Hello to everyone...this time from Victoria, BC, Canada. We have been back in Canada since November and we were able to spend some wonderful time reconnecting with family and friends and spend the holidays at home (Karl in Quebec and me in Victoria). I joined Karl in Montreal to celebrate 2008 and it was there that we decided to settle for some time on the West Coast. We researched different options for travel and finally decided we were going to drive!...in January no less!
It was an amazing experience and I am so excited and content to have done it and actually drive across Canada! 5000 km...five nights and six days...our country is so huge and different in every province...
We picked a perfect time to leave Montreal as the week after we arrived to Victoria there were storms and freezing temperatures all across Canada. The coldest we experienced was -35 in Northern Ontario.
We packed Karl's 1994 Toyota Tercel with all of our stuff and headed out with an excellent breakfast and send off from Karl's Mom. It was a bit stormy and hit some traffic and bad weather in Ottawa. It took us a total of 3 days to cross Ontario alone! That is one big province!! I also have to say that Saskatchewan is one flat province (photo above) and not that exciting to drive through except for the odd coyote in the endless fields!
It was totally amazing coming into the Rockies...the grandeur of the mountains is really breathtaking and gives you a different perspective of life and the true beauty of nature.
We pretty much visited every Tim Hortons across the country making the observation that there are definately more Timmys in the East and Starbucks as you come West. I also came to appreciate the simplicity of the old style motels. They surprised me as I had the preconceived idea of what they would be like but I can say they were all really clean and more comfortable then the large chain hotels and of course a lot less expensive. They were perfect for our purpose and our budget!!
We live in a truly beautiful and diverse country and I can truly appreciate and respect all that we ahve here in Canada especially after living abroad for the past few years. We look forward to setting up here and we will definately keep you all posted with regards to our new adventures! Looking forward to a wonderful 2008 in Canada!
Cheers, Monika
KARL'S KORNER
Eh oui, nous voici maintenant a Victoria en Colombie Britannique. Nous avons passé du bon temps au Québec toute la famille ensemble avant de prendre la route moi et Monika depuis le Québec jusqu en Colombie Britannique. Nous vivons ici a Victoria chez des amis( Carlos et Nancy )depuis maintenant 3 semaines. J en profite pour prendre de bonne marche et revoir mes repères .Nous partons pour Nanaimo la semaine prochaine .Notre nouveau projet sera de s’occuper d un petit hôtel de 13 chambres le http://www.buccaneerinn.com/index.htm situé près de departure bay ferry (avec vue sur une marina).
Allez voir le site je pense que le challenge sera bon. Nous pourrons faire les activités qu on aime tels, randonnée pédestre, plongée, kayak de mer .
Nous avons l intention de reprendre régulièrement l écriture du blog alors revenez nous voir sur le Web ou simplement a Nanaimo.
Saludos a todos
