Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 02:24:24 +0000 (GMT)
From: Jason Goodman <sci5@knorr.whoi.edu>
To: Everyone Who Cares <aharleytoo@aol.com>, cjsmith@MIT.EDU,
        cmitchel%admin1@carleton.edu, deepa@matrisome.mit.edu,
        dmm@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu, dressler@carleton.edu,
        gcollins@pggipl.geo.brown.edu, goodman@aloha.net, goodmanj@MIT.EDU,
        jcostello@carleton.edu, jhango@MIT.EDU, kkazkaz@carleton.edu,
        marc_moskowitz@hmco.com, marymary@MIT.EDU, mkalke@indiana.edu,
        nkritzer@westpub.com, rebecca_kavich@cayennesoft.com,
        rebecca_moskowitz@mathworks.com
Subject: Halifax
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.970202020132.13773A-100000@mike.knorr.whoi.edu>
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  I got my first real chance to see Halifax today.  It's a beautiful city,
a lot like Cambridge in many ways, though not as old.  I walked along the
waterfront, and through downtown. There was a beautiful old library, with
a one-man street band playing a harmonica and a bucket-and-broomstick
banjo, and a very pretty church called the Basilica with a burying ground
next to it.  Graveyards during snowfall are really neat.  Then I walked up
the hill to the Citadel, the fortress I mentioned last time.  Remember I
described a giant defensive ditch cut around the thing?  It's more than
that: the whole top of the hillside has been dug out beyond the ditch,
forming a huge courtyard with barracks inset into the hillside, facing
inward toward the courtyard.  The barracks are "underground" in the sense
that they're covered with dirt, but they have windows looking out into the
courtyard on one side and the ditch on the other.  From the base of the
hill, though, it's just an ordinary hillside with an observation mast and
chimney-tops sticking out of the ground.  I can't imagine how one could
_ever_ capture this fortress without B-52s or helicopters. 
  I bought another disposable camera and took lots of pictures: it was 
rather foggy: they'll either look really cool or really lousy, depending 
on the camera and processing.
  I walked around town some more, and found a science fiction used
bookstore.  I didn't get past the B's (Bradbury, Brust) before I ran out
of money.  (the bad thing about visiting civilized foreign countries is
that they have cash machines which work with American ATM cards.) Then I
went to see the new Star Wars movie with friends from the ship.  It was
way cool, though they didn't integrate the new effects well with the old
film.  The new scenes (Jabba, Luke's old buddy) were worth it, though. 
But the best part was seeing Star Wars in a theater the size of Rhode
Island with a screen and sound to match.
  Unfortunately, the boat won't be in port long enough to catch Empire 
and Jedi: the repairs are going quickly, and we're leaving at 1700 
tomorrow.  Next time you hear from me, I'll be at sea.  I hope.

					Jason