Halegonia

We by-passed “Potato World” and the “Accordion Museum” to get to Halifax today as planned. Our reservation paid off. Upon arriving at the Hotel Nova Scotian late this afternoon our first sight was the scene of the Cunard line’s Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth in dock at the harbour. We and hundreds others later watched from the newly conditioned waterfront piers as the two giant vessels withdrew to sea under tow.

Locating the ideal restaurant in an unaccustomed locale can present a challenge. Time has taught us that staying in the hotel is a good decision. The advantage is not merely the proximity. Most reputable hotels - and invariably the grand old railway hotels across Canada such as the Nova Scotian, le Reine Élizabeth, the Château Laurier, the Royal York, the Banff Springs and the Empress - offer some of the finest restaurants (among them the notorious Beaver Club and the Epic).  Normally these restaurants seek to highlight local specialties which we’ve happily discovered to be fresh and delicious. Even today’s modest lunch in a traditional diner heralded much of what is so good about food on the East coast mid-summer; namely, lobster roll, fries and strawberry shortcake.