Just the fax ma'am

A port I loved during our first New England/Canada cruise was Halifax. We took what ended up being an ill fated harbor duck tour excursion through the ship before spending the afternoon exploring the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on our own. I say ill fated because after an easy ride with fun narration on city roads, our boat easily went down the ramp for the water portion of the tour. The trouble came when the boat tried to drive back up another ramp to return to street level. Something wasn't catching that would enable the boat to get traction on the gravel ramp. The solution was to radio ahead and have someone move the large cartoon looking boat used for children's field trips away from its normal dock so we could pull up alongside. We all had to climb up to stand on the seat cushions of our boat and then step over the side railings to set foot on the dock. Then we all got to walk up the steep nearly straight incline of a ramp to get back on street level. The duck boat company rep who met us at street level offered to get a van to take anyone back to the ship who couldn't walk the couple blocks. We opted to head on foot in the other direction and visit the museum a little earlier than expected. I highly recommend visiting the Maritime Museum if you get the pleasure of stopping in Halifax. Especially if you are interested in the Titanic story like I am.

This time around visiting Halifax, I wanted to focus on the Canadian food I'd missed out on spending my time in tours on the first visit. Dad opted to stay on board so I headed off on foot. We still had a little bit of a chill in the air and lots of puddles and wet outdoor seating from rains that came through shortly before our arrival. It was nice for the break from the rain and fog as I soon learned that I'd have quite the hike waiting for me.

There was a small marketplace with many small stands of local merchandise as you stepped off the gangway. I picked up a map from the information booth and made a mental note to check out the shops upon my return. There was a bit of construction going on in the area so I ended up having to walk the long way around places and at times even stop and retrace my steps when I encountered a dead end. I felt completely safe as an adult female walking around on my own. It can also be a great way to randomly stumble upon cool sites that you might never have noticed speeding by in a tour bus. Plus I burned off plenty of the calories from all these food experiences Princess was treating us to. 

I saw several statue displays including one dedicated to the founder of Cunard that I remembered from my first visit to Halifax. 

Newer statues included a tribute to The Volunteers and The Emigrant:

After getting a bit turned around, I decided to stick close to the waterfront where most of the crowds were. Amazing how we have become so used to technology like Apple CarPlay when faced with old school technology of a paper map. And yes, I'm old enough to have grown up when paper maps were the only option. As I walked past the crowds, I got tipped off by fellow passengers to the long walk required to find the shopping and food stands I got off the ship to find. On the way, I found an old fashioned candy shop and took a break to browse. A little further in the walk, I found a painted pattern on the walkway encouraging various forms of activity at each section.

After what felt like over a mile's walk, I finally came across the rows of small stands featuring local merchandise, souvenirs, and of course local delicacies. I browsed a couple shops before focusing in on the three main Canadian treats I wanted to find - poutine, beavertails, and any unique snacks and candy I could bring back to try. 

I decided to go for savory before sweet and stopped at Smoke's Poutine stand. I ordered the traditional option which came as fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy. It definitely would have been plenty to share. After sharing photos on social media, the main response was to point out how I'd been given the wrong type of cheese curds. Personally, I'm all for topped fries, especially with gravy or cheese but the combination of the hot gooey fries and then having to stop and chew the thick cheese curds took away from the experience. I'm hoping whatever the "right" type of cheese curds were that they were more easier to eat and melted with the gravy and hot fries.

I resisted the temptation to make up for missing a lobster roll in Bar Harbor by grabbing one from a seafood stand. Time for dessert and a visit to the famous Beavertails stand.

I wish I had thought to ask for a to go bag because my order of a single Cookies & Cream flavored Beavertail was definitely big enough to share. Unlike the hot paper carton of poutine, this would have been easier to bring back in a closed bag. It was also very gooey and starting to melt as I worked to eat it. I think Canada should invest in providing wet towelettes with all of their treats because they are as messy as they are tasty. The bulk of the Beavertails menu features the use of hazelnut spread so I went with one of the few nut free options. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that while the dough base is fried, it's not hard and crusty like a funnel cake. The pieces of Oreo cookie were well crushed to spread out onto the vanilla icing so you could enjoy all the flavors without having to stop and chew a huge chunk of cookie. It stood up well to the toppings but I was thankful in this moment that it wasn't 20 degrees warmer outside. I did have a few bee friends who thought I was treating them to lunch. 

On the walk back to the ship with belly full of all the yummy Canadian calories, I reached the pier in time to watch a Silversea ship pull in and dock perpendicular to our Enchanted Princess.

I took the time once back inside the terminal to browse the shops. It was delightful chatting with the shop owners including a lengthy discussion with one about the benefits of Canadian chocolate candy over American chocolate candy. She was extremely helpful in guiding me to which treats I had to try. Between two shops, I was able to amass a supply of ketchup chips (all dressed chips were nowhere to be found), a chocolate bar with maple syrup, Canada's version of a Kit Kat, Crunchie bar, Aero bar, and the hard shell chocolate filled candies they call Smarties. Much different than the roll of chalky discs that us Americans know as Smarties. I was also told I should have picked up Canada's version of Cheetos. I'm kicking myself because I saw a bag of them on the way out to start my walk and didn't think to go back upon my return. I did see the Coffee Crisp bars everyone raves about but I decided to pass since neither Dad nor I like coffee. I also picked up a Titanic themed magnet in the same shop as the Maple Crunch bar. It now sits on my fridge next to my Enchanted Princess magnet I bought in the shops and Dad's medallion from the cruise.

Dad likes caramel popcorn so I picked that up for him. I'm the kind of person who loves finding that one chip with all the flavoring in a bag so I'd describe the ketchup chips as finding that chip in every chip of the bag. A whiff of the bag upon first open smelled somewhat overwhelmingly exactly like ketchup. The Maple Crunch bar was surprisingly better than I expected since the maple was more of a subtle flavor and the crispy texture of the maple easily melted as the chocolate melted in your mouth. I did notice a difference in the chocolate flavor and consistency in the Aero and Kit Kat bars. I think of all that I tried from this prepackaged group, the Aero ended up being both our favorites. The Crunchie bar was perhaps my least favorite since it was so much like the consistency of toffee. 

What other treats should I have tried? Do you agree or disagree with my likes and dislikes of what I did try? I'd love to hear more from my readers. I also volunteer my taste buds for the tough job of trying any other delightful indulgences our nice neighbors to the north would like to send me for review. ;)

On the way back to the port security checkpoint, I stopped to deposit my leftover Canadian money into a donation box for seafarers. One of the classiest and most appreciated little touches that Princess offers is tables like this set up for those returning to the ship to get a warm/cold drink. In warmer ports, you also might find a cool washcloth and shaded seating offered as well so you can cool off while waiting for the line of people reboarding to wind down.

I needed a good rest back in the cabin after such a long walk and treating my inner foodie. I'm glad I took the time for a break because I would be spending my evening with another new foodie experience thanks to Princess.