy weekend and in prep for a long travel day tomorrow. Of course, we had the energy to do all this thanks to our lovely espresso maker!

The afternoon was spent drifting in and out of music stores, playing guitars and chatting about gear. Every once in a while, Gerald would find a new guitar riff, and I would find a melody, so I'd pull out my iPhone and hit the 'record' button. When we get a bit of quiet time, we'll pull them out and see what kind of songs may grow...

Since we had a open night ahead, I sat down with the tourism brochures and set about to plan a wonderful Monday night in Halifax.

The first stop was the Just Us cafe. We'd heard all about this company from our hosts in Kentville. The founders started the first free trade coffee industry in Canada! Everyone here brags about their coffee, so we knew it would be worth a visit. The sprawling, cozy cafe was pretty empty tonight, so we enjoyed our espresso and cappuccino at a quiet table by a breezy window. Delicious and lovely!

The next leg of the night was well planned indeed: drive downtown, park the car, find the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, eat pub food, and listen to great music.

Well, you know what they say about making plans....

We only got as far as parking the car.

Right by the parking lot was the harbour, and we were seduced to the boardwalk. From there, we found a fish and chips stand, with tables sitting right by the boats. The air was clean and easy, and the atmosphere was vibrant and relaxed.

How could we leave that to sit in a noisy pub?

We stayed till dark - chatting, watching the boats, and indulging in fantastic fish and chips. A group of kids (wow, don't I sound old???) who looked prom age headed out on a boat for a night of celebrating. We watched the sky fade and the lights shimmer on the water. We strolled and saw other relaxed families enjoying the pleasures of patios and buskers.

Tomorrow will be a long day with a drive to North Sydney and the ferry to Newfoundland, but it was completely worth staying the extra night in Halifax!

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