Tags: Canada

Eastern Canada in the Fall

Posted on 17 August 2009 in Travels | View Comments

Chris and I are thinking about going to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in the fall, providing we can clear up our design work beforehand. Our tentative plan is to fly into Halifax, rent a car then head to Moncton, Charlottetown and St. John before crossing on a ferry back to Nova Scotia and driving along the coast back to Halifax. Let us know if we missed anything or if you can make any recommendations!
View Proposed Canada trip in a larger map

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Canadian Slang and Dialect

Posted on 3 April 2009 in Canada | View Comments
EH!

  1. word you add to the end of a sentence, to ask for a response of agreement or disagreement, similar in meaning to “don’t you think?”, or “right?” (ie. “The Leafs are gonna lose this year, eh?”)
  2. expressive agreement (ie. “That was a great concert!” “Yeah I know, eh?”)
  3. ascertaining the comprehension, continued interest, agreement, etc., of the person or persons addressed (ie “So. I was right there in the office, eh, and he said to pack my things”)

This is a word that Canadians are constantly made fun for, but people who mimic it usually do so in the wrong tone and context. For true Canadians this word will just roll off the tongue!

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Canada vs. England

Posted on 2 September 2008 in Travels | View Comments

Better in Canada

Better in England
  • Peanut Butter: okay, I know, I’m a peanut butter snob
  • Roads: While Canada has wider roads, larger shoulders, less curves, no hedges or stone walls to crash into, we do have bigger pot holes and bumpy surfaces. I still prefer driving in Canada, though!
  • Restaurant prices: give me Swiss Chalet anyday! $15 gets you a huge rotisserie chicken meal and a drink (including taxes and tip!)
  • How bars & clubs operate: I prefer the tipping system because it motivates bar staff to work harder and ensures you’ll be served quicker if you tip better.
  • Subway: Choose from three types of cheese and yellow mustard. How I miss yellow mustard.
  • Public Toilets: I much prefer American toilets. The water levels are so low in the UK / Europe that more often than not the entire bowl smells like pee
  • Recycling: You wouldn’t believe how bad the recycling system is in Bath & North East Somerset… Plus I have a feeling it all ends up in the dump anyhow. There should be a bottle deposit on alcohol cans and recycling bins beside public trash cans…
  • Central heating: I prefer vents to radiators, and in Canada we keep our houses warmer, generally.
  • Television: namely Comedy… I don’t ‘get’ British comedy
  • Coffee: You know I love my Tim Horton’s!
  • Dairy products: Skim milk is actually delicious and cheese is incredible
  • Cider: There are are so many different kinds – my favourite is Pear
  • Checkout queues: aside from Lloyds bank, they keep the queues moving faster here
  • Fashion: always a step ahead of Canada, but prices are double (or more)
  • Traffic intersections: traffic circles make so much more sense than traffic lights or four-way stops.
  • Window shopping: I love having everything on a ‘High Street’ where all the shops are terraced and all the good shops are crammed together with nice window displays.
  • Public transportation: trains, in general. They run so often and are much cheaper.
  • Houses: gotta love the Georgian architecture in Bath!!!
  • Fireplaces: there’s one in each room here, including the bathroom!
  • Accents: you know all us North Americans are suckers for the accents…
  • Slang: Not only is everyone familiar with American slang, but they have a whole set of slang
  • Design: signage, menus, magazines, etc are much nicer here, on average
  • Pub cleanliness: well, the ones I’ve been to anyways…

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