On Saturday, August 21st the family packed up in the wee (and still dark) hours of the morning. By 5 a.m. we had hit the highway and were headed east. After a year of wanting to go back, we were on our way to Halifax, after having said goodbye to the cat and our friend who is pet & house sitting for us while we’re gone.
Last year we left at 3:30 am and had to stop so many times that it took us 17 hours to get to Halifax. George was fried and that’s why we ended up taking two days to drive back on our way home. This time he was determined to get there in a more reasonable amount of time and he didn’t want to stop overnight anywhere. We made it here in 14 hours and 15 minutes, which is pretty much what Google Maps estimates as well. What helped was having a minivan this year. The kids had more room and we alternated between having one in the middle row and one in the back row, switching them when we’d make a stop. That way they weren’t on top of each other which minimized bickering. They each had a DVD player, coloring books, crayons, and a few toys. On top of that, we were able to fit the cooler in between the seats so we didn’t have to stop each time someone was hungry or thirsty because everything was right there. Basically we stopped for breakfast, lunch, and pee breaks (including one pee-in-the-woods-by-the-highway stop, who says girls can’t pee outside like boys?).
It’s so good to be back here. I love Halifax more than anywhere else in the world. It’s not that I hate Montreal, it really is a good city. I just love it here more. And when you have fresh fish & chips and the ocean, how can you go wrong?
One day I have to actually type up my Life List, but one of the things I had on there was to do some yoga by the ocean. I can officially cross it off my list now, because we went out to Point Pleasant Park the other day which looks right out onto the Atlantic Ocean as the Halifax Harbour ends. While the kids were happily picking up 975 shells, George filmed me doing a couple of my usual vinyasa flows. Without a doubt it was the best moment in my yoga practice so far. Yoga while listening to the waves and looking out into the ocean is an incredible experience.
I think it will be a repeat performance when I go to one of the other beaches and can do it right on the sand. We still have over two weeks left here, I’m sure I can fit it in!
(Full Halifax photo set is over here and will be updated regularly.)
