Touring The Great North – Part 14 – The Citadel In Halifax

Still in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While passing the citadel on our duck tour, we all decided it was place we wanted to visit. Once again, Milos’ military card helped us out and got us all in for free. And again, thank you Milos for both your service to your country and for the benefits extended to all of us.

The citadel is historic. It is a museum, but it is also still active today for certain military events and military personnel.

The clock tower sits at the bottom of the hill to the entrance. The citadel itself sits atop a high hill so it can overlook the the surrounding areas from all angles.

During World War I, The Halifax Citadel served as soldier barracks and a command center for Halifax Harbor defenses. It remained a temporary barracks for troops in World War II, and was their last glimpse of Canada before heading overseas. Today, the Halifax Citadel is among the nation’s most significant and beloved historic sites. The Citadel was occupied by British forces until 1906, then by the Canadian military as a detention camp during World War I, and as Halifax headquarters for anti-aircraft defenses during World War II. While never attacked, the Citadel was long the keystone to defense of the strategically important Halifax Harbor and its Royal Navy Dockyard.

Both Maureen and I have Scottish heritage, so we took pictures with the Highlanders. Maureen’s grandfather was in this unit during WWII.

We learned a lot by touring the citadel. Before going into the museum, we watched the ceremony of the changing of the guards and listened to the bagpipe and drum session.

After watching the outside events, we toured the grounds. We didn’t stay outside too long because it was starting to rain pretty heavily, so we went inside quickly. It didn’t rain for too long, but long enough to get us wet.

This flag pole was designed as a high mast for the British soldiers to recognize the fort from the sea.

Then we toured through the museum to learn even more. The presentation was very well done, and gave a thorough look into Canada’s long history of preserving peace and freedom through the world’s battles. Again, I took so many pictures, and pictures don’t really do the museum justice. But it is a must see whenever you are in the area.

This is a replica a steel door after being blasted by a bomb.

This is a model of the Canadian Veterans Monument.

Once again, we got a picture of Milos standing by a representation of someone from his time in Afghanistan.

Thank you Milos, and to everyone who served and who sacrificed to defend our freedoms. You will always be remembered and honored.

Next stop, Peggy’s Cove. I am nearing the end of our our fabulous Canadian adventures, but I do still have a little bit more to share. I hope you have been enjoying my Canadian adventure series as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.