Howdy Reader!

I just got back from a 10-day trip to Canada!

I finally fulfilled a dream of doing the Anne of Green Gables tour—not because of the books, but because of the 1980s Sullivan Productions movies (no other versions count, IMO). I’ll talk more about that in another email once I’ve had time to collect my thoughts coherently.

For now, I just wanted to share with you a rapid fire of impressions that stood out to me in Canada:

I’ve been to BC a few times, but never long enough to form strong impressions. So these thoughts are more specific to the Toronto and PEI areas.

• Canadians came off as uber friendly. Store cashiers and food workers smiled, made eye contact, and were genuinely polite. I didn’t feel like a nuisance for simply existing. My friend who came with me said Washington State has jaded me, because she didn’t notice. Apparently my standard for public interactions has severely declined. I don't know, how is customer service where you live?
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• I finally tried Tim Horton’s. It's a Canadian staple so I had to, right? The prices were reasonable, I'll give them that. But food quality? I have mixed opinions. Coffee? Terrible. Timbit (donut hole)? Meh. The scrambled egg loaded breakfast wrap? Surprisingly tasty.

• Clearing customs in Toronto was a joke. We scanned our passports at a kiosk, took a picture, answered a few multiple-choice questions, and that was it. No live person asked us anything. Whaaaaat?!
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• Adirondack chairs. Everywhere.​
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• Caution signs deserve their own bingo card. Turtles, deer with “night danger” warnings, goose families, tractors merging onto highways, horse and carriage crossings… the road signs alone were a full-on cultural experience.
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• Canadian websites hate U.S. credit cards. Don't ask me why! I had to buy my Air Canada tickets and theater tickets using PayPal/Google Pay. I had to wait to buy Niagara Falls tickets in person and thankfully there was still some availability. If anyone knows a workaround for future trips, please let me know!
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I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things - I’m still a bit jet-lagged.
But now I want to hear from you…

What were your first impressions of Canada?

Hit reply and let me know!

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