I had been to Canada dozens of times, and had visited
Nova Scotia at least four times, albeit on the now defunct Scotia Prince, when our family finally made the
journey to Halifax for the first time in the summer of 2007.
What a marvelous gem this city is.
It felt like we had discovered a perfectly hidden treasure that had been right under our noses, yet we had
just never bothered to look. After all, Boston is the epicenter of cultured civilization for Mainers like us.
We had no idea the magical spell Halifax would cast over us, and most especially, over our three-year-old
little boy.
Our party, comprising myself, my husband, our two young sons, and my parents, spent a week in June
2007 traveling hither and yon over the fair isle of Cape Breton.
Crossing the Canso Causeway on the last day of June, we headed for the big city of Halifax, expecting brand
name grocery stores, lots of hotels, and a street or two of dining and shopping establishments. What awaited
us instead was a wonderfully charming city, surprisingly large demographically, that none of us in all of our
years of travel had ever visited. Within minutes, we knew this would not be our last trip here.
The high-rise buildings and freeways melded seamlessly with historic brick architecture along cozy narrow
streets. The sun came out and stayed out for two days in a row in Halifax, a treat Cape Breton had not seen
fit to provide our previous trip. A full moon rose over the harbor that night and we got a front seat show
from our hotel balcony — the first of many spells the magical net of this city would cast over us. The next
morning dawned bright and fresh. It was Canada Day, our first-ever chance to celebrate in the homeland of my
great-grandfather. From here, it was off to the big city for another day of adventure. We entered the Halifax
Citadel for free, courtesy of the Canada Day festivities. The clear blue sky was a crisp contrast to the
uniform lines of the star-shaped citadel where my little boys explored every nook and cranny of the inner
walls and tunnels of the fort. Meanwhile, patriotic songs played by a military marching band wafted on the
air. We watched, close up, the members of the 3rd Brigade Royal Artillery fire the noon cannon.
Spectacular. If you closed your eyes, you could almost believe a hundred years had rolled away unnoticed.
Sure that we had enjoyed everything the Citadel had to offer, we began making our way out the rear entrance
of the fort when we heard the distinctive cry of a bagpipe. We turned to see the 78th Highlander
Regiment marching majestically toward the center of the fort. My husband had the keen foresight to grab a few
folding chairs and line them up along the roped-off area. As luck would have it, we now had front-row seats
to this fantastic display of pipes and regalia, not soon to be forgotten. Bagpipes... enchantment number
2.
Halifax was putting on a marvelous show, and still we had not seen the final act.
After a hardy meal at a local brew pub, complete with popcorn and peanut shells scattered across the floor,
we made our way down the street to the Metro Centre, where the grandest magic was yet to be performed. The
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is one of those rare events that offers a little bit of everything for
everyone. We had read about it in our Nova Scotia tourism brochure and thought we'd check out. We had
no idea we'd saved the best part of our trip for last. You know you've found something good when a
five-year-old and three-year-old sit still for three hours without moving, their attention rapt on every
move. From the moment the lights dimmed to the final overture, my sons sat transfixed, their gaze punctuated
only by the laughter inspired by the "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs" gymnastics act.
Canadians' love of country and pride for their military personnel shone brighter than the red maple leaf on
their flag that night. The Army vs. Navy relay races kept us on the edge of our seats; the tribute to
those fallen in the Battle of Vimy Ridge left us speechless. And the sheer joy that emanated from the tapping
toes of the Acadian dancers spoke what no words were needed to say; this is a truly wonderful place to live.
The colors, the costumes, the music, the laughs, the pageantry, the bagpipes, and most memorable, the
military bands from all over the world, were absolutely riveting. Lit up as if rubies were illuminating the
main floor, these bands belted out wildly enthusiastic national music and performed incredible stunts with
their weaponry, stunts my three-year-old son still tries to pull off with his little wooden hockey stick
some seven months after the show.
I can remember one event from when I was one year old: a doctor's visit with my mother who was expecting her
second child. I can remember maybe two events from when I was three. The point being, small children don't
retain much in their long-term memories. But I would bank my house on the fact that my little Braden, aged
three, will remember the sight of those Royal Canadian Mounted Police standing at attention 20 feet in front
of him and saluting, apparently to him. As the tattoo ended, and the last strains of "O Canada" faded on the
heels of the exiting Mounties, my little boy stood proudly and saluted back. When the show was over, the
Mountie he had saluted actually came back out on the floor, picked Braden out of the crowd, and brought
him down on the floor to present him with a RCMP pin with a horse on it. Did I mention that my three-year-old
is in love with horses? Now he tells me when he grows up he wants to become a Canadian Mountie. You can
imagine that one moment in time, being presented a "horsie" pin from a much-revered, real, live Mountie at
the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, like magic, will remain etched in that child's mind forever. At
least, I know it will remain so in mine.•
This year, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo runs July 1-8 with three matinee shows on July 1, 3
and 4. Among other things, the Tattoo will be highlighting the 100th anniversary of the Canadian
Navy. For ticket info and further details, please visit nstattoo.ca
Photos courtesy of Royal Nova Scotia International
Tattoo
