Halifax was the second city where I came without any information or recommendation. All I knew was that it is a small town so make oneself comfortable with orientation should not be a problem. It is said that downtown is so small that it can be explored in several hours, just like Bratislava. However, the important task was to get somehow to downtown, cause the station was a little far away. Now, as "an experienced traveler", I did not have any great difficulties to locate what I needed. I contrived to get a free map just in time before they closed an information center, found my directions and set up for a walk. It is a very strange feeling to walk alone in the dark through an unknown city, without having any particular plans to go. I had 2-3 hours to find a 24-hours facility and an internet coffee. I was very lucky when I found these two places literally next to each other. The only problem was that after 11pm I was kicked off from Macdonald, because they had a recounstruction going on that night. So I had to change my plans and went to Subway, where I almost bored to death. I had to keep an eye on my luggage so I could not nod off. I stayed the whole night wide-awake, had an X-large coffee in Tim Hortons and at 7am I strode into the city. Walking in the morning is very tranquilzing. Listening to birds twittering, smelling a touchful aroma of pastry coming from bakeries, no-one on streets and chilling cold - all of that makes this atmospehere unique and it is only up to you whether you are gonna feel it with all your senses or just let it go and not to perceive it. I enjoyed my morning walking. It could be due to insufficient sleep that I felt like if I were high. Looking on my shadow on the street pavement and listening to my crunching shoes, I realized after a while that something was wrong. I was missing the rattling sound of my carry-on luggage..... Damm it, I must have forgotten it at the bench where I took some pictures. I almost lost my breath by the time I got there. Lucky me - I found it there. All my electronics was there. I cannot imagine what I would have been doing if I had lost it.
I had only 4 hours to see as much as possible in downtown and after that I still planned a visit of the Marine Museum. Almost unreal task - well, everything is possible :D
Firstly, I visited all universities and old buidlings, after that I went to the Citadel and lastly I enjoyed walking in the harbour area, smelling the Atlantic and admiring cute old narrow streets. I even found a facility which claimed that they had the best icecream in the world. I was willing to taste it, inspite of my sore throat and freezing temparature, but they were closed. What a pity - it could have been a great experience to eat icecream in November - at least it could not melt :P
Honestly, from all of the cities I visited I like Halifax the most. It is probably becaue as an old habour city, it reminds me European culture, architecture, it breaths with history. That city has its own soul as evey city in Europe. A soul, you cannot feel in modern Canadian and American metropolises.
I had only 40 minutes for the museum, which is obviously not enough, but at least I can say that I have been there. If there is someone who is a freak into ships, navy and mini models, this is definitely a place they must go.I got to the station soon enough to book my trip. In the morning I found out that I won the interview and I am supposed to start working next Monday. Upps, no way, even if I took my way straight home, I would not be in Vancouver and then back in Edmonton till 10 days. I was able to postpone my start for another week, but anyway, it was like a pain in the ass to plan my journey back home. Travelling is an activity you can enjoy only if you are a master of your own. You do not need to hurry up anywhere, you do not need to think about a job or about the future.
It is just running out from the reality and starting to perceive mundane things differently, just because you have finally time to think about them. I had to create a crazy schedule for tomorrow in order to catch the Canadian on Saturday. That meant only two hours in Quebec and three hours in Montreal. OMG, I planned to spend a day in each of these cities and now I will have to be like a Japanese tourist.- a photo hunter, trying to capture as much as possible in a short period of time. This is like a comercion on chewing-gums So many things to see and so little time...
As I was leaving Halifax, I found myself in rather sentimental mood. I got it, I reached the Atlantic Ocean, I crossed the Canada, I have seen so many beautiful places which would need weeks to explore and I spent only few moments there. I have glimpsed at all that majestic Canadian beauty, I have been to Niagara Falls, the highest obeservation deck in the world in CN tower, visited Banff, Lake Loise and Radium, met a few interesting people in whom I found inspiration for the future ....now just few things and then to get safely home. It is funny that I am talking like it is over while I am still on the Oceanian, just passing the Edwards Islands somewhere far East in Nova Scotia. But it is always like that, you are looking forward to reaching your final destination and the way home is usually not so interesting as the first steps of your journey, anticipating something new and exciting. However, I will be travelling via a different route as I came here, but still, I cannot get rid of that feeling that I am heading home although it is far, far away. As I said before, traveling is not about reaching a destination, but about the journey itself. So I will try to do my best to enjoy is as much as possbile.
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