Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal Waterway

#FortLauderdaleIntraCoastalWaterway

Here i am entering a section of this famous man-made waterway nicknamed the "Venice of America" 
 This portion is by far the most scenic and extravagant part of the 4,500 km (2,800 mile) route in my humble opinion, hence the blog
One example why, in Italy there are only 42kms (26 miles) of canals and here it has over 480kms
(300 miles) of navigable inland channels to explore

School is in Session 😂
This is a common mistake and why you are reading my travel blog(s) to learn, or so i hope
Most spell it as "Intercoastal" Waterway
"Inter" is used when travelling between different countries
"Intra" when motoring within the inland waters of a single country

Water Garages
Most neighborhoods are designed so residents can park their boats at
 their backyard docks

I have had sailing friends who have done the Florida Fort Lauderdale Boat Show (to purchase)
then navigate it up to Hells Kitchen New York, via the Hudson River as a journey

Fun Fact
Legend has it that the New York neighborhood earned its name Hell in 1881
 First from a reporter to describe the crime ridden area, then when a local policeman told
 his rookie partner
"Hell is a mild climate, This is Hells Kitchen"

The waterway was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1900s, first to protect the American cargo and military ships from the open ocean storms
But also from the German U Boats that were patrolling along the Atlantic coast

Facts
First World War
Only four U-Boats crossed the Atlantic to raid coastal shipping,
 but they sank over two hundred US vessels 

Second World War
Canada
The U-Boats were engaged in an unrestricted warfare along the entire East Coast of North America
In the 1942 they entered the inland waterway of the St Lawrence River
 where than sank twenty one ships
My City of Halifax would anchor submarine nets to either side of Georges Island to protect its
harbor from attack 
( for more of this story #GeorgesIslandHalifaxCanada)
Gulf of Mexico
Over fifty six  American merchant ships were sent to the bottom in this body of water, plus another
 thirty nine off the coast of Texas and Louisiana

So you can see the importance of making this waterway route during these
 turbulent times

Canal Transportation

With many stops along the route, the local Water Taxi is also a great way to tour the area at
 a very reasonable cost
Bonus
Unlike standard public transit, they allow you to purchase and enjoy alcoholic beverages onboard,
 while you see how the "Other Half Lives" 😎

Water Traffic Jam
The city has over 50,000 registered boats plus large vessels and also is home to 2,000 mega-yachts,
so easy to see why we are "backed up" 
There is an App called the Marine Traffic Live Ship Map to track movements, especially around the causeway spans which are needed to operate for the "normal" automobile flow
 The Bridges
They stay closed during peak times of 7.30 - 8.30am and 4.30 - 5.30pm
  With the remaining prime hours, only opens on the top of the clock
  Exceptions are made for law enforcement, vessels in distress or tugboats with tows 

Millionaire Row
Passing many of the huge mansions as i leave, with the estimated value of between $15 to $100 million just for the property and not including the mega yachts parked nearby

Peanut Island
It is a laid back 1 to 3 hour sail for most 70kms (40 miles)
For me, who is watching time jajajajja so longer

 Early History
The island was completely man-made from the dirt dredged during the construction for the port of nearby Palm Beach, with the plan to use it as a shipping terminal for peanut oil
It is only accessible by water and so no cars are allowed on the island, which is refreshing
JFK Secret Bunker
Because he wintered in nearby Palm Beach, the government built a subterranean blast shelter here in 1961 in case of a nuclear attack.
Unfortunately its been closed since 2017 due to safety concerns, with plans to
 restore the facility 

Today
The area underwent a huge $13 million renovation in 2005 to transform it into the public park,
 which decades later is for all to enjoy

Pizza
Hey traveling and writing gets you hungry, so ordered a pie to be delivered on / from the water,
what better way to close out this latest chapter of this adventure

Famous "sons & daughters" of Halifax Canada

#FamousSonsDaughters_HalifaxNovaScotiaCanada

As i write this story about some of these people, i purposefully scaled it so once you visit my beautiful city the buildings highlighted here are on just two streets of the downtown historic section
 Give yourself an afternoon to absorb all the history found here in Eastern Canada
Lets Start

Pier 21 
Arriving New "Sons and Daughters"
Its called the "Gateway to Canada" with over one million immigrants that came through this building between 1928 to 1971, mostly to flee oppression due to armed conflicts or to start a better life for themselves and / or their families

Some Famous People Who Came Through
A) Winston Churchill; the British Prime Minister passed through multiple times to attend high level military meetings in Quebec and Washington

B) Princess Juliana of the Netherlands; the future Queen arrived here after the Nazi invasion of her country and lived in Ottawa for the remainder of the war

C) Rosalie Abella; was born in a German Displaced Persons Camp, she arrived in 1950 as a child refugee and went on to be the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada

D) Peter C. Newman; arrived as a child in 1940 fleeing the war, then became a famous Canadian journalist, author and was the former editor of the Toronto Star plus the MacLean

E) Luba Goy; entered Pier 21 as a youngster with her Ukrainian parents and would go on to have a great career as a comedian and star in Royal Canadian Air Farce Troop

 

War Bride Train

Pier 21 was the departure point of 500,000 Canadian Military Personal deploying overseas
during the Second World War
Some of these soldiers would meet their future spouses while fighting in Europe, so once they returned and got sent to their military base here in Canada, the women followed months later to be at first processed they sent by rail to be with their future or newly wed husbands
(which numbered 40,000 ladies and also included 20,000 of their newborns)
Hence why the railcar is part of the museum

Some of The Notable Passengers
A) Olga Rains; she was a Dutch war bride who became a vocal advocate for the preservation of the immigration history and to help raise public awareness of the unique struggles and
triumphs of her "group"
B) Betty Carr; she arrived from the United Kingdom and went on the write The Story of the Canadian War Brides which was a definitive firsthand account as she was living the experience 

 Melynda Jarratt
 Growing up in New Brunswick Canada she became the foremost war bride historian, authoring numerous books on the subject
Her beginnings began as her Masters Thesis on the subject (1987) with her research on a local woman Jenny Langin who was a Scottish war bride

Samuel Cunard

One of our most famous sons, born in Halifax in 1787 and amassed a personal fortune from banking, coal mining and iron
Of course most know the name from his shipping empire that first started out as a Royal Mail Service, which meant a strict schedule plus technical innovation
That was (having foresight) a perfect trial run for carrying people
Eventually he launched his passenger version with a paddle steamer Britannia on her maiden voyage starting in Liverpool to Halifax onto Boston (1840)
Into 2026 and what we see today is the MS Queen Anne (2024)

Fun Facts
A) Queen Anne; is the 249th vessel of the 180 year history of the
Cunard Shipping Family
B) Prefix; RMS was Royal Mail Ship, now the modern fleet uses
 MS which is Motor Ship
C) Queen Mary 2; launched in 2004 it is the only ocean liner that is still in
active operation built to handle the heavy seas of the North Atlantic
 Its structurally engineered with a  thicker hull and a deeper draught (it lowers the ships center of gravity which gives it better stability in the open ocean)
D) Pet Lovers; its the only passenger vessel equipped with kennels and features a New York fire hydrant and a Liverpool lamp post for those pee breaks 😀

William Alexander Henry

Born in Halifax (1816-1888) he was a lawyer, politician (Mayor of our City) and one of the first justices on the Supreme Court of Canada
But most famously he provided critical expertise during the drafting of the constitution and the legal language for the British North America Act 1867
This legislation formally established the nation of Canada with the four Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario) to form the Dominion
Thus he is known as one of the Fathers of Confederation

Henry House
Designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in his honor, so drop by and raise a
glass to another famous family member of Halifax 

British Major General Robert Ross
He is one of our "adopted sons" who is laid to rest here and led the raid of the White House after the attack on present day Toronto by the Americans
This story at length #BritishHalifaxCanada_WhiteHouseBurning

Khyber Building (1888)
Originally opened as the Church of England Institute with a library, gym
 and lecture halls

The Turret Club (1970s-1980s)
Operated by the Gay Alliance for Equality which the space hosted one of Canadas earliest queer nightclubs with the society trying to have it recognized as the countrys first official queer heritage site With that moving forward Canada Post did put out a stamp depicting the famous turret on
one of their issues

Centre for the Arts (1990s - 2014)
Cultural "Sons and Daughters"
Some famous local musicians got their start here after the space was transformed into a venue to host Indie Music plus the Art Scene

A) Joel Plaskett; started his career here and named his debut album
Down at the Khyber
B) Classified; the Juno Award winning rapper and now producer used the space to help build his fan base because of the all-ages and alternative gig nights that happened here
C) Sloan; its members were studying at NSCAD with the Khyber Club being part of the campus, thus it served as an early live venue for the band
D) Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby; they are an award winning media artists duo, who showcased their early video art pieces here
E) Shary Boyle;  she is known for her sculptures, drawings and performance art that represented Canada at the 2013 Venice Biennale and like the others, got her start at the Khyber
F) Kelly Mark; she is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist who helped establish the buildings identity in the early beginnings

St Pauls Anglican Church

Many Lost "Sons and Daughters"

Halifax Cenotaph Grand Parade
The church was built with the founding of Halifax (1749) so its intimately tied to the cities military history, with a dedicated Second World War chapel and plaques commemorating regimental colors

Titanic
The church held a service six days after the sinking and before the body recovering vessels
 chartered by White Star returned to Halifax Harbor
For more in-depth story #TitanicHalifaxNSCanadaConnection

Halifax Explosion
The building survived the blast and the church was used for an emergency hospital and morgue
Visitors today can view inside the building, there is a metal piece of the original window frame embedded above the doorway plus the famous "Face in the Window" silhouette

George Henry Wright

"Lost Son"
Was a parishioner of St Pauls Church which held a memorial service for him after he went down
 on the Titanic
He was a prominent businessman, developer and philanthropist from nearby Wrights Cove and
 based in Halifax
On Barrington Street you can see on of his many structures in the city;
The Marble Wright Building

At the same Grand Parade

Halifax Explosion December 6th 1917
The harbor was the gathering place for all the First World War vessels
 They were heading across the Atlantic Ocean and were being escorted by our Canadian Navy for protection from the German U-Boats
The French munitions ship SS Mont-Blanc collied with SS Imo which ignited a fire and then the largest manmade explosion up to the atomic age happened
The blast killed 2,000 people, injured another 9,000 ( many were blinded by flying glass, this was the start of the CNIB.... Canadian National Institute for the Blind ) and 6,000 more of our citizens
 were left homeless

"Sister City"
Within hours of the tragedy the City of Boston sent by train many trained medical professionals,
 food and supplies
 So as a way of saying thank you, we started sending a Christmas Tree the following year in 1918
 (and after a brief pause)
 The Tree for Boston tradition was officially revived by the Province
 of Nova Scotia in 1971 

So before leaving this area look for the City Hall Clock Tower on its northern face, the dial hands are purposely frozen at the time when the explosion took place to pay homage to
our lost "sons and daughters"

Enos Collins

Entrepreneurial "Son"
Was born (1774) outside of Halifax in Liverpool NS (150kms-93 miles) but was based here and was widely acclaimed to be the richest man in Canada
He was one of twenty six children and received little formal education and went to work at sea at
very young age 
By age nineteen he was the master of a trading vessel and then became owner of the Liverpool Packet which was a legendary privateer ship (a pirate who gets permission from the British Government to be their protection of this port city)
So this is how the wealth started as it was wartime profits beyond capturing ships and all its cargo, he would break naval blockades to supply the British in their various wars and also buy other ships seized by the courts at a huge discount

Historic Properties
Look for the Collins Court sign on the facade of the above picture, this was
basically his work space and office buildings

Start of CIBC 

Financial "Sons"
In 1825 Enos Collins, Samuel Cunard and Henry Cogswell formed the Halifax
Banking Company

So full circle moment if you remember the Confederation of Canada and Alexander Henry
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was founded just months before in 1867 in Toronto and then established an office in Halifax in 1903 ( 5171 George Street) by merging with the above Halifax Banking Company from its Historic Properties location

This eventually is the present day CIBC with its 900+ corporate banking centers in Canada, United States, Asia, the UK and the Caribbean

Viola Desmond

"Civil Rights Daughter"
So next to Historic Properties is the Cable Wharf and our water transportation, you can board her namesake to cross the harbor or maybe keep as a souvenir a Ten Dollar Bill with her likeness

She became a highly successful entrepreneur but in the beginnings was blocked from attending beauty schools in Halifax because (i am ashamed to say) of her race.
 So her training was done in New York, Montreal and Atlantic City then returned home to open a Studio of Beauty Culture plus launching her own line of cosmetics
Then founded a the Desmond School of Beauty plus mentoring and training many generations of black women to become financially independent business owners

Roseland Theatre
Traveling outside Halifax on a business trip, her car broke down near New Glasgow (160kms - 100 miles from the City)
To pass time she went to the theatre and sat in the main floor, apparently it was a "whites-only" section, but she refused to move
Police were called, she was forcibly removed, jailed overnight and prosecuted
The legal process was ultimately unsuccessful due to technicalities, but her public stand laid the groundwork for the country of Canada and its civil rights movement

Todays Legacy
The Government in 2010 gave a posthumous apology and an absolute pardon thus correcting the historical legal record
She was named a Person of National Historic Significance in 2017

Alexander Keith (1795-1873)

He was not born here but we claim him as one of our own jajajaja
He immigrated to Halifax in 1817 from Scotland and bought out a local brewery a few years later
Thus started his journey, which today it is one of the oldest working breweries in North America

But he also was the Mayor multiple times and a Freemason which maybe brought on the paranoid, as he built a series of tunnels between his residence of Keith Hall (one block north) to his business plus rumor has it, a few other tunnels within the city 

So (highly recommended) when you do the brewery tour here, you indeed travel the tunnels and finally have some samples of his India Pale Ale in an underground pub (6 meters / 20 feet deep)
This is why he is one of our "favorite sons" of Halifax

Government House

Our "Royal Family"
This is the oldest consecutively occupied vice-regal residence in North America
It serves as the official home to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia since 1805 which is
now a ceremonial role
Today it functions as the central hub for diplomatic receptions, official state events and hosting
 visiting royals

This historic property also served as a command post and relief hub during the 1917 Halifax Explosion, so which in closing is how all of us "sons and daughters" within any area you live should act
 Always Helping Each Other

Dark History of Royal Palace Sweden

#DarkHistory_RoyalPalaceSweden

As i walk to Gamla Stan (Old Town) of Stockholm, its easy to spot this massive Baroque structure that has over 1,430 rooms (with my investigative interest in the cellar location) and is one of the largest active palaces in Europe
Unlike many other global royal sites, a large portion here is open to the public year around

KeyTip
Depending on how long you are in the city or what you wish to visit, but the Go City Stockholm Pass
 is your best value
Its a digital sightseeing ticket to over 50+ major attractions, museums and boat tours
 across the area

 

Tre Kronor
You cannot help but see the Three Crowns every where inside as i walk the halls, it has become the national emblem of Sweden and is featured on its passports, government buildings plus
national sports jerseys

The Mystery Beginnings
The symbol has been used since the 1300s and the popular theory ranges from the Three Wise Men of the Bible, or to representing the three ancient Pagen Gods of Uppsala

Fire of 1697
The sign was on the central tower of the Citadel in Stockholm which then the name of Three Crowns Castle was born, which unfortunately burnt down
This Palace was built on those grounds, which inside a museum was constructed that traces the history of the old fortress using surviving artifacts, scale models and archaeological remnants

Independence
The Three Crowns were used yet again during the Kalmar Union in which Sweden, Denmark and Norway were all ruled under a single monarch 
When Sweden officially broke away from the alliance in the 16th century, it kept the emblem to show itself as a proud member of a national sovereignty

Nordic Versailles
The architect Nicodemus Tessin was aiming to recreate the grandeur of Versailles, but unlike its famous "sister palace" it never experienced the massive looting that the French endured, so this building has retained a completely unmatched archive of its original 1600s to 1700s furniture, carpets and decor

Birthplace of Swedish Culture
During the sixty year construction window, a drawing school was established inside the building during the 1730s, this workshop eventually evolved into todays Royal Academy of Fine Arts 

Listed Official Residence
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia actually live at Drottningholm Palace, so instead the building is used for other forms of government business or hosting state run galas for foreign dignitaries

Museum of Antiquities
It houses over two hundred antique Roman sculptures, busts and vases

Neoclassicism
King Gustav III purchased a massive collection during his visit of Italy in 1783, he wanted to showcase Sweden as an enlightened and culturally sophisticated European power

Bronze Putti Statues
It was done to contrast the long staircases of the palace (or any huge open space you visit in your future travels) to emit a soft glow or to "shrink" the area

Public Events
The Palace is also open for business to host private gatherings to help raise funds 

Expensive Maintenance Costs
General daily running and administrative support is around $20 million USD per year
 Old buildings means ongoing structural work and preservation which is pegged at $52 million USD, (over a 22 year span) with just the masonry is at 2.1 million USD per year
So revenue is raised from daily ticket sales from tourists and the mentioned
community gatherings

The Dark History Era
In 1520 King Christian II of Denmark went on a three day mass execution (80-100 people) of Swedish nobility, clergy and prominent citizens 
After this horrific event, it started the road to Independence from the Kalmar Union and into the country of Sweden (1523) with King Gustav I as the Head of State

Black Friars Monastery
It was founded in 1336 by King Magnus Eriksson and they got their nickname because of the black cloaks worn over their white garments
King Gustav shut down the monastery and seized all its belongings to payoff their war debts, famously one item was a 11 kilogram ( 388 ounces) silver plaque that was melted down

Repurposed
In 1527 a law was introduced called the Reformation to Sweden, this led to the confiscation and closure of all Catholic Monasteries
Much of the building materials from this particular site was carted away and reused
 for the Royal Palace

Haunted Rooms
After the church was demolished (but amazingly) the medieval vaulted cellars survived, which at times are open for guided tours

Actual Events
A) Black Death (1350); the Friars have a deep historical and spiritual tradition of caring for the sick, so many died at a high rate with their exposure and also those who they were trying to help passed away.
 Thus the monastery vaults were overwhelmed with the deceased as
  Stockholm lost 30% of its population during this pandemic
 Needless to say it was a
devastating period of history for the city

B) Fire of 1407; the blaze killed many monks inside the monastery

C) Political Prison (1500s); in the late Middle Ages  the Abbey functioned as a jail for high profile captives, most famously Queen Christina of Saxony (wife of King John of Denmark) 
There are no official records of inmates dying as it was considered "temporary captivity" but needless to say the conditions were terrible.
 So yes between diseases of these times and the "sordid living quarters" there would of been some who ended up succumbing to the elements
 
Connected by Folklore
A) Silver Plaque; after it was melted and because it was believed to cure diseases but also raise the dead, this awoke the spirits

B) Atlas Vampire; the monastery evil connection to the unsolved murder in 1932 was by the 1.6km (1 mile) distance between the two areas and nothing to do with the ancient site
 The killer had systematically drained all the blood from her body in the district of Atlas and so
 the story began to circulate

Bones Room
In Swedish its called Bunkallaren (the bone cellar) and i asked the staff a few times where it was in the Palace. The reply was eerily silent, then as you can see with the top picture i found the
 blocked entrance (or so i assume) 

I researched that the area in question was part of the surviving sections of the Three Crowns Castle,  which was discovered during an archaeological excavation under the palace in the 1920s
The mystery remains whether the human and animal remains found here were of ancient burials, if they were moved from elsewhere during early city construction, or maybe something more sinister

Fitting way i decided to end this story, with my version of the
Shadowy History of the Royal Palace