What a luxury having breakfast at Starbucks on gift cards. We made good use of their free WIFI as well.

We returned to the Halifax waterfront and visited Pier 21, the museum of immigration. A special exhibition on family and what creates and binds family captivated us. Families that immigrated often brought objects and memorabilia from their old countries that connected them to their heritage. The term family was also used in a broad way to connect sports team members, military, friends, pets and anyone you love dearly.

The main Pier 21 exhibits cover the stories and history of families that arrived via ship in Halifax to begin a new life in a new country. It talked about the ships, the journey and the hardships experienced during the journey, the landing and processing by Canadian officials and the help of many volunteers and church organizations who assisted newcomers.

A particularly sad story was that of the 900 Jewish passengers who fled Nazi Germany and were turned away first by Cuba (although they had initially approved their immigration), then by the USA and finally by Canada. They were forced to return to Europe where more than a quarter perished in the Holocaust.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic wasn’t much more uplifting as it covered the sinking of the Titanic and the devastating explosion in the Halifax harbour.

It was now time to leave and head to Peggy’s Cove for a late afternoon and evening photographic shoot. We had a lot of fun and took a great number of images to add to the collection of one of the world’s most photographed locations. Ruth just loved the wild waves and Martin tried to tame them with long exposures.