Hey! I Just Met You...

If the last two weeks of my life were the lyrics of a Carly Rae Jepsen song they would go a little something like this:

Hey! I've never met you.
But I know your relatives.
So stay at my house,
You complete stranger!

Yes. I know. Pretty catchy, right? Either way, I know about 99% of you totally just read that to the tune of Call Me Maybe.

Weeks ago when I was in Ottawa visiting family, when I told them about my trip and the premise behind my blog they didn't hesitate on offering up their friends in various other parts of the continent as contacts and places to stay. I have to admit I started to feel a bit awkward, like I was becoming the poster child for high class homelessness or was a charity case and it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that if I wanted a bed to sleep in, as they say, beggars can't be choosers.

What was the worst that could happen? These complete strangers say, "Sorry. No, stranger, you're not able to stay at our homes." Well, lucky for me they didn't.

In Halifax, Nova Scotia I was lucky enough to stay with Anne for over a week. She allowed me to come and go as I pleased (even gave me a house key), I had run of the kitchen, t.v., a bathroom, even a gigantic comfy bed that her twelve year old son so kindly lent to me for my stay while he offered to crash on the couch. Aside from Anne and her families' extreme kindness I had the opportunity, if only for a week, to see what it would have been like to grow up in a house full of boys. In the spirit of full disclosure though, I must admit, it probably wasn't an accurate representation of most male-dominated households. Why? Because Anne's boys are rather extraordinary. These boys are friendly, entertaining, well-mannered, well-spoken, athletic, smart, talented, and to top it all off - THEY ALL GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER! When was the last time you met a group of teen-aged siblings that got along as if they were all best friends? I can't say it happens very often.

I stayed in Halifax just over a week and saw places like the Pier 21 Immigration Museum - a place I didn't realize until I stepped foot into actually was rather meaningful to my family. Almost 70 years ago my own grandmother and uncle arrived in Halifax via Pier 21 as a War Bride and there I was walking through the same doors that they did all those years ago. Doors, had they not crossed, who knows if I would even exist today?

Pier 21

Handbook given to War Brides

Canadian Flag

Because I had a place to stay, I was able to do things like take an Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour, ride the Harbour Hopper tour, and visit the public gardens :

Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour

Harbour Hopper (about the enter the water).

Halifax Public Gardens - Victorian Style Gazebo

Of course, like every good tourist, I was going to visit Peggy's Cove but Anne (and a few other friends) recommended places that I had never even heard of before like Mahone Bay and Lunenberg - the latter being one of the most beautiful places I have been thus far.

Peggy's Cove

Lunenberg - The Sailboat I Later Rode

In case you haven't yet guessed, my time in Halifax was outstanding. Not only because I got to visit so many amazing places and see so many beautiful sights but because a complete stranger made it all possible when she and her family decided to let, on reputation alone, a complete stranger live with them for a week.

*Please excuse the formatting at the end of this post. For some reason the extra blank space could not be removed.*