Canada 2011

So after wanting to go to Canada for years, I finally did in August 2011.

MISSUSAUGA / TORONTO
Stayed at my cousins' places over a week during an unusual heatwave. Actually it felt like normal summer weather if I were to be in Sydney.

My cousin drove me around, as Missusauga is not the best of cities to get around without a car. Ended up going to a whole pile of places around Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and to Niagara Falls.

It was fantastic to finally meet my family in Ontario, whom I'd never met before. Also fun to take my cousins around to places in Toronto that they had never been to before too lol.

The week was finished by a family barbecue... so much food.

SASKATOON
Met up with my bf, who had been shooting at the US Nationals and was in Saskatoon for the Canadian Nationals (archery), hence the reason for my trip to Canada in the first place.

Saskatoon is super flat. It was strange to see so much distance and horizon just about the place. The weather was mild, with temperatures very similar to autumn or spring in Sydney.

I spent a lot of the time in Saskatoon catching up on sleep and doing some painting as it was hard to get around the place without a vehicle. Went along to the final dinner and prize presentation of the Nationals. Canadians are like Australians in many ways, laid-back and somewhat quirky.

CALGARY
Stayed at my aunt and uncle's place. We drove around Calgary, going around the city and the museum/gallery there and visiting the Heritage Park, which was fun to walk around.

On the weekend, my cousin took us to Banff (hot springs and up the mountains) and the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. The hot spring experience was nice, but I was feeling a little unwell at that altitude, probably my asthma and lungs not deal with the thin air so well. Drumheller was fantastic - so many specimens on display, we just don't get dinosaurs that large in Australia.

I found, the weather in Calgary strange, with overnight temperatures dropping down to a few degrees and with daytime temperatures going up to the mid-twenties. I ended up having to buy a few long-sleeved shirts to deal with the changes.

VANCOUVER
Just a few days in Vancouver where we wandered around the city. Highlight was the trip to the markets at Granville Island. We had some excellent soup from the soup place there and duck fat fries... yum...

I see what people mean about the weather in Vancouver being similar to Melbourne, quite mild weather for summer.


Overall, it was a fun trip with plenty of food (always good), trips to places where I learnt a lot (love museums, galleries and old-style towns/villages) and meeting up with family. There are places in Canada I'd love to revisit and places I've yet to see. One day again...