Our latest guest blogger of 2011 is Candice Walsh, founder of popular travel blog Candice Does the World. After studying English in London for six weeks a couple of years ago, Candice was well and truly bitten by the travel bug. Since then she has travelled to Holland, Mexico, Ireland and more. To keep up to date with Candice you can follow her on Twitter or ‘like’ her facebook page.
I love Halifax… a lot. It makes up for what my home city of St. John’s is missing—a metropolitan vibe, and that safe feeling of going out on the town and not having to worry about running into someone you don’t want to see. But it still has that Atlantic Canadian feel and a connection to the sea. Like you can wander into any pub with fiddle music pouring out from it and feel right at home.
I spent August to late November in Halifax last year, job hunting and networking and sampling beers. I didn’t have much money, but by being thrifty and leeching off my friends, I managed reasonably well. Here’s how you can, too.
1. Scope out the views at Citadel Hill (above)
From high above the city, the skyline looks great from here. Most of this area was wiped out by the Halifax Explosion in 1917, one of the biggest man-made explosions in history, but most buildings have been restored beautifully.
2. Spend a day at the Public Gardens
Open seasonally, strolling through here is a great way to escape the bustle of Spring Garden Road. Plus the flora is something you wouldn’t expect on the rainy east coast of Canada: tropical beds with agave and cacti, colourful flower beds and even rare tree species from Japan, California and Switzerland.
3. Walk around downtown
One of my favourite, feel-good activities in a new city is to just walk around downtown. Halifax’s downtown area is entirely on a slope, so you can meander through the streets, ducking in and out of shops, and eventually end up at the waterfront. There’s a lot going on here during the summer too -buskers, people milling about, cruise ships, and tons of great food joints.
Virginia White
Stephanie Firlotte
Werner Hedgehog