Canada

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You think your commute is bad?:
I met a bloke who works for the railway maintaining the track - his base is so remote it takes 19hrs on the train to get there! He works 9 days on, and 5 days off, and the commute takes place on his own time. Think about that when you get stuck in traffic!

My visit to Canada didn't start out well, when I arrived at my B&B in Toronto at 10 o'clock at night, and no one was there! But things did improve!

The next day I was aboard "The Canadian" - four days on a train going across Canada. For some people a nightmare, for someone who hates flying sheer bliss, and a great adventure!

Seeing the Canadian prairies, the Rockies and the huge pine forests from the comfort of a sleeper/lounge/dining carriage is the only way to travel, and journey itself is part of the holiday!

"The Canadian" delivered me to Vancouver early in the morning, but it took me a couple of days to get over the 'rock and roll' feeling that I was still on the train!

Vancouver itself is a lovely city, it's got skyscrapers in the business district, but you can't get too far away from the water - and Stanley Park is a park on a peninsula right next to the city, and the people of Vancouver love it and use it - runners, jogger, skaters, walkers, cyclists - they are all there! In the park you'll find the Aquarium, which is worth a visit - even if it is just to get out of the rain!

Downtown Vancouver

I made it out to the University of British Columbia to see the Museum of Anthropology, a museum packed full of first nation stuff. I was really taken aback by Bill Reid's sculpture of "The Raven and the First Men" which depicts the story of the creation. There's also a carving of a bear not to be missed.

Vancouver and its inhabitants very laid back, and friendly - go there!