Happy Birthday Canada Bon Anniversaire*

Saturday, July 1

Woke up to pouring rain. Ugh. We stalled. Like most of the rain we’ve had lately, it comes in bursts, so you never know when it’s actually done. By mid-morning we figured we better do something. Our original plans have already been altered b/c today is Canada Day (and its150th birthday). Big celebrations everywhere, so downtown Halifax will be a zoo. We decide to visit Peggy’s Cove first. As we drive south along the coast we see a sign for a memorial to the victims of SwissAir flight 111 back in 1998. I didn’t remember this crash, wo we stopped to learn more. The memorial is lovely, and beautifully blended into the natural shore. The flight originated from JFK and ran into electrical problems (it’s complicated; no one knows for sure what happened) and hit the ocean at 400mph. Not a single body was recovered intact. In fact-checking, I came across a beautifully written article about the long-term effects of this crash on one victim’s father. Here’s the link: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12231111.When_Swissair_Flight_111_crashed/. 

It’s definitely worth reading.

 228 Lives Lost (Sept 2, 1998) 

Peggy's Cove is a small fishing village (now supported by tourism - we saw a huge, pink articulated bus winding along the narrow road) on the south coast of Halifax. There's also a lighthouse perched on ancient weathered rocks. My pics of the village are OK, but there was too much fog for this amateur to get decent shots of the rocks and surf. (I did buy a small watercolor from a local artist, and it does capture both the fog and the beauty.) 

Despite the fog, there's plenty
of color in this little harbor. 

(No question about needing a lighthouse here.)

Back in the car, we slip past the tour buses and turn north to Halifax. Greg wants to visit Pier 21, sort of the Canadian Ellis Island. Sort of. Today it's a museum reflecting the immigration process and sharing bits of many immigrant stories. (They also continue to collect visitors' comments on both the museum and their personal experiences.) Beautifully done, with lots of personal items on display. We think of these folks arriving with next to nothing, but not all immigrants were poor. Many came with 10x10x4 shipping crates (one including a kitchen sink). I also loved the story of a family that thought our mustard was terrible (bad color, bad texture, bad taste) and later discovered it was "something called peanut butter."

Entertainment at the entrance...

and one of  several doors immigrants
passed through.

By the time we finish, it's 4pm and we haven't eaten since breakfast. There's a huge farmer's market next door, but when we enter we realize everyone is packing up. Greg manages to get a couple samosas from the Indian vendor, who kindly accepts partial payment when we don't have enough Canadian cash. I think he'd done pretty well already, but this is the second time we've "saved" money by being mindless Yanks. We picked up a couple small rib steaks (supposedly) for dinner at the campground. They were 2T steaks - tasty but tough. Pouring rain again when we went to bed, but at least it was dry while we were out.

BlogThoughts... My mother emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland in 1930. Her mother and stepfather came the year before. Her sister went to Canada (later, I think, but I'm not sure). My stepdad came to America with his parents in 1915. He was 5. And that's about all I know. Which is sad. My mother talked very little about her past, and I was too preoccupied with my own life to care about hers. She's been gone for 20+ years (and couldn't have answered questions in her last few years anyway). There's so much more I wish I knew about their experiences, both in their own countries and in assimilating here. 
Also, after visiting both GrandPré and Pier 21 and listening to several Canada Day commentaries, I sense that Canada has done better than the U.S. in terms of of welcoming, assimilating and respecting people from around the world. However, it also appears that neither country has dealt fairly w/ its indigenous peoples.

*Both English & French text are required on all government signage. The general format is English on top, any common text in the middle, and French translation of the English at the bottom. (I don't have a 3-line option. 😃)