In mid-January 2013, I embarked on a long-week trip to Halifax (Nova Scotia) by car to visit a long-lost childhood friend.
It was an opportunity for me to discover Eastern Canada for the first time, especially in winter. While the journey was such a joy, the winter weather conditions made the roads difficult to navigate and sightseeing was not as great.
Here are some of the few images that I managed to capture with some captions. This is a trip I need to undertake again in a warmer and sunnier weather.
The above map depicts the itinerary. It was a 1300 km journey which I completed in 12 hours. I had to take breaks but also the driving conditions were short of ideal
This the state of the roads in their best conditions. Most of the time, they were covered with snow and ice (VERY dangerous for driving) and the sun was nowhere to be seen. So, on this Trans-Canada Highway 85 N image, this is paradise.
This is the view of the Halifax harbour from Point Pleasant Park.
Now, you know it is cold when even the ducks are freezing themselves!
My two friends walking in Point Pleasant Park catching up after almost 20 years without seeing each other.
I am standing here next to this Bonaventure’s anchor monument looking stylish and everything but in reality, I am so cold from a strong wind that I can barely make a move!
This is the road that leads into Peggys Cove, a really small town of fishermen. I learned later that it has no more than 700 inhabitants.
Peggys Point Lighthouse seen from the Swissair 111 Memorial
Some of the few dwellings in Peggys Cove
This is a fishing town so naturally, there are plenty of boats ready to go out and catch food but I doubt that in winter, there’s anything left to fish out from the almost frozen water.
This water looks so peaceful but it is rather dangerous. Everywhere there were signs warning people not to get too close (I took this photo with my feet almost in the water, so you know how much I paid attention to all this advice).
My friend told me that the water is so cold that a healthy person would probably last five minutes before they died. I promptly stepped away after hearing that.
The relaxing view of the Atlantic Ocean.
My two friends looking playful near the lighthouse. Up in the sky, notice the moon smiling down on them.
Needless to say, Peggys Point Lighthouse is the highlight of Peggys Cove and I took as many photograph of it as I could from all the angles possible. I don’t know why but I have a weakness for lighthouses, windmills and silos as you may have noticed in previous posts or photographs.
My friend observing the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. On her right is the lighthouse. I could not fit it into the frame because I would have had excluded the sun.
A Peggys Cove sunset. I was there to witness it in all its might.
Back into Halifax city. Nothing exciting really but I had to take some memory away from it, right?
This MINI Cooper S took me there and back without a hitch. I had to fill up twice on my way there. But this car is so very fuel efficient. I can drive 700km on a tank (more if I did not have a rather heavy foot and frantic accelerations).
For all those of you who do not live in snow countries, the car is white not from the snow but from the salt that is put on the roads to make the ice melt. In real life, this MINI Cooper S is black but right it’s looking rather grey or rather dirty whichever way you want to look at it.
I love windmills. I got as close as possible and even tresspassed on a federal police property but I got so cold that after almost dropping my camera twice, I settled with this one shot and ran back to my car to warm up. That was the last photo of the trip I took and I drove ten hours non-stop back to Montréal via a two-night stay in Québec City.
