The last of Barrett's Privateers: My visit to Halifax
I had the fortune to be invited up to Halifax Nova Scotia to speak at a conference on transgender health and wrangled an extra day to at least tour the city. Being a closet romantic, I had hoped to find remnants of late 18th and 19th C historic Halifax: privateers, sea trade, French-British-American conflict--you know, the good stuff. Alas, while Halifax is a fine city, historic preservation has been a bit lagging. The Citadel, the city's historic fortress, has been restored to 1869 status (and very little even of that era's buildings remained). As I found out, a 1917 explosion of munitions ship in Halifax harbor took out most of the city's waterfront at the time, including quite a bit of history, I'm sure. The current waterfront was still grand, though, with several tall ships in the harbor. I took a harbor ride on one of them, a 60 year old two masted schooner, completed with a tiny cannon that the crew shot off coming back into port. Being under sail, the wind in my face and a gin and tonic in my hand, was the highlight of the trip. I had my once -every-decade lobster dinner, along with some oysters so fresh they practically leapt into my mouth.
So, no privateers--but a good adventure, nonetheless.
So, no privateers--but a good adventure, nonetheless.