Monday, October 08, 2007

Weekend Summary

Went with family up to Victoria, British Columbia which is at the most southwestern point of Canada on Vancouver Island. Basically you can throw a rock to it from Seattle...if you can throw a rock about 70 miles.

If you ever get the chance to go to any museums in either Britain or Canada I can't recommend it enough. I've been to tons of museums here in the USA including many in Washington DC and in general our museums are ass.

We saw the traveling Titanic exhibit at the Royal British Columbia Museum and it was well done. Aside from the temporary attraction of Titanic there were the normal exhibits showcasing life in British Columbia from the first peoples to the eventual settlers...and finally to the handful of people that live there now and the culture they have created.

Victoria is a uniquely British city and has architecture and culture which you'd easily find in London. I browsed lots of shops though didn't purchase much. I did come away with a new hat which I like very much. I may post a photo of me in it if there is demand otherwise I'll just save it for me.

Perhaps the greatest surprise of the trip was walking several blocks to Christ Church Cathedral which presides over the diocese of Columbia within the Anglican Church of Canada.

I have great appreciation for the Anglican liturgy because of its poetic beauty and powerful hymns. The Anglicans had a head start on doing orthodox-ish rite in English so the liturgy they have created is far superior to the eventual Vatican II liturgy which seems to make no Roman Catholic happy. (I fully realize most of you have no idea what I'm talking about)

The service was wonderful and I stayed and met several who were in attendance who obviously knew I came all the way from the far off world of Seattle. I think they knew I was visiting because there were not many in attendance who were under the age of 55. That is a reality within the Anglican Church in Canada.

After church it was off to a shoe store, the mall, and a pretty cool candy store...then a nap on the boat ride home. On the way home I had the song "Let's go to Canada" in my mind from the Ska band Five Iron Frenzy. One verse goes:

They've got trees, and mooses, and sled dogs,
Lots of lumber, and lumberjacks, and logs!
We all think it's kind of a drag,
That you have to go there to get milk in a bag.
They say "eh?" instead of "what?" or "duh?"
That's the mighty power of Canada.

9 comments:

Gino said...

didja pick up any of that better- than-ours, canadian beer?

PlatinumGirl said...

Let's see the hat!

Anonymous said...

I want to see the hat also.

What is your favorite Canadian beer? I like Molsons

Anonymous said...

I was just up in Canada as well. But over to the east just a few miles in Vancouver. Vancouver has been a favorite city of mine for years.

This trip was an eye opener. I got there in the middle of a garbage strike and the city looked run down and worn out. There were scores of homeless people everywhere. I've been going there since 1975 and I've never seen so many homeless people in that city.

They have a huge problem with homeless drug addicts up there, apparently. Watch your step or you'll be dancing across a public park with used needles laying about like pine cones.

All of this at a time when the Canadian dollar is at par with the US dollar for the first time in over 30 years.

Maybe Bush is building the wall on the wrong side of the country.

But the beer was still better than ours and the more affluent sections of town are still impressive.

I used to admire Canadian local government (not the national type) but it's clear they're losing ground. At least they don't have Huckabee and Tancredo running for office up there.

Now if we can just build a wall around Oregon.

Tracy said...

I for one do not subscribe to the idea that their beer is better than ours and by 'ours' I mostly mean local brews in the Pacific Northwest. Their alcohol content is higher than ours but that to me does not equal great beer.

The only national beer I enjoy is Samuel Adams Black Lager which is difficult to find...otherwise it's local and small.

Picture of hat forthcoming in the next medicated blog post which should be soon based on the cold I'm currently fighting.

Gino said...

its not the alcohol content,tracy.
i found canadian beer tastier tha our own.

i'm not talking micro/special breews, like sam adams.

i mean the big everyday brands.
they have nothing up there that is as foul as bud, miller or coors even among their national big brands.

Anonymous said...

Gino has it right. Kokanee blows away Bud, Miller or any other cheapass American beer. Canadians know hockey and beer.

I'll bet your goofy new hat says Ron Paul '08 on it.

Tracy said...

Oh then we're in agreement. I don't consume any domestic mass produced American beer period. I would differ with you in that I still view Samuel Adams as a mass produced beer which is why I noted them as an exception in having one brew that I like.

Canadians also know how to cooperatively stand in a line.

Gino said...

agreement then, yes!

i call sam adams a special brew, though it isnt micro.
yes, mass produced, but still not when compared to the big boys.

what is a shame: the labatts and molsens sold up north even taste better than the export versions we get here.
yes, i actually put them sidexside to test whether it was just my imagination.