Episode LXIX: Canada- Land of the Canadians

One day Thomas Kuhn sent me a text message saying “I hear Vancouver is a nice city”. I replied saying “OK, sounds good, let’s go”. And that is the amount of planning that went in to our vacation last weekend (I exaggerate a bit, but only a bit). What follows are some anecdotes from the trip, neither exhaustive nor representative, but hopefully interesting.


The Stang


The first thing of importance is that while I was using the restroom at the airport, Thomas was secretly upgrading our rental car to a 2010 convertible Ford Mustang. Which, in the long run, I can’t say I criticize the choice at all.



Now one piece of advice, if you happen to have a 2010 Ford Mustang lying around (or a comparable vehicle thereto), do yourself a favor, and get someone to drive you up a mountain road with the top down on a crisp autumn day. Even better, sit in the back seat. Push the passenger seat forward, and use it as a footrest. Result: bliss.



Victoria


Victoria is a very lovely city, on an island that is only accessible via sea. It has nice old European-style buildings and gardens, and an excellent museum.


Speaking of Europe, I was surprised to see how much love there is for England in this region of Canada. Most countries are proud that they threw off the yoke of colonialism and became a free country, but it seems that in Victoria particularly they still think that they are a British colony. Every Canadian coin, in fact, has the face of the Queen of England on the front of it. Not a Canadian politician, or a Canadian leader, or even a Canadian citizen, but the figurehead of a foreign government! And the British Columbia flag has the Union Jack right on it:



Anyhow, guess what the $1 Canadian coin is called? A loonie! And guess what a $2 coin is called? A toonie!! No kidding. And believe you me, these coins are used all the time. Thomas and I got a big kick out of every time a cashier, waiter or panhandler would say the word ‘loonie’ or ‘toonie’ with completely straight face. Ha!



Not to be confused with their American counterparts:



Vancouver


So now we come to Vancouver and the post is already longer than I was hoping. Thanks a lot England! OK, less commentary and more pictures:


This postcard-esque location is a ‘clothing-optional’ beach. Don’t worry, it was cold enough that everyone (even Thomas) was wearing at least two layers of clothing.



The Winter Olympics are swinging into gear in just three months in Vancouver, so we went around seeing some of the sites. The figure of this statue is also the official logo for the ’10 games.




I will leave you with a pretty little waterfall north of Vancouver on the way to Whistler. If you want to see more pics check out the face book here (no purchase necessary).



Comments

Kevin Harper said…
Actually, Canada is still under the British Crown, which is why the queen is still on their coins. I find it amazing that any country still finds it worthwhile to spend tax dollars supporting royal snobs who think they are above the people.

Here's a Wikipedia article about the British Commonwealth. Here's one about the Monarchy of Canada.

I just learned this this year as I was trying to answer my kids' questions. Pretty weird, isn't it?
12:10 PM, October 13, 2009
razjericho said…
While this is true, it is not necessary to love the queen (or to have the queen's face on your coins) just because you are in the 'realm'. Jamaica is one example. It is also not necessary to have ridiculous names for your coins.
1:31 PM, October 13, 2009
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