That’s Stephanie, who with her husband Robert has the Cora franchise where we breakfasted mightily both mornings in Halifax, at 1535 Dresden Row. Her smile is a worthy reminder that no matter how exciting the journey is, it’s the people you meet along the way who make it memorable.

We arrived at the restaurant just after the breakfast rush. Stephanie greeted us with hot coffee (it was quite good) and we began to chat. She had responsibilities, of course, but as we ate, we managed to cobble together a lively conversation about customer service, the Cora mission, Newfoundland (oh, how I want to go there!), and why we should visit the Halifax Public Gardens, which you read about in the last post. We left feeling that we’d made a friend. The next day we returned, and even though the restaurant was busy, Stephanie found time to bring her husband Robert over to meet us. How kind was that?

We strolled and window-shopped after breakfast. At John David Shoes on Spring Garden Street, Hubby insisted that I add these cute and functional PIkolino boots to my collection:

Next stop was Wuzzles, Canada’s oldest children’s bookstore, at 1533 Birmingham Street. In love as I am with independent bookstores of almost any stripe, this was a place I had to see. Every child should have the chance to roam around a store like Wuzzles. The highly informed, and highly patient, children’s librarian on duty found age-appropriate books by Maritime authors for our grands. Children’s book sections at chains are all well and good, but nothing beats the atmosphere in a store that’s always been just for kids.

Halifax is an interesting mix of old and new, friendly, lively, and extremely walkable. There’s obviously much more to see and do, but all told, the visit left us well satisfied with the time we’d spent there. The best measure of a memorable travel experience is always whether you’d repeat it. We certainly would, but next time, perhaps just one day in the city and the rest devoted to the province’s picturesque fishing villages and Cape Breton.

Next time: Prince Edward Island.