Like many in the Great White North we were up at the crack of dawn on a cold January morning on our way to the airport. Once there we'll board a plane heading for a destination with sparkling ocean and beautiful beaches. Any guesses?
No, it's not Mexico
No, it's not Jamaica, either
We are headed for the exotic ... Halifax, Nova Scotia
Okay, so the beaches are covered in snow and the ocean so frigid it'll kill you, but we're still excited. When a grandmother is turning 100 it's worth the trip, even in January. The fun thing about going at this time of year is we'll be spending most of our time in the city of Halifax itself, giving us a real chance to explore this Canadian gem. Not to mention that our hotel, the Lord Nelson, is right in a hub for shopping and pubs. Yay, pubs, our favourite!
Our first meal of the trip was at Caplansky's Delicatessen in the Toronto airport. The Ruebenesque sandwich was amazing, with kosher pickle of course, and their house-made mustard and horseradish was good enough to warrant bringing a bottle home. Looking forward to pairing it with haggis and roast for Robbie Burns day. Jamie, our server, was laid-back and disinterestedly attentive, think stereotypical Greek, but he wasn't Greek ... he was great!
We made it to Halifax with no issues and checked in to the gorgeous Lord Nelson. We desperately needed to stretch our legs so went on a convoluted stroll through downtown to finally find ourselves at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse. We have fond memories of this place from 2006 and I'm thrilled to say they didn't disappoint. We started with a couple of brews from the local Propeller Brewing Co., a porter and an IPA, very nice. The IPA is really hoppy, just the way Mark likes it. The appy we chose to try was Lobster Flambe: lobster meat, mushrooms and onion in a creamy, dreamy garlic sauce. It made our getting lost to come here all worth it. Our evening's entertainment was being provided by Michael & Tracy Cavanaugh, a father/son duo on guitars and vocals. They were really good, and funny. Michael is a pretty killer guitar player, and pretty great on the fiddle as well! For our main course we tried the Shepherd's Pie with a side of Old Triangle Chowder, we spent most of the course trying to place the prominent spice in the pie ... still not sure but it was tasty; a mix of beef and lamb with veggies and the traditional potato topping with a hint of melted cheese. Okay, we asked our server she found out that the spices were thyme and rosemary, we think the combo of the two is what threw us off. Perfect fare for a blustery, winter day. Currently nursing the second round of beers, a Propeller Bitter and a Clancy's, enjoying some great tunes, and we have no immediate plans of moving on. Especially since we just found out that it's Whiskey Wednesday ... $10 whiskey flights, thinking we may have to give that a try. Hey, we're on foot! Sweet!
Looking forward to giving you more updates on our Nova Scotia winter holiday!
No, it's not Mexico
No, it's not Jamaica, either
We are headed for the exotic ... Halifax, Nova Scotia
Okay, so the beaches are covered in snow and the ocean so frigid it'll kill you, but we're still excited. When a grandmother is turning 100 it's worth the trip, even in January. The fun thing about going at this time of year is we'll be spending most of our time in the city of Halifax itself, giving us a real chance to explore this Canadian gem. Not to mention that our hotel, the Lord Nelson, is right in a hub for shopping and pubs. Yay, pubs, our favourite!
Our first meal of the trip was at Caplansky's Delicatessen in the Toronto airport. The Ruebenesque sandwich was amazing, with kosher pickle of course, and their house-made mustard and horseradish was good enough to warrant bringing a bottle home. Looking forward to pairing it with haggis and roast for Robbie Burns day. Jamie, our server, was laid-back and disinterestedly attentive, think stereotypical Greek, but he wasn't Greek ... he was great!
We made it to Halifax with no issues and checked in to the gorgeous Lord Nelson. We desperately needed to stretch our legs so went on a convoluted stroll through downtown to finally find ourselves at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse. We have fond memories of this place from 2006 and I'm thrilled to say they didn't disappoint. We started with a couple of brews from the local Propeller Brewing Co., a porter and an IPA, very nice. The IPA is really hoppy, just the way Mark likes it. The appy we chose to try was Lobster Flambe: lobster meat, mushrooms and onion in a creamy, dreamy garlic sauce. It made our getting lost to come here all worth it. Our evening's entertainment was being provided by Michael & Tracy Cavanaugh, a father/son duo on guitars and vocals. They were really good, and funny. Michael is a pretty killer guitar player, and pretty great on the fiddle as well! For our main course we tried the Shepherd's Pie with a side of Old Triangle Chowder, we spent most of the course trying to place the prominent spice in the pie ... still not sure but it was tasty; a mix of beef and lamb with veggies and the traditional potato topping with a hint of melted cheese. Okay, we asked our server she found out that the spices were thyme and rosemary, we think the combo of the two is what threw us off. Perfect fare for a blustery, winter day. Currently nursing the second round of beers, a Propeller Bitter and a Clancy's, enjoying some great tunes, and we have no immediate plans of moving on. Especially since we just found out that it's Whiskey Wednesday ... $10 whiskey flights, thinking we may have to give that a try. Hey, we're on foot! Sweet!
Looking forward to giving you more updates on our Nova Scotia winter holiday!