Spirits soared during dinner as dry land came into sight and we slowly but surely docked in Halifax, capital of Nova Scotia. This Maritime province, one of Canada’s three, is the second smallest province in Canada and sits just off the northeast coast of  Maine.

We finished dinner and walked off the ship around 8:00 pm for a nice stroll along the boardwalk. We were originally scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning, but were early since we missed the St. John’s stop two days ago. The pier shops opened just for us and as their reward, hundreds of us rushed off to beat one another to the bargains and look for free wifi. It’s the warmest weather we’ve had so far with no need for jackets. It was fun to see all the bilingual signs which, per Canadian law, have to be in certain circumstances in both French and English.

A quick note about Halifax. This is all I know so far: From 1921 to 1971 it was the principle reception center for immigrants. In the decade immediately following the Second World War, one and a quarter million immigrants came from Europe, most arriving at Pier 21 just like we did. Of that number, 48,000 war brides and 22,000 children came to make homes with their Canadian servicemen husbands.

Stay tuned. We’ll spend the day in town tomorrow.

Health updates: Cleone’s fever broke last night, so she is better today but not totally back. Dan was better this morning but dragging his tail a bit tonight. Raw throat. The rest of us are fine and dandy.

Galley trivia continues…

• A crew of 13 during the day and four at night churn out …each and every day… 6,000 pastries, 100 gallons of ice cream, and 300 cakes and pies.
• Average consumption of butter each day: 400 pounds.