Though many Capers will disagree, several of Nova Scotia's best parties call Halifax home. The International Busker Festival, the Nova Scotia Tattoo, and the Atlantic Jazz Festival, to name just three.
With its historic waterfront, Halifax is a port city, first and foremost. Once a dirty garrison town, Halifax today is smart and sophisticated, with six universities and a highly-educated workforce. Lofty trees line city streets, and people smile convincingly. Summer here is a happy time.
History is palpable. My downtown neighborhood consists of Victorian and Georgian homes. A graveyard church, constructed in one day in 1843, sits a stone's throw away. Jogging through Point Pleasant Park, I gasp past a rotund martello tower commissioned by Prince Edward, Queen Victoria's father, in 1796. Book in hand, I retreat inside the Public Gardens - a Victorian treasure filled with lush flowers and ancient trees. How could anyone live without such color and tranquility in the heart of their city?
Halifax has a bevy of national historic sites and fine museums, including the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Pier 21. Summer is punctuated by festivals and concerts, the best using history and nature to good effect, as Shakespeare by the Sea demonstrates.
This energetic theatre company uses Point Pleasant's ruins and Citadel Hill's ramparts as stages. I'm certain the Immortal Bard would approve.
"It is breathtaking," said Patrick Christopher, the company's late artistic director. "There's nothing like seeing King Lear at the Citadel, on a dark night with a full moon. There's nothing quite like walking down to the ocean to see Ophelia dead on the rocks, the queen weeping over her. Or Lady Macbeth in her madness, running from the forest and into the ocean. It's just so unique."
UNESCO applies that same adjective to Lunenburg, a World Heritage Site an hour from Halifax. This quintessential seafaring town feels timeless, with captain's mansions perched on narrow streets that lead to a busy harbor. Lunenburg is the crown jewel, but the entire county is lined with splendid beaches and picturesque villages. Sea kayaking is a demanding hobby, and deep sea charters abound - for birders searching for puffins and cormorants, and anglers hoping to grapple with tuna or shark.
Interestingly, many artists live here, drawing inspiration from the volatile Atlantic and its isolated outports. A Gathering of Artists is one guide to creative folk, like Indian Point painter Tom Ward. A serious cyclist, he enjoys weaving along the coast on his racing bike, melding vocation and avocation. His deep, realistic watercolors play with light and shadow.
"The conditions are so dramatic around here, and I try to capture what that light evokes in both fact and mood," Ward says. "I'm also drawn by the relationship which exists between the landscape, ocean and people. The Atlantic shapes, forms and inspires everything around here."
Like Ward's paintings, south-shore life is subtle and rich. Pedal & Sea Adventures' Dana Gallant says cyclists exploring coastal byways often discover that osprey outnumber automobiles. Each year, several are so enchanted by the seascape, they open their checkbooks to buy waterfront properties. Gallant understands the attraction. He travels the world, but wants to live here.
"I love it here. I cycle every second day, eat at wonderful, historical country inns... and experience one of the world's best places. What could be better?"
Story by Richard Levangie
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The Best Coast Group
