Hello, Halifax!

Judy.  After a too-brief stop in Boston to visit with our niece Kelly, her husband, Stephen, and their fantastic 4-month-old, Henry, we have arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

We are always delightfully surprised when we move into a new city. Halifax is not like anyplace I remember being. One friend told us it reminded her of Boston in the ‘70’s. I haven’t spent that much time in Boston, but I can see how it would remind her of a northern city—now, ask me to describe that, and I can’t. But it’s not like most places in the south that I know, or in the west. As a harbor city, it’s rather industrial, with blue-collar homes, at least where we live. Downtown is rather chic, and there’s a harbor walk with lots of shops and restaurants. Cruise ships stop here periodically. Some of you may have been on them.

On the way downtown (an easy 25-minute walk), we pass charming Victorian homes, as well as simple clapboard houses. They are colorful, and set along tree-lined streets.

But we live in the Hydrostone neighborhood. In 1917, a French munitions ship ran into a Belgian relief ship in the harbor across the hill from us. The result was a devastating event, The Halifax Explosion, that seems to have defined the city. Entire blocks from the harbor west through the northern part of Halifax were destroyed in the ensuing fire. Can you imagine? The country is in the middle of a World War, and this happens on the home front! About two thousand people died, over six thousand injured, and tens of thousands left homeless. 

 

Memorial bell tower

Photo of Hydrostone in 1918

But the city and country rallied, and immediately set to work rebuilding the railroads needed to ship supplies to the war effort. New homes had to be as close to fireproof as possible, out of fear as much as necessity. So in the next few years, the entire neighborhood was built in simple houses and row houses of granite block. Just flat ugly. And a clear reminder of the explosion. But they planted trees, and put little parks down the middle of each street.

That was one hundred years ago. There are still memorials everywhere in Halifax to it. Across the street from our place is a hill park dedicated to it. In front of a church down the street is a commemorative bench.

Updated block houses

But this has become a trendy area, and many homeowners are over the grey block houses. Some have covered the outside with siding, others have painted them, and added siding or cedar shake to the top floor. The trees are full and beautiful, and today we walked the area, where a neighborhood yard sale was in full swing on front stoops and along the grassy medians. It’s kinda wonderful to live in the midst of this.

More updated houses

Our own apartment, or flat, is the bottom floor and basement of a plain grey granite block house. It’s bigger than we’re used to, and because the owner’s parents stay here in the winter, has a kitchen that’s completely fitted out. There are blooming lilacs in the yard, and flowers in the window boxes. 

Our home away from home

We don’t love the nearby grocery, but three blocks away is a co-op where farmers and fishermen sell their produce, meat, and fish. A delightful Italian man has a tiny coffee stand next to the co-op, and loves to talk. Around the corner from us is a trendy shopping area with a patisserie and—uh-oh—a yarn shop (so far, I’ve avoided visiting it), as well as restaurants. In the distance, we hear church bells toll the hour.

Weather is spotty—cold and rainy one minute, warm and breezy another. Everyone complains about it—it is June, after all—but we saw the same in Atlanta.

So, we’re settled in for another three weeks, and have lots more to write about. The history here is really interesting, and makes us want to know more.

But all that is for another day.