Just inside the cruise terminal, a rack of handsome tweed jackets tempted me with a price of just $65, less than 20% of similar---albeit authentic Harris Tweed---sports coats we'd seen at Grassmarket in Edinburgh three years earlier.
The aroma of scones, Scottish oatcakes and coffee had already lured cruisers to cafes (along with complimentary internet), but we had already polished off a delicious full breakfast in the Lido Buffet, featuring some combination of fresh melon and pineapple, bran muffin, chocolate croissant, eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, orange juice and coffee.
The overall sensory effect made it feel like we were arriving in Scotland. Then the obvious hit me: Halifax is in Nova Scotia, which I realized must be Latin for New Scotland.
That, of course, is perfectly logical, because just as Scotland is north of England, New Scotland obviously should be north of New England, which it is.
I later read that Scotia was originally the Roman's name for Ireland, but the Romans referred to all Gaelic people as Scotis, and for Scotland, the name stuck.
I later read that Scotia was originally the Roman's name for Ireland, but the Romans referred to all Gaelic people as Scotis, and for Scotland, the name stuck.
We actually had disembarked as part of a very well-organized Princess Shore Excursion and immediately boarded the bus to Peggy's Cove.
As we rode along, our guide revealed another surprising fact.
We all know 13 British colonies rebelled against the motherland, but there was a 14th colony.
You guessed it.
Nova Scotia was the 14th colony of Great Britain, but the Loyalists won the debate there.
Otherwise, Nova Scotia including New Brunswick, which at the time was in the same colony, would have been part of the USA.
After the war, 33,000 Loyalists resettled in Nova Scotia, including the 14,000 who settled in Saint John and a contingent of 3,000 Black Loyalists who founded the first African-American community in the Americas at Birchtown.
Harsh weather and social conditions encouraged the natural desire in many to return to their ancestral homeland.
About a third of those Black Loyalists split from the Birchtown commmunity and sailed to Africa.
They founded the city of Freetown in Sierra Leone, Africa. They were joined by other former slaves including Jamaican Maroons, but to this day their descendents remain known as Nova Scotian Settlers or Krios.
Our primary destination for the day would not be so distant.
Some years ago, travel journalists did a complimentary piece about Peggy's Cove being the quintessential quaint fishing village.
Other journalists followed with more words of praise. Independent travelers, tour companies and cruise lines took notice.
On the day of our visit, a sizable percentage of 3100 passengers aboard Caribbean Princess as well as another hundred from the smaller Oceania ship flooded the town, so Peggy's Cove undoubtedly was not quite as peaceful as those first journalists initially found it.
Nonetheless, it is a beautiful site, and if we aimed our cameras in exactly the right way and framed the shot just right, we could snap some photos that made it seem to be deserted as well as idyllic.
By the time night falls and fishermen return with their hauls, all of the cruise passengers are back on their ships, so it seems to be a good symbiotic relationship, but the locals probably welcome the solitude of the off-season.
When we arrived at Peggy's Cove, a lone kilted bagpiper stood erect near the cove's signature lighthouse, playing the theme song from one of our favorite TV shows, "Outlander." He changing tunes regularly, but beyond that, the entertainment consisted of taking in the sights while roaming from the lighthouse to the village and back.
It made a good destination, and we enjoyed the live narration during scenic ride to and from Peggy's Cove.
Our Princess Shore Excursion included a second element, a hop-on/hop-off tour aboard the Big Pink Bus like we had taken in Saint John. In the big city of Halifax, blue buses supplement the pink fleet, and overall the combined Halifax fleet seemed a bit newer. The live guides were once again funny and informative.
It's a preferred venue for both private events like weddings and public events like concerts, as well as a popular gathering place.
According to our guide, the citizens favor the parks over other government programs, and any time there is an impending cut back on park maintenance, voters choose to find funds elsewhere.
He pointed out a beautiful Victorian house, which was built in 1902 for Public Gardens Superintendent Richard Power, who was master designer of a thorough revamping of the park which began in 1872.
Our guide went on to say that mayors have never been furnished a house, because citizens don't value them nearly as much as the gardeners. The historic house is now used as offices for the Gardens staff.
Walking down hill and then through this city, we found a harmonious balance of historic and modern buildings.
With about 390,000 residents in the Halifax region, it has cultural, education, entertainment and economic options for a well-rounded lifestyle.
On our bus tour, we had learned that Nova Scotians take great pride in their environmental efforts, too.
In what could be another trivia-question answer (along with our newfound knowledge about the 14th colony of America), it's worth noting that area-wise, Canada is the second largest country in the world, behind only Russia.
Canada's population, however, is just a little over 35 million, versus about 320 million in the USA.
There's certainly far more room there than in our crowded cities like New York and Los Angeles, which continue to attract new immigrants like honey attracts ants.
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