Monday, April 04, 2005
Canadian Tourist Attractions
How long have you got? Canada has to be one of the most action packed places in the world. It's got mountains, beach, plains, and, best of all, the Arctic. A tourist exploiting the country to its fullest potential would be gone at least a year. A few paragraphs hardly does it justice. But I'll give it a shot…
Animal Spotting
Anything involving wild stuff is cool. So whether it’s moose, whales, caribou, polar bears, buffalo, beavers or prairie dogs, you wanna watch it, Canada’s got it. You've got to be careful though - if an animal like the Kodiak or polar bear spots you, you're basically dead. Better just stick to beavers.
Niagara Falls
Yes, these are awe-inspiring and beautiful (see previous entry). But after five minutes you're left thinking ‘Now what?’ and trying not to be the first person to say you’re bored and want to go home now. If you want to stretch out your stay, you can either visit the gaudily lit attractions on the main drag or get married. So it's kind of like Las Vegas with a water feature.
Ottawa
I love Ottawa. In London, the Parliament buildings are surrounded by policemen and three foot high cement barricades. In Ottawa, people play football in front of them and use the steps as goals. It's incredibly relaxed and actually has character, unlike other manufactured capitals such as Canberra which has none whatsoever.
Vancouver Island
Supposedly one of the coolest places in the whole of Canada. It has whales, Indians, deep forests, tranquil lakes – heck, it was probably the inspiration for the Peter Pan books or something (it was discovered by Captain Cook). I’d love to go there, but seeing as Vancouver is further away from me than Norway, I think it’ll be a while.
The Yukon
Just the name conjures up images of Arctic wastes and howling winds. Another place I'd love to go to, if only because I've seen too many of those movies where people have to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash. It would be great to live on the edge of civilization, eking a living from the earth and its creatures. Only for a day or two though – it could get really cold.
The Rockies
These are absolutely massive and completely spectacular, and home to a funky mythical lake serpent called the Ogopogo (Canada’s answer to the Loch Ness monster). They’re also great for skiing - not that I've ever seen them...
To be honest, this whole list is a joke. Canadian Tourist Attractions? I’ve only seen southern Ontario! That’s like writing a guide to Britain having been to Slough!!! I mean, it’s pretty beautiful here (except Hamilton) but it pales in comparison to the rest of Canada. I’ll do a country-wide tour – then you’ll find out how amazing this place is.
Actually, my work visa won't come through for another six months (I got an official-looking letter the other day saying so). So I've got a bit of spare time now. I'm seriously thinking of touring the country for two or three weeks, if I could only find someone to come with me. We'll carve totem poles on Vancouver Island. We'll ride husky sleighs in the Yukon. We'll laugh at the Quebeckers and eat poutine. Who's with me? C'mon, it'll be fun! A road trip - we could be like Thelma & Louise (except without the homicide, robbery and being chased by the police)!!!
Animal Spotting
Anything involving wild stuff is cool. So whether it’s moose, whales, caribou, polar bears, buffalo, beavers or prairie dogs, you wanna watch it, Canada’s got it. You've got to be careful though - if an animal like the Kodiak or polar bear spots you, you're basically dead. Better just stick to beavers.
Niagara Falls
Yes, these are awe-inspiring and beautiful (see previous entry). But after five minutes you're left thinking ‘Now what?’ and trying not to be the first person to say you’re bored and want to go home now. If you want to stretch out your stay, you can either visit the gaudily lit attractions on the main drag or get married. So it's kind of like Las Vegas with a water feature.
Ottawa
I love Ottawa. In London, the Parliament buildings are surrounded by policemen and three foot high cement barricades. In Ottawa, people play football in front of them and use the steps as goals. It's incredibly relaxed and actually has character, unlike other manufactured capitals such as Canberra which has none whatsoever.
Vancouver Island
Supposedly one of the coolest places in the whole of Canada. It has whales, Indians, deep forests, tranquil lakes – heck, it was probably the inspiration for the Peter Pan books or something (it was discovered by Captain Cook). I’d love to go there, but seeing as Vancouver is further away from me than Norway, I think it’ll be a while.
The Yukon
Just the name conjures up images of Arctic wastes and howling winds. Another place I'd love to go to, if only because I've seen too many of those movies where people have to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash. It would be great to live on the edge of civilization, eking a living from the earth and its creatures. Only for a day or two though – it could get really cold.
The Rockies
These are absolutely massive and completely spectacular, and home to a funky mythical lake serpent called the Ogopogo (Canada’s answer to the Loch Ness monster). They’re also great for skiing - not that I've ever seen them...
To be honest, this whole list is a joke. Canadian Tourist Attractions? I’ve only seen southern Ontario! That’s like writing a guide to Britain having been to Slough!!! I mean, it’s pretty beautiful here (except Hamilton) but it pales in comparison to the rest of Canada. I’ll do a country-wide tour – then you’ll find out how amazing this place is.
Actually, my work visa won't come through for another six months (I got an official-looking letter the other day saying so). So I've got a bit of spare time now. I'm seriously thinking of touring the country for two or three weeks, if I could only find someone to come with me. We'll carve totem poles on Vancouver Island. We'll ride husky sleighs in the Yukon. We'll laugh at the Quebeckers and eat poutine. Who's with me? C'mon, it'll be fun! A road trip - we could be like Thelma & Louise (except without the homicide, robbery and being chased by the police)!!!
