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"codo27" posted:
My Nan and Pop used to take their pop up tent trailer all over NL in the summer, marking their voyages with a highlighter on a map and trying to cover all the roads/towns. Often they'd be in some small village and Pop would just knock on a random door and ask if there was room for guests for supper and they'd eat a meal at a random persons house. Never got turned away either.
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Mar 25, 2018 14:31
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:48 |
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One hidden gem the average tourist may not experience without the right connections are the old resettled communities. In the 60s, rather than extend roads and services to remote communities, the government began a program called "centralization" or "resettlement". Things like the post office, church and schools were removed from towns basically forcing people to move inland to "growth centers". This was (and continues to be) a very contentious issue for those affected. My dad is from one such town, my mothers roots are in another. These cannot be reached by road, and thus require passage by boat to get to. There has been a revival of sorts in recent years with many people with roots in these places building cabins in the old defunct communities. I probably haven't painted the most glamorous picture, but imagine this: From an already quaint, quiet town, you ship onboard a small fishing boat on a leisurely 15-20 minute cruise along the coastline. Along the coast you see rugged gray cliffs, and grand forest green hills span down to contrast the deep ocean blue you sail on. Fish and various species of birds are all around you as you make your way to a town that once housed many families and provided a livelihood that stemmed from the fishery. Now, only a few cabins remain, but in recent years you see new foundations being laid once more. Here you find a peace unlike anywhere else. For me personally, I know as soon as the boat pushes off from the wharf, "all cares will vanish". Its really the only time I know such peace of mind. No noise to be heard but the songs of the birds. The unsightly exhaust from factory smokestacks replaced by the gentle smoke coming from the chimney of a woodstove. Tie up your boat and come in for a drink. A song. A feed. There is one family who lives there nearly all year round, living off the land. They buy sugar, milk, butter and liquor. The rest they farm and harvest themselves. 3 of their sons also have cabins nearby, and their grandchildren learn to fish and hunt as they did as children. You wont see any of this in brochures or those tourism ads on TV. No doubt, theres lots for the tourist to see within minutes of St. John's airport. And maybe I'm a little biased, but it doesn't compare to the life we know outside the city. Holy gently caress I cant wait for it to warm up to get to the cabin again.
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Mar 25, 2018 18:16
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codo27 posted:E&E is very good, Sweet Newfie Kitchen (I fuckin hate that name) copied their chicken fingers and they are pretty close. Chicken shaggers they call em. This means something very different in the UK.
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Mar 27, 2018 14:51
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My husband and I live near Vancouver, where the housing is atrocious. We've done some preliminary thinking about moving to either Ottawa or Halifax. I personally love the idea of moving to Nova Scotia. We might go there next summer just to check it out. Can anyone give advice about jobs, transit, culture? Bears?
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Mar 28, 2018 10:12
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Desmond posted:My husband and I live near Vancouver, where the housing is atrocious. We've done some preliminary thinking about moving to either Ottawa or Halifax. I personally love the idea of moving to Nova Scotia. We might go there next summer just to check it out. Can anyone give advice about jobs, transit, culture? Bears? In this order: good luck, get a car, rum. Black only. You’ll find a job if you’re in the medical professions or trades, or if you’re a red seal tradesperson. If you’re a creative professional you’ll be freelancing. However, the housing is cheap and awesome if you can find a job. And the commute to that job probably won’t be too bad! I’m not sure how to comment on culture because I’m just from there, but the land is very recreationally viable so it plays a huge role in summer leisure. Like, going to salt or fresh water beaches is probably only 15 minutes away, by foot, from most people in the province. The hiking will leave a lot to be desired from BC, there just isn’t enough money to maintain trails or parks. There also isn’t enough snow for quality skiing. You’ll find that if you get invited to a party, it’ll be weird and loud and everyone will fill the kitchen and not leave for some reason.
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Mar 28, 2018 12:55
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Desmond posted:My husband and I live near Vancouver, where the housing is atrocious. We've done some preliminary thinking about moving to either Ottawa or Halifax. I personally love the idea of moving to Nova Scotia. We might go there next summer just to check it out. Can anyone give advice about jobs, transit, culture? Bears? I lived in Halifax for over a decade and tuyop is pretty spot-on. In addition it rains a lot, and snows a lot, and is foggy A LOT and does not have a long summer. There are lots of places for day and weekend trips if you like that sort of thing, PEI, Maine and NB are all short drives (plus a ferry for Maine) away. The transit is not terrible if you live and work right in Halifax proper but is really predominently used by people who can't drive (students, the elderly, etc). Work is super difficult to find because you have the highest educated populace per capita sitting in a mediocre job market. 5 years experience minimum needed to get an entry level job as a occupational therapist, for example. Lots of professionals move away to get experience and then come back for those lower level careers because the CoL is so low in Hali and the work-life balance so much better than in Toronto, for example. But I really would advise against NS if you need a lot of sun. Seriously.
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Mar 28, 2018 21:24
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It’s also like 350 days a year where there is fog at some point, which I love and miss desperately, but I imagine would be unsettling for someone from away. And it doesn’t rain as much as BC.
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Mar 28, 2018 21:40
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tuyop posted:It’s also like 350 days a year where there is fog at some point, which I love and miss desperately, but I imagine would be unsettling for someone from away. BC goes from rainforest to desert so there's a pretty good spectrum of rain-levels for any rain enthusiasts preferences here 
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Mar 28, 2018 22:51
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Thanks for the replies. I do love the sun, but am okay with rain, snow, and fog too. According to the chart at https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Canada/Cities/sunshine-annual-average.php, Halifax has about one more day of sunshine per year than Vancouver. Also, we really do love getting outside, so it's cool to be near beaches (like we are here, but to be quite honest the beaches here don't have big waves due to the island so nearby and are pretty crowded). We're both avid hikers with the occasional run thrown in. My husband is in the tech industry, and I've worked at a college for the past six years, but before then I guess I was more of a creative professional--editing, writing, that sort of thing. I honestly don't think we'd consider moving unless we got more of a nest egg and had at least one job sorted out ahead of time.
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Mar 29, 2018 00:39
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Someone suggested I repost this here:Carbon dioxide posted:Hm, I can't find a Canada megathread like there's one for Europe. Oh well.
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Jun 20, 2018 19:48
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The Toronto thread in the LAN forum might be a good place to ask also, lots of weirdos that like doing things outside there.
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Jun 20, 2018 19:54
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That’s BC for sure, land in Vancouver and tool around the Rockies for a week and head over to the island and Victoria for a week.
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Jun 20, 2018 19:55
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All this talk about fried chicken, and no one mentioned A&K Lick-a-chick yet? For shame. Moving away from where I can easily get my fix is one of the things I regret most about moving out of Cape Breton. (Can't deny it's been good for my health, though.) The closest I've found to it in Victoria is a takeout shop that does "broasted" chicken, and I have some doubts about the kitchen hygiene being practiced there. A&K is one of the closest things Cape Breton has to a tourist food destination, I think.
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Jun 22, 2018 12:49
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Carbon dioxide posted:Someone suggested I repost this here: There are places in *almost* every province that has all of these features. I would actually make a pitch for the Atlantic provinces since you have three weeks. Fly into / spend some time in Halifax, take day trips to the Annapolis Valley / Grand Pre winery, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Peggy's Cove etc; Drive to PEI for an overnight or two, check out the red sand beaches and eat a lot of lobster and/or potatoes; Drive and hike the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton; Take the six hour ferry to Newfoundland and drive to GROS MORNE national park, the most amazing day hiking west if the rockies and arguably anywhere in Canada, and a UNESCO world heritage site; Drive a few hours north to L'Anse Aux Meadows, the only North American viking settlement; Ride some horses in any place besides Newfoundland. You can google everything I mentioned but Gros Morne and L'Anse Aux Meadows really deserve a peek: http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/top-destinations/gros-morne https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/top-destinations/lanse-aux-meadows
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Jun 22, 2018 13:09
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Spadoink posted:There are places in *almost* every province that has all of these features. I would actually make a pitch for the Atlantic provinces since you have three weeks. 2-3 weeks is enough time to do all of this but it'll be packed. In NS, Annapolis Valley (colloquially "the valley") also has some amazing little hikes. Cape Split is a quick afternoon. Cape Chignecto is a bit of a drive and a 3-4 day hike with the majority along stunning cliffs and coastal barrens and the last or first day being through some really gorgeous creeks and glacial till with fairly old-growth forests for the region. There's a Duncan's Cove walk that's really something, you can see the old WW2 bunkers along some really stark coastal terrain because it's exposed right to the North Atlantic. You'll also really get a rugged hiking experience in the East compared to the West Coast or the US (assuming that's where you're from). Often, instead of switchbacks you're just scrambling straight down a 200ft logging road because there's no money for switchback maintenance.
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Jun 22, 2018 14:59
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Victoria has innumerable day hikes in driving distance from the city, and the circle route up to Port Renfrew and over to Lake Cowichan will let you see some incredible beaches, and giant trees. Horse culture is present here as well, so I'd imagine you could find some guided routes. Victoria has a great breakfast/coffee/donut/taco/foodtruck scene as well.
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Jun 22, 2018 16:54
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There is a Tim Horton's 13 mins away by foot. It has been there for as long as I can remember. We never went there. Both of my parents might as well have had coffee on an intravenous drip , they both hated Tim Horton's coffee. It was a curiosity, I don't remember any other locations although there must have been a few others. That all changed in the last 10-15 years. They are everywhere now and every six seconds there seems to be an ad espousing the latest diabetic inducing "coffee" beverage to the unsuspecting populace. There is nothing good about Tim Horton's. Its garbage. The main thing I hate though is the patriotic Canadian angle they exploit. I wish it would have stayed in the east. Born and raised in Vancouver FYI.
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Jun 22, 2018 18:03
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It's already gender neutral let's just make that our anthem
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Jun 22, 2018 18:11
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PanzerSagan posted:There is a Tim Horton's 13 mins away by foot. It has been there for as long as I can remember. We never went there. Both of my parents might as well have had coffee on an intravenous drip , they both hated Tim Horton's coffee. It was a curiosity, I don't remember any other locations although there must have been a few others. That all changed in the last 10-15 years. They are everywhere now and every six seconds there seems to be an ad espousing the latest diabetic inducing "coffee" beverage to the unsuspecting populace. There is nothing good about Tim Horton's. Its garbage. The main thing I hate though is the patriotic Canadian angle they exploit. I wish it would have stayed in the east. Born and raised in Vancouver FYI. Agreed. It's terrible and sad we've collectively decided to make this lovely fast-food chain an integral part of our cultural identity.
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Jun 22, 2018 18:16
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Carbon dioxide posted:Someone suggested I repost this here: If you want very accessible day hikes, food and food trucks, historical buildings, you probably want Victoria. The only other mid-sized city that isn't an unpleasant nightmare that has much historical anything would be Quebec city, but you don't get mountains next to the ocean next to temperate rainforest for hiking there. The hiking here looks like this     You could spend your whole trip on Vancouver island (it's about half the size of ireland) and see some pretty amazing poo poo. Hell, you're a cool traffic engineering thread poster. I met up with Entropist when I went over to Netherlands, would be happy to meet up and let you know all the best spots and maybe go on a hike or two if you wanted. I'm obviously biased to some degree recommending Victoria/Vancouver island but I've been all over and I've never been anywhere without such quality and quantity of nature as well as good park infrastructure and easy ways to get there. Like you can get to all the above pictures in 20-40 min from downtown. My wife and some friends did some really affordable trail ride thing recently and loved it too, there's lots of that here. No horse driving license required. Getting here is super easy, direct flights from Amsterdam to Vancouver, tool around vancouver a few days to see the big city stuff) then take the ferry over to Victoria. Don't rent the car in Vancouver, rent it once you arrive via transit in Victoria because paying for a car on the ferry is expensive but there's good direct transit. Victoria is also one of the few small cities in north america where you do't really NEED a car to get around, specially to be a tourist. It's very walkable and bike friendly. Rental car would be good for hikes of course. For times, summer is nice, late summer or early summer probably best. But due to being near the ocean and so much forest it really helps regulate the temperature. Any time in the fall or winter will be fairly gray and rainy. The parks are huge, high or low season you won't get crowds beyond the main parking lot. Securing camping spots can be more difficult in high season but if you're just there to hike it will be no problem. There's also the Gulf islands, short ferry trips from Victoria, and many are worth seeing. Baronjutter fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Jun 22, 2018 |
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Jun 22, 2018 18:32
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Yeah this man is correct. I love the east but to get a similar nature experience to Vancouver Island you need to drive and boat for at least 36 hours across three provinces. The trails will also be washed out ruins in comparison, which I love but I could see being a pain for a vacation.
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Jun 22, 2018 18:46
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drat, that makes me want to go hiking, and I get winded walking from my car to my first floor apartment
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Jun 22, 2018 20:51
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Thanks everyone, cool stuff, I'll check it out!Baronjutter posted:would be happy to meet up and let you know all the best spots and maybe go on a hike or two if you wanted.
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Jun 22, 2018 23:22
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We recently went on a trip to Drumheller and hiked in Horseshoe Canyon for a bit. Apparently, they have guided horse tours in the canyons if you're interested in seeing a part of Canada that looks more like a Wild West movie. There's also a paeleontology museum if you're into that sort of thing. It's a small town that's a bit of a drive from the major cities, and due to the museum, it's full of dinosaur statues and gift shops. Near our hotel, there was a t-rex statue painted to look like Batman. Whenever we'd go to Drumheller as a kid, we always just ate at McDonald's or Dairy Queen. This time, because it was just my husband and I, we went to a local diner, local pub and a Waffle House that has a toy train filled with action figures running above the tables. It was a lot of fun! As a huge dinosaur nerd, Drumheller is my favourite place, but if you want to do some great hiking in Canada, B.C. is definitely the place to go. Mountains, wilderness, the ocean and a major city. Vancouver is beautiful and I highly recommend it as a place to travel to.
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Jun 23, 2018 18:26
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edit
Caganer fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jul 2, 2018 |
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Jun 29, 2018 02:20
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It's very doable. Not perfect, but not a terrible idea at all. Where you'll have trouble isn't day to day life, it's work. You'd need to work in an industry or at least company where being primarily English isn't an issue.
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Jun 29, 2018 02:34
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edit
Caganer fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jul 2, 2018 |
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Jun 29, 2018 02:37
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I have family from Montreal who literally never learned to speak French, despite living there for 50+ years. There are parts of Montreal where it's completely optional.
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Jun 29, 2018 02:41
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They don’t speak real French in Montreal, anyway. 
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Jun 29, 2018 03:04
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My great aunt lived in Montreal for like 40 years and never learned French, so you're probably fine.
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Jul 2, 2018 17:11
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