First Night From Home

Hello everyone - or rather, farewell for a little while. Tonight we are quietly ensconced in the Sydney Rydges Airport Hotel, thanks to Chris dropping us off at the door. What luxury. Thanks Chris, you are a legend!
Tomorrow we fly out to Vancouver, Canada. We have been to Vancouver before when, in 2000, we escaped (or "missed", depending on how you look at it) the Sydney Summer Olympics when Cathy Freeman made us all proud. Back then we stayed at an historic hotel on English Bay, called The Sylvia, before taking the Rocky Mountaineer across the Great Divide of the Canadian Rockies, flying then from Calgary to Toronto, and afterwards driving via Niagara into the US for what is quaintly called "leaf peaking" in Autumnal New England, US of A. It was a magic trip but we both agreed at the time that Canada needed more time. It's a BIG country. Fast forward 24 years or so and here we are! More to come but for now it's time to prepare for our flight and sleep the sleep of the very excited.

Some fun facts about Canada:
* Canada has the longest coastline in the world at approximately 243,042 km.
* Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia.
* Canada has the second longest highway in the world, second to Australia's Highway 1. The Trans-Canada Highway, some of which we will drive on this holiday, is almost 8,000 klms long.
*Canada's border with the USA is the longest border in the world not patrolled by armed forces (although a Trump victory might just changed that!)
* Canada has 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves.
* Canada has a 99% literacy rate - I just love this fun fact!
I already love Canada!Read more