Vacation Update #2

After Monday's wonderful drive around the Cabot Trail, Tuesday we "rested" in Halifax. We visited the Citadel National Historic Site, a star-shaped military structure set atop a hill, built in the 1800s to protect Halifax harbour. The changing of the guards on the hour was very neat. DS *loved* it! My son was running around pretending we were being attacked and was fighting off his imaginary attackers. We also visited Point Pleasant Park, which was ravaged in Hurricane Juan in 1996, where the Prince of Wales tour is. We also visited the Museum of Natural History, which was fantastic for the kids. Unfortunately we were there 35 minutes before closing, so we didn't have to pay admission, but we also didn't get time to enjoy it all.

We ate at Satisfaction Feast, possibly the only 100% vegetarian restaurant in all of Nova Scotia (the only one I've heard of, anyways). The kids devoured dessert: chocolate tofu truffles and peanut butter balls! We visited a meditation/book store (Drala Books) which was well worth the stop, and also MEC, one of my fave places to shop.

Outside the public library, DS noticed a panhandler. He asked if we could give him some money, but I didn't have any cash on me. For at least an hour after, ds was nearly in tears, upset and feeling helpless. It was really a big moment for him - seeing someone begging for change. He brought it up once or twice to try and talk about it and process it, but after that, he's started to try to stuff it down and doesn't want me to bring it up. I did tell him that ignoring it doesn't make it go away; we need to think of things we can do to solve the problem. I'm sure he'll remember that moment, observing the man from across the street, for the rest of his life. I even felt as I watched him watching the man, that time was somehow going slower than normal.

Wednesday we left Halifax and drove south to Peggy's Cove, with its lighthouse - the most photographed lighthouse in all of North America, reputedly. Stunning and rugged around there; absolutely beautiful with the fall colours. Also near Peggy's Cove, sadly, is the memorial for Swiss Air Flight 111 which crashed on September 2, 1998. We also went down to Mahone Bay, where the annual Scarecrow Festival was on. Honestly, I had no idea how crazy this town gets over its scarecrow festival. For such a small town, nearly every business or home had a scarecrow outside - one was decorated like Marilyn Monroe, another like the Mona Lisa, there was an RCMP scarecrow in red serge, a couple of scarecrows getting married... on and on. The kids ***LOVED*** it. With the beautiful natural surroundings of the fall colours and harbour, it was really really beautiful. AND there was a deli that sold organic vegetables (which have been hard to come by) and a restaurant with a smoothie bar (another rarity).

Afterwards, we headed up to Truro to the Tidal Bore Interpretive Centre and then onto Moncton, New Brunswick. One thing I've noticed about NB so far is that it is VERY bilingual. Whereas in BC I certainly don't get the impression that Canada has two official languages, out here, you'd be blind to miss it. (Did I mention on most of Cape Breton all the road signs are in two languages: English & GAELIC?! There's even a Gaelic College! On the Western shore of Cape Breton, near Cheticamp, it is very Acadian and most of the signs are French first, English second. And in Sydney, I got lost and ended up in a First Nations neighbourhood where the signs were only in the native language. Luckily the shape of a stop sign means the same in whatever language you write it).

We visited the infamous Magnetic Hill, which for us, well - we just didn't get it. You're supposed to go to this certain spot, put your car in neutral and your car is supposed to appear to climb this little hill... in neutral, thereby defying gravity. To me, it seemed like you put your car in neutral, but there was a slight downhill before the uphill part, so you just picked up speed because you were coasting. I don't know.... but like I say, we just didn't get it. Maybe we're just used to the hills in coastal B.C. LOL :) Oh, and the highlight for the kids I'm sure has been the indoor waterslide where we're staying at right now. DS just LOVES swimming.

We have been blessed with beautiful sunshine on this trip. This morning it is cloudy and reportedly going to rain today, but so far we have been very lucky. That's the news for now. Yes, I'll definitely upload pics to dropshots when I either get the chance or get home.

Namaste
~n~