O CANADA, O CANADA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM EAST TO WEST

BY JANET STEINBERG

                                                                                                                    

 North of the border there’s a party going on.  And what better way to celebrate Canada’s 150^th anniversary year than by experiencing Canadian charm from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  You can cruise from the Maritimes to Montreal, ride the rails from Vancouver to Lake Louise, or fly and drive to the city of your choice.  So, hop on my magic travel carpet and let’s party…from the Maritimes in the Atlantic, to a paradisiacal Island in the North Pacific.

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA:  Halifax is the cosmopolitan capital city of Nova Scotia,.  It is Canada’s 13^th largest city and its residents, called Haligonians, make up 40% of Nova Scotia’s population.  In Halifax, a city that embraces the sea, all roads lead to the shore. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will take you on a voyage of discovery through Nova Scotia’s rich maritime heritage.  Perhaps the most popular exhibit in the Maritime Museum is the one that depicts the tragic history of the ill-fated Titanic that sank some 700 miles east of Halifax on April 15, 1912.   While the Cunard liner Carpathia was taking survivors to New York, 209 of the dead were brought to Halifax.   59 bodies were shipped home to relatives, but 150 were buried in Halifax cemeteries.  One of the first victims to be carried to his grave at Fairview Lawn was a small, unidentified baby boy.  A haunting tombstone marks his grave.

GRAVE OF UNKNOWN CHILD IN HALIFAX