That first night in the Halifax backpackers brought me back to a lifestyle that I love so much.Having the chance to meet a whole bunch of really interesting people from so many places is something that doesn't happen to the average guy who is living the "accepted"way of life.Working 50-60hrs a week surrounded by people who for the most part have lost the spark of life is not a place where I want to spend my time.Sadly,so many of us do.
What was great was the chance to spend some time with a group of Americans some of whom were participating in the Semester at Sea program and some of whom were here for their own reasons.It was an absolute pleasure to see that my favourable opinion of Americans was strengthened by this group of young, intelligent and welcoming embassadors of the Stars and Stripes.In many ways the Yanks get a pretty rough deal when it comes to world opinion but these guys and gals were great.They made me drink too much beer but I have wide shoulders and can bear such burdens when called upon.Who am I kidding?College girls and beer-what more motivation does a guy need to wander the streets of Halifax until 3am?Exellent!!!
The big night out for me had the added bonus of making sure that I had no problem sleeping and the short,alcohol induced coma was just the thing I needed after such a long trip.I was here though and ready to check out just what Nova Scotia's capital had to offer.With that in mind I took the 20 minute stroll to the downtwn core and immersed myself in the Maritime culture.
I like cities that make no pretence about the fact that they are a tourist town and Halifax is no doubt close to the top of the heap in that regard.From the scores of people ascending the slopes of the Citadel like an invading army to the unending line of tacky tourist shops fronting the waterfront this place is tourist central.The history of this city is palpable and the huge number of museums and exhibition buildings holding pride of place in the downtown core is evidence of local pride in Nova Scotias' heritage.
The city itself is small and very quiet but it cetainly has its charm.Being the weekend,my first foray into the Halifax way of life was to do combat with the crowds of tourists ambling around the waterfront.There were hundreds of them-hundreds!It was all good though and I decided that would spend a day or so just wandering around being a tourist and soaking in the atmosphere.I had five months to be an athlete so I left my bike in it's box under the bed and for a couple of days and was a backpacer, at least it would give me time to get used to the temperatures here on the east coast as, for me at least,they felt decidedly wintery.
As for the charity aspect of my ride I decided that it was time to shift focus from me having a great cycling "holiday" to doing all I could to raise the profile of the Athletes in Kind cause.That meant adjusting my expectations relating to where I would ride and what I would be able to see.I could just ride around the coast and do the Cabot Trail,Prince Edward Island and all that but while it would be a great experience for me, the chances of raising any money that way was pretty much nil.No,I would have to spend more time out meeting people and pushing "the cause" to everyone who would listen.It is pretty tough though to impress upon media outlets what you are trying to achieve when they are used to see so many people cycling across Canada every year in the name of some charty or other.
My decision to stay in Halifx was really taken out of my hands when on my second day of two-wheeled exploration my front brake failed.It was lucky for me that I was standing still when it happened as(for anyone who hasn't been to Halifax)the hills are pretty steep here and if I had lost my brakes at speed it would have been ugly.Not to worry though,I had checked out a couple of bike stores the day before and so headed,very,slowly to the more upmarket of the two bike shops that I'd seen.The first was a big,clean,modern affair with cool clothes,expensive equipment and the cleanest work station I'd ever seen in a bike store.I walked my little mtb into the store and asked if someone could have a look at my front brake while I checked out the selection of tyres the store had on offer.The guy asked what was wrong and I told him that the brake doesn't work and he then informed me that as the brakes were hydraulic he would need some time to figure out what was wrong.I told him that I though the brakes just needed bleeding but he told me that he would have to take it apart to be sure.I asked how long that would take.He didn't know but he did know that he couldn't book me in for two days.Two days for and appointment!!!Jesus,what was this place,a doctors office?I just wanted my brakes fixed not a plastic surgery consult.I took my bike off the workstand and said my goobyes.I wouldn't be bying anything from that store.
I rode into the city centre to the other bike store which couldn't be more different.This place is small,dirty and has no yuppy, overpriced bike parts hanging on shiny display cases.There were a few bikes hanging up on old racks and not that much in the way of stuff to buy.What they did have was a group of guys busy at doing what a real bikers bike shop does,fix bikes!One scruffy guy came up to me and asked what he could do for me.I told him my tale of woe and he said "no probem,leave it with us and you can pick it up later tonight".Awesome!!He gave me a price and asked if there was anything else I needed.I ordered two tyres and told them that I'd see them the next afternoon as I wanted to do some touristing in town before I rode to Quebec.Now that is my kind of bike shop!
That day and the next were museum days.The weather had changed for the worst and along with the low tempeatures there was a thick fog enveloping the city.I was doing exactly what I had intended by coming here three weeks before the Double Iron and that was getting used to the cold weather that had struck me down during all of my previous attempts in Levis.I may not be fit but at least I will not suffer because of the cold this year,it will be my sheer lazyness over the last six months that will come to haunt me come race day.Speaking of being lazy,in an atempt to at least pretend that I am an athlete I did begin doing some runs around the city.Thankfully the weather kept the streets pretty quiet and I'll tell you it was pretty surreal runing through the fog on a cold "summers" day.The Titanic graveyard was particularly scary to stumble upon on one foggy morning.Scary in a good way though as it is an amazing place.The Citadel grounds and the waterfront boardwalk all made for great running destinations and I felt like I was on an historical running tour of Nova Scoatia's maritime heritage.It is a really cool city full of sights and smells that just overwealm your senses and I wondered why I had never visited before.My delay here in Halifax, as with so many other unplanned hiccups in my travels over the years, proved that there is much to be gained from just accepting your fate and opening your eyes to the world around you.Let's see what the next couple of days in Haifax brings.
What was great was the chance to spend some time with a group of Americans some of whom were participating in the Semester at Sea program and some of whom were here for their own reasons.It was an absolute pleasure to see that my favourable opinion of Americans was strengthened by this group of young, intelligent and welcoming embassadors of the Stars and Stripes.In many ways the Yanks get a pretty rough deal when it comes to world opinion but these guys and gals were great.They made me drink too much beer but I have wide shoulders and can bear such burdens when called upon.Who am I kidding?College girls and beer-what more motivation does a guy need to wander the streets of Halifax until 3am?Exellent!!!
The big night out for me had the added bonus of making sure that I had no problem sleeping and the short,alcohol induced coma was just the thing I needed after such a long trip.I was here though and ready to check out just what Nova Scotia's capital had to offer.With that in mind I took the 20 minute stroll to the downtwn core and immersed myself in the Maritime culture.
I like cities that make no pretence about the fact that they are a tourist town and Halifax is no doubt close to the top of the heap in that regard.From the scores of people ascending the slopes of the Citadel like an invading army to the unending line of tacky tourist shops fronting the waterfront this place is tourist central.The history of this city is palpable and the huge number of museums and exhibition buildings holding pride of place in the downtown core is evidence of local pride in Nova Scotias' heritage.
The city itself is small and very quiet but it cetainly has its charm.Being the weekend,my first foray into the Halifax way of life was to do combat with the crowds of tourists ambling around the waterfront.There were hundreds of them-hundreds!It was all good though and I decided that would spend a day or so just wandering around being a tourist and soaking in the atmosphere.I had five months to be an athlete so I left my bike in it's box under the bed and for a couple of days and was a backpacer, at least it would give me time to get used to the temperatures here on the east coast as, for me at least,they felt decidedly wintery.
As for the charity aspect of my ride I decided that it was time to shift focus from me having a great cycling "holiday" to doing all I could to raise the profile of the Athletes in Kind cause.That meant adjusting my expectations relating to where I would ride and what I would be able to see.I could just ride around the coast and do the Cabot Trail,Prince Edward Island and all that but while it would be a great experience for me, the chances of raising any money that way was pretty much nil.No,I would have to spend more time out meeting people and pushing "the cause" to everyone who would listen.It is pretty tough though to impress upon media outlets what you are trying to achieve when they are used to see so many people cycling across Canada every year in the name of some charty or other.
My decision to stay in Halifx was really taken out of my hands when on my second day of two-wheeled exploration my front brake failed.It was lucky for me that I was standing still when it happened as(for anyone who hasn't been to Halifax)the hills are pretty steep here and if I had lost my brakes at speed it would have been ugly.Not to worry though,I had checked out a couple of bike stores the day before and so headed,very,slowly to the more upmarket of the two bike shops that I'd seen.The first was a big,clean,modern affair with cool clothes,expensive equipment and the cleanest work station I'd ever seen in a bike store.I walked my little mtb into the store and asked if someone could have a look at my front brake while I checked out the selection of tyres the store had on offer.The guy asked what was wrong and I told him that the brake doesn't work and he then informed me that as the brakes were hydraulic he would need some time to figure out what was wrong.I told him that I though the brakes just needed bleeding but he told me that he would have to take it apart to be sure.I asked how long that would take.He didn't know but he did know that he couldn't book me in for two days.Two days for and appointment!!!Jesus,what was this place,a doctors office?I just wanted my brakes fixed not a plastic surgery consult.I took my bike off the workstand and said my goobyes.I wouldn't be bying anything from that store.
I rode into the city centre to the other bike store which couldn't be more different.This place is small,dirty and has no yuppy, overpriced bike parts hanging on shiny display cases.There were a few bikes hanging up on old racks and not that much in the way of stuff to buy.What they did have was a group of guys busy at doing what a real bikers bike shop does,fix bikes!One scruffy guy came up to me and asked what he could do for me.I told him my tale of woe and he said "no probem,leave it with us and you can pick it up later tonight".Awesome!!He gave me a price and asked if there was anything else I needed.I ordered two tyres and told them that I'd see them the next afternoon as I wanted to do some touristing in town before I rode to Quebec.Now that is my kind of bike shop!
That day and the next were museum days.The weather had changed for the worst and along with the low tempeatures there was a thick fog enveloping the city.I was doing exactly what I had intended by coming here three weeks before the Double Iron and that was getting used to the cold weather that had struck me down during all of my previous attempts in Levis.I may not be fit but at least I will not suffer because of the cold this year,it will be my sheer lazyness over the last six months that will come to haunt me come race day.Speaking of being lazy,in an atempt to at least pretend that I am an athlete I did begin doing some runs around the city.Thankfully the weather kept the streets pretty quiet and I'll tell you it was pretty surreal runing through the fog on a cold "summers" day.The Titanic graveyard was particularly scary to stumble upon on one foggy morning.Scary in a good way though as it is an amazing place.The Citadel grounds and the waterfront boardwalk all made for great running destinations and I felt like I was on an historical running tour of Nova Scoatia's maritime heritage.It is a really cool city full of sights and smells that just overwealm your senses and I wondered why I had never visited before.My delay here in Halifax, as with so many other unplanned hiccups in my travels over the years, proved that there is much to be gained from just accepting your fate and opening your eyes to the world around you.Let's see what the next couple of days in Haifax brings.
1 comment:
Don't think of it as "being lazy,in an attempt to at least pretend that you're an athlete" but rather you took six months to "acquire" the necessary "insulation" to be successful in Levis!
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