I know you’re all eagerly awaiting the skinny (is that still a thing?) on the Giant’s Causeway, but I’m taking a break this week to talk about summer in Halifax.  See, I live in Halifax and it’s currently summer, and I want to talk about Halifax’s summer before it ends.  (Better to do it now rather than wait the x number of weeks it’ll take me to finish Ireland, Scotland and England, right?)

Yesterday was super sunny (just like today, yay!), so I decided to take a stroll through the Public Gardens.

The public gardens were created in 1874.  It’s got a variety of trees, cacti, statues, flowers, bridges, ponds, and a bandstand.  It’s not quite in the league of certain Botanical Gardens (*coughBrooklynMalagacough*), but it’s nice enough for a summer’s walk.

The map is near the corner of Summer Street and Sackville Street, but you don’t really need it.  The garden isn’t really that big (about 16 acres big), so you never really lose the “city” around you, unless you go more towards the centre. 

The thing I find funny about the Public Gardens is that they’re not super public.  It’s only open from May 1 to November 1 (sort of understandable, when you consider how much snow we sometimes get, but it’s still funny to walk past the Public Gardens and see chains and locks on the gates.

Another funny thing is that you can’t walk on the grass.  I’m not sure what happens if you break the rules, but you’re definitely in the wrong place for picnics and sun-bathing.  Well, except for the Public Lawn area, along Summer Street.

This is the one place where you can walk on the grass or lie down, or just run around.  There are also a couple fixed chairs with game boards on them.  I’ve yet to find someone who’ll play chess with me here.

And, if you’re luck you’ll spot some wildlife (other than the ducks and geese).

Some of those squirrels are really camera-hogs.  Bunch of posers…

But no doubt that the Public Gardens are one of the nicest places to walk around in the city.