Oh Canada

September 20, 2014 Paul Scolieri Blog 0 comments

Snow in September. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Also our cell phones don’t work and everything is more expensive. You’d think this was miserable experience that we couldn’t wait to escape. But this is when I fell in love with Canada. Tom and I actually purchased a paper map of Alberta on our first stop north of the border, and used the ancient tool to successfully navigate to our AirBnb apartment in downtown Calgary. I now realize how much we rely on smart phones to travel. This would have been a routine situation 10 years ago, but today it’s an actual challenge. For such a small accomplishment, I was legitimately proud that we actually found our way in a foreign city by using just a paper map and our own intuition. Tom suggested we sign up for the Amazing Race.

Beyond the unseasonable snow and cold (and higher cost of food and fuel – $1.30/liter!), Canada has a lot to offer.  The most spectacular sight in this part of the Country is undoubtedly the Canadian Rockies. The first visual of the mountains was literally awe inspiring, and the views from Banff National Park are the highlight of the trip thus far. We hiked Sulfur Mountain to an overlook with a 360 degree view over snowcapped peaks and snaking rivers in the valleys below.  Lake Moraine is truly Banff’s hidden gem, and the site for the most picturesque scene my eyes have witnessed. Its turquois water looks like a giant plate of glass, mirroring the circle of jagged mountains that surround the water.

Beyond the incredible pull of the Rockies, I found Calgary to be pleasantly charming in itself. The city was clean, with cool shops and energetic nightlife. It also seemed safe, even as we walked home late at night. I also fell in love with the Canadian people. The stereotype has always been that Canadians are overly nice and apologetic, almost to a fault. I found this to be predominantly true, but in an extremely positive way.

Tom and I had a 3-hour conversation with two Canadian girls at a restaurant bar. Our new friends Katie and Lyndsey turned out to be more interesting and engaging than I could have expected. They were easy on the eyes, too, which doesn’t hurt. We discussed free Canadian healthcare (sounds awesome), high Canadian taxes (not so awesome), the difficulty in obtaining US work Visas, food documentaries, and wine pairings to name a few. To confirm the stereotype, Katie told us that she got elbowed in the head the week prior, and promptly apologized for being in the way.

When bartender heard that we were traveling to the Pacific Norwest, he wrote down 30 suggestions for activities in Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland. The people in Vancouver were just as friendly. We even crashed a wedding in BC, met the bride, the groom, and grandma who told us “Welcome to Canada!”

But that’s another story.

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