British Columbia
Thousand-year-old cedars wear coats of thick moss in Carmanah Valley. You pretend you’re a human ant as you step around the ancient tree roots rising out of the ground like small buildings. Down the coast, you dig clams out of the sandy beach at low tide, then hang around a few hours to watch the waves come crashing onto the rocks.
Category: Canada
Winnipeg
Strolling along the banks of the Assiniboine, you take comfort in the steady flow of the river. Families play and picnic on the spacious lawns between walkways. In the market, bakers, butchers, grocers and artisans are busy serving enthusiastic shoppers. Across the river, the ruins of the old French basilica stand out above the leafy trees, as glorious as ever.
Saint John
Bright rays of sunshine stream in obliquely through rounded windows high above the market stalls. The sharp smell of aged cheddar mixes with the sweet fragrance of homemade pastries and the briny aroma of fresh seafood straight from the wharf. As battered halibut and hand-cut fries sizzle in metal baskets, you take note of the unusual, but elegant, design of the ceiling.
Alberta
From the dizzying height of your Rocky Mountain peak you descend. Past the jagged cliffs where mountain goats huddle, through the forest where grizzly bears mark their territory on evergreen trunks, past the migrating herd of caribou in the valley and across a crystal clear lake. You take extra care walking across the ice fields between Jasper and Banff, the crackle of ice beneath your boots both thrilling and unnerving.
Niagara
The thundering roar of millions of litres of water plunging 52 metres into a bubbling gorge drowns out the diesel engines of your ferry, the conversations of your fellow passengers, your very thoughts. Your ship charges on relentlessly, bucking and swaying its way into the horseshoe cradle of the colossal wall of water. You lean out over the rails and look up. A massive river of water plummets down from the heavens. Your cries of delight evaporate into the foamy tumult as the spray pelts you from every direction.
Charlottetown
The decor is corner store casual, the utensils decidedly plastic. But the steaming mound of fresh lobster overrunning your plate looks extremely promising. You scarf down the sweet, juicy morsels with a maniacal fervour. You’d have licked every inch of your plate too, if it weren’t made of paper. The best part: it only set you back $12.
Satiated, you join a walking tour along the quiet tree lined avenues, your guides dressed in period costumes harkening back to a time when this was the setting for the establishment of a nation.
Saskatchewan
A boundless blue sky stretches over golden fields of wheat rippling in the warm, dry wind. The horizon interrupted only by a lone grain elevator. A dusty pick-up chugs down a gravel road, its weathered driver intently observing this year’s field of crops. Meanwhile, you luxuriate on the buoyant surface of a hot mineral spring, its curative powers made famous by Native legend. All the muscles you stiffened playing 18 holes of your best golf, release their tension into the healing waters. Soon enough, you’ll be as good as new, ready for another day of downtown patio hopping in Saskatoon or testing your relationship with lady luck at the grand casino in Regina.
Toronto
The light turns red. You wait. In a flash, the piece of sidewalk you occupy fills with faces from around the world. Talking, laughing, dreaming, hoping – each one on a unique journey. She’s going for dim sum with her in-laws in Chinatown. He’s on his way to an art-house flick in the Annex. These two are off to put a fashion dent in their wallets down on Queen Street. And you? You had ambitiously planned to do all of that – today.
St. John’s
The cod’s slimy lips beckon. You pucker up, grant them a reluctant kiss, and quickly down a shot of “screech”. As the bar erupts in wild cheers, you wonder which tasted better – the gaping mouth of an expired fish, or the local rum. Welcome to the island at the edge of the Western World.
From the customary “screech in” ceremony that welcomes those from away, to the brightly painted heritage homes dotting its harbour, St. John’s redefines colourful. The boisterous spirit of explorers, merchants, soldiers, pirates and mariners permeates this coastal town like the ghostly fogs that regularly roll into its rugged coves.
Manitoba
Polar bears wrestle each other in the open tundra around Churchill, white furry bodies tumbling on white fluffy snow. You don’t mind when one of them focuses his glare through your window, warm breath puffing against the glass. And you certainly weren’t complaining when a 4′ long Northern Pike splashed into your boat from the bountiful waters of Lake Winnipeg.