New England and Canada Cruise, Part 6: Halifax, Nova Scotia

This is my sixth post about our New England and Canada cruise aboard the Enchanted Princess. I recommend reading the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth posts from the trip before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received complimentary admission tickets for some of the places we visited during our trip. Other places are free for everyone; we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. 

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Halifax, Nova Scotia

On Thursday, September 18, we visited Halifax, Nova Scotia. The last time Steve, Trevor, and I were there, we did a duck tour and then spent the rest of the day exploring the city and walking along the boardwalk. This time, the three of us visited the outstanding Canadian Museum of Immigration. 

Jonna joined us at the museum for the first hour or so, then left to take the same duck tour we'd done before. It's a great way to see the highlights of Halifax and learn its fascinating history.  

We started our time at the Museum of Immigration with a 30-minute guided tour. 

Our guide walked us through the journey early Canadian immigrants would have taken, starting with a trip across the Atlantic. 

After the long voyage, immigrants arrived at the very location where the museum is now. 

The model shows what it looked like then. 

The luggage you see stacked in the background is really interesting. Some people brought several large cases to start their new lives, while others only had a few possessions. 

Check out this photograph.

There's the same suitcase on the shelf!

After arriving at Pier 21, immigration officials processed each person... 

... and inspected their belongings. Most food was confiscated...

... which meant buying more before a potentially long train journey to their final destination. 

Our guide talked a lot about the many different reasons for immigration. Most often, people leave their home countries due to a combination of "push" and "pull" factors. Factors like war, famine, religious or political persecution, and/or unemployment push people to uproot their lives. Countries like Canada, offering opportunities for a better life, provide the pull.  

This display was extremely interesting to me. From the 1600's to present day, the countries of origin for Canadian immigrants has changed significantly. Below are a few samples I caught on camera. I found it especially interesting to try to figure out what was going on ("push") in a specific region as I watched the numbers surge. Particularly interesting to me was immigration from the US to Canada. There were two big waves: during the Depression and during the Vietnam War. 

The museum does an outstanding job of telling the stories of a wide variety of immigrants. Sometimes it's heartwarming; other times, heartbreaking. 

  

  

  

There are several hands-on activities throughout the museum that would appeal to elementary-age students. This one (which is fun for adults too) challenges you think about what you would pack to start a new life.... and what you would leave behind. It's not easy to decide. 

I love this story about mustard. 

There is a station where you can test yourself on the questions that appear on the Canadian citizenship test. I knew some of the answers from my Canadian travels, but didn't know quite enough to pass without studying. 

This is the Canadian Oath of Citizenship. It changes when a monarch dies.  

The special exhibit at the museum is called eat make share: a taste of immigration. It looks at how Canada's indigenous population plus immigrants from all over the world have influenced what food in Canada looks like today. 

A baby's first food and an elder's final meal?! No thank you. I haven't given a lot of thought to what I would want my final meal to be, but eel is literally the very last thing I would choose. 

If they put a wheel like this in the grocery store, I'd totally buy what ingredients it landed on and turn it into dinner. 

  

There are so many fun Canadian foods I need to try, like Montreal bagels. 

The donair was invented in Halifax and is the official food of the city. 

The California Roll was invented in Vancouver, despite the name. I wish the sample on display was made properly though, with the nori hidden on the inside like it's supposed to be.

I love the little hands-on touches...

... like this basket of (reusable, foam) fortune cookies. "Try a recipe from a country you know little about." Will do!

Maple syrup in a can! Next to this display was the story of the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist. 

This part of the exhibit has lots of space for creative play. 

I'm a bit too tall for this TV. I'm almost never too tall for anything, lol. 

I really enjoyed learning about Canada's extinct and endangered foods, like dulse (affiliate link)...

... the Montreal melon... 

... and Nova Scotia Sauerkraut. 

We had such a great visit at the Canadian Museum of Immigration! I definitely recommend a visit. Really, you can't go wrong visiting anywhere in Canada. I've enjoyed every minute I've spent in the Great White North. It's a beautiful, clean country with some of the nicest people I've ever met. 

The geese, not so much.