Title: H - Happy Happenings in Halifax
Tags: ships, a-z challenge, travel
Blog Entry: When friends of ours invited us to come to Halifax to see the Tall Ships, we had no idea what we would be in for. We knew what a tall ship was but why would they be coming to Halifax? No matter; it would be a great opportunity to visit our friends who had been transferred Alberta to Halifax. We quickly made arrangements and off we went. We learned that the city was taking the opportunity to do business public relations events during the visit of the tall ships, sending invitations to various business representatives. Our friends, who were active in the business community, had received several such invitations, and arranged to include us as often as possible.. We enjoyed a lobster feed, a concert by the Barra MacNeils, a visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration on Pier 21, and to top it off, an invite to an afternoon sail on the Canadian tall ship, ending with dinner on the Danish tall ship. At the appointed time to board the ship, my friend and I spotted an elegant, well-dressed lady walking up the gangplank. We wondered (a bit catty, I would think), who would ever think of wearing pearls on a cruise on a rustic ship. There were few places to sit on the ship, so we did quite a bit of roaming around the deck during the sail. It was a warm afternoon, with a bit of a breeze, but that didn't affect the event, because the harbor authority didn't allow the ships to hoist the sails in the harbor. As my friend and I walked between large coils of rope, we came face-to-face with the lady with the pearls. We exchanged pleasantries, and the lady comment on my friends' earrings. She asked if her sailboat earrings were purchased specifically for this event, and my friend explained they recently moved from the prairies of western Canada, and nautical "fashion" items were a pleasant change. We learned that the lady loved to find unique earrings to wear when she was an elementary teacher because the kids watched for any new accessory and would give her a big cheer. The pleasant conversation continued for several minutes, sharing what district they lived in. The lady pointed to an area that we were passing and mentioned that was where they lived before moving downtown. We eventually thanked her for the pleasant conversation and continued our stroll. A short time later, there was a loud exchange of words ahead of us; "Ask her if he can take his tunic off. It's so hot and he is going to melt away in that jacket." A short pause and then came the reply, "She said that he should get rid of the tunic while on board; the poor man must be so miserable in this heat!" Our eyes turned in the direction of the voice who made the request, and standing beside the caller stood an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in his red serge uniform. Turning in the direction of the other voice, to our surprise, he was standing beside the lady with whom we just had the pleasant conversation. Turning to a couple who were standing beside us, we asked if they recognized the lady. Yes, they knew who she was; she was the Governor General of Nova Scotia. In our opinion, she can wear her pearls on a cruise, and anywhere else she likes!
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