We find ex-London transport buses in Halifax

One feature of all the Canadian ports we visited was the former London Transport route master buses which take visitors to see the local sites. The fee for the trip includes a donation to a breast cancer charity. I liked the idea that one of the buses I used to take to Mum's or perhaps even to work, was now doing the tourist sites in Canada and helping one of the major charities into the bargain. Since one of the most important sites in Halifax is the fort on the hill, which is manned by soldiers in kilts, these buses were busy whilst Arcadia was in port, taking visitors up and down this steep hill. Another feature of these Canadian ports which struck me was the mess of overhead wires crossing the streets and serving the wooden homes with communications and electricity. I wish now I had taken a picture of these. Exploring Halifax was a little painful for me, but I did hear the mid-day gun go off, when we were browsing in one of the town's antique shops.

We had refreshments in a Tim Hortons we discovered in one of the shopping streets and went back to the ship along the board walk. Local musicians played here and we really enjoyed the traditional Scottish influence on the tunes they played. We got back to the ship in time for me to deliver my postcards to Arcadia's posting service. The ship has an agent in each port, who amongst other things, ensures the passengers' postcards are posted. I felt this service was good value as the small fee saves time buying stamps and looking for post boxes. One of my friends had a tube of "ice gel" in the fridge in the cabin and had brought an ankle support with her, so I was able to relieve the pain and hobble around in comfort. It was just as well, as the journey from Halifax to Quebec would prove to be the roughest we had experienced in the whole trip.