A Canadian Thanksgiving

Once ashore in Halifax Monday I sought in vain to replenish my cigar supply, and pick up a Cuban or two to enjoy at sea. But it was Canadian Thanksgiving, and all stores selling decent stogies shut.

Still, I wanted to enjoy a relaxing cigar after walking up and down the Spring Garden Road shopping district. I found as bench in the sun in front of the Halifax Memorial Library and lit up. Then I turned around to find Winston Churchill gazing upon me, undoubtedly as upset as when Yousef Karsh took away the PM's cigar to make his iconic photograph. I did my best to imitate the Churchillian scowl. A traveling companion from Glasgow thinks I nailed it.

Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting account of the story behind the photo.

The downtown shopping district of this city of about 400,000 was filled with people -- most of them tourists off the four cruise ships tied up a 15-minute walk away in the harbor, though some locals were taking advantage of the warm if overcast weather to enjoy the adjacent botanical gardens. And plenty of students lolled about: many of Dalhousie University's classrooms and offices skirt the neighborhood, with the main campus just a few blocks more to the west.

During my walk through Halifax, across from two major churches, was a cemetery dating back to the 18th century. Among those buried there are those who died in what we Americans and Canadians call the War of 1812 but the Brits consider a mere skirmish of the Napoleonic wars. Note the sign.

No lunch was served on board today (most passengers disembarked), although those of us staying aboard were offered sandwiches. I declined, deciding to take my chances in Halifax. Bad decision. Nothing other than McDonald's, Tim Horton's, Starbucks and a few local establishments which hardly inspired confidence in the quality of the food. So when my blood glucose tanked I opted for one of the balanced nutrition bars which represented my complete intake 10 years ago when I was on a medically-supervised 800 calorie a day diet. That was enough to get me through to dinner, even with my six miles of walking between dock and downtown.

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