Canada

Hello, and thank you for joining us for a rundown on one of our final stops, Canada. 

You know, I have always looked up to Canada. Okay, that is just a Geography joke, but you have to admit, Canada is pretty cool. And while that may sounds like a weather joke, I sincerely mean it. (However, have you ever noticed while watching the news that the weather stops right at the border. Coincidence? I don’t think so…)

Beautiful place up here. The population is in the 40 million range. And while the USA has a larger “land mass” than Canada, our northern neighbor actually occupies a larger “area”. This is because they have so many lakes and rivers (which, of course, is one of the reasons that I think the country is so cool). So much area in fact, that it is the world’s second largest country  (surpassed only by Russia).  

Oddly enough, some 90% of the country’s population is said to reside within 150 miles of its border with the USA. Also, at just over 5,500 miles, the US/Canadian border is the longest border in world. 

Geographically, well over half of the country’s population live below the 49th parallel (the primary border between the two countries). This border was established in 1783 after the American Civil War. 

Many of the country’s  largest cities (Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, and Toronto) are located near the Great Lakes, below the 49th parallel.  

Strategically, this places a large portion of their population near to their biggest trading partner, which is of course the USA.  But more importantly, while the vast majority of the country is located in the northern region, the milder climate of the south offers improved living and agricultural capabilities. 

While Canada fell under the French monarchy for several hundred years, it became part of the British Commonwealth in the 1800s.  In 1982, the country was granted full sovereignty, which explains why both French and English are their official languages.

In Canada, a province is similar to a US state. Canada has 10 provinces. Additionally, it has three territories, which make up the remote “Canadian Northern Territories.” While provinces have their own local governance, territories are governed by the country’s federal government. 

A vast majority of the country is known as their Northern Region (made up of the territories mentioned above) which is larger than the country of India. It is made up of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, as well as the lessor known Nunavut territory. Oh, and of course, the Magnetic North Pole is located in Canada. 

Only 2.5% of the countries population reside in these area.  (However, it is unclear if this number includes Santa and all of the elves…)

Our visit took us to St. John’s on the island of Newfoundland, and to Halifax Nova Scotia. 

St. John’s, Newfoundland 

Thank goodness for August 30, or the little day that we call Newfoundland Day! Now I don’t know about Oldfoundland, but the New and Improved Foundland is pretty great.  

First off, let me explain that they are very particular about the pronunciation of Newfoundland. It is pronounced “Nuu • fn • land” (not “lund”). 

As we pulled into port, the fog was as thick as pea soup.  Sprinkling one and off, over the course of the next hour, the fog and rain lifted a bit, then rolled back in. Repeating this pattern again and again, we gave it several hours before heading out. 

Finally, there was a break in the action, and as they say in the movies, and away we go…

This town is super cool. As soon as you walk off of the ship, there are hilly streets with churches and such in nearly every direction. After taking a long walk down their famous Water Street (along the waterfront) we began zig zagging up the hilly streets.

There were lots of giant-sized  old churches, and neighborhoods that could have easily passed as the neighborhood I grew up in, and the buildings I sent to school in. 

Even more astounding was the fun little forested paths walkways that provided shortcuts between the neighborhoods and buildings. 

Eventually we made it to Jelly Bean Row (a.k.a. The Jelly Bean Pallett) the colorful houses that have been attracted tourist and their cameras for generations. 

The further we walked, the more I was convinced that I had entered a time machine that teleported me back to the 1960s. So cool…

While the island of Newfoundland has some half-a-million citizens, St. John’s has about 100,000. 

Newfoundland is unique in that (for whatever reason) they have their own time zone that is 30 minutes different than other time zones. (All of our other time zone were always in full one hour increments.) After a bit of research, it turns out that there are several location around the world that have whacked out their time zones too. The most bizarre one is Nepal, who has chosen to have a time zone that differs by 45 minutes. This has resulted in a long-standing running joke in India that implies that people from Nepal are always 15 minutes late. Hmmm…

St. John’s is also has a little unique history of its own going on. In 1902, the city is the location that received the first transatlantic wireless (radio) signal thanks to a Nobel Prize winning physicist by the name of Guglielmo Marconi. Also, St. John’s was the only North American location that the Germans engaged during WWII. 

Very nice place to visit. And of course, I have to mention that the food was outstanding here too. 

Halifax

On September 1, we awoke in the municipality of Halifax in Nova Scotia. The port was very beautiful, and we enjoyed being able to walk off the ship into the first warm weather that we had seen for several weeks. 

I have to admit that our journeys through the North Seas chilled me to the bone. Karen and I joked throughout the day how it was difficult to pinpoint the temperature. On the one hand, it generally felt perfectly warm, best described as just a smidgen hot. But every time it started to seem hot, a breeze would gently blow in from the sea, and we found ourselves with a slight shiver.  And these two conditioned ping ponged back and forth every few minutes. 

Regardless, we did a bit of sightseeing before settling into an outdoor table in a city known for its seafood restaurants. 

At nearly 500,000 residents, Halifax is a fairly large city. It is home to one of the world’s longest boardwalks, which was super beautiful. It stretches on for miles, and it the length of downtown. While we had intended on exploring the city in its entirety, we ended up making a day of just wandering the boardwalk. As it turns out, this waterfront paradise was exactly what two weary travelers needed. 

The restaurant that we selected was called The Bicycle Thief. Great name! (Probably from the 1940s movie, which is worth watching if you’re into old flicks.) Really great staff. And really, really good food.

We had been craving seafood, and their’s did not disappoint. We tried their local oysters, their lobster corn chowder bisque, and their lobster rolls. 

We learned of lobster rolls when our friends in the San Fransisco area who took us out for a special occasion. We both agreed that it was the best sandwich we had ever had. They were made with warm, shredded (but somewhat chunky) lobster in a warm and creamy butter. This was piled high in an overstuffed hotdog bun-like freshly baked brioche, gently toasted. Yummo! It can only described as heaven in a bun. 

While he have returned to the San Fransisco area and enjoyed this delicacy on several occasions, alas the Lark Creek Restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA shut down in 2017. 
🙁

Over the years, we have made an effort to seek out alternatives whenever possible. Having also tried them in Montauk in the East Hampton, Philadelphia, and at Slap Fish in Abq (and now in Halifax) we have found that (in our case) only the San Fransisco version is served warm and buttery. While nearly equally delicious, the other locations all made theirs with chilled lobster with mayonnaise and celery. And on  goes the battle for lobster roll supremacy…

So one last thing, if you ever find yourself just outside the lovely community of Bar Harbor, Maine (home to the fabulous Arcadia National Park) try a lobster roll at Red’s Eats. It is said to be the number one maker of this rare treat on a bun. But be forewarned.  They are a seasonal restaurant. (Sadly, we missed them by a day or two during our visit.)

At any rate, we really enjoyed our day in Halifax. The people were great, and everyone went out of their way to treat us with kindness and to tell us about their fabulous community. Also, great stories about the fabulous local Dalhousie University, Canada’s leading research university, which has produced over 90 Rhodes Scholars, as well as a Nobel Prize winner. 

And so, as the day wound down, we headed out. Next stop, New York City, but that my friends, is a different story. 

Thanks for visiting. 
– Mike
“Citizens of the world, 
If we were all able to live like world travelers, the world would surely be a better place. Thank you for having us.” – Ethan W. (Painter and fellow Ultimate World Cruise traveler)