Canada, eh? Or rather, more specifically, Vancouver; home of the Olympics, a crazy awesome aquarium, tons of patio bars, and an insane amount of manners. I have traveled the globe wide and far, and never have I found anything even remotely close to the level of polite nature of this city's inhabitants. To provide you with an example, I literally had a car apologize for almost hitting me after I (like an American rock star) threw myself into traffic. Additionally, a woman apologized from the bottom of her heart to me after divulging the terrible fact that she did not, in fact, know where the restrooms were located. The politeness was so extreme, that at many points found myself almost aggravated. Just once during the trip, I often told myself, I needed to witness just one lone angry Canadian. They must be out there, right? I mean, after all, they are the (self-acclaimed, naturally) champions of the most violent sport to take the ice, hockey, so they must hide aggression somewhere? Or perhaps it arises when a bar runs out of poutin? Whatever. Forget the Midwest. This is polite and nice to a whole another level. It must be something in the water.
In other regards, Vancouver is maple-leaf down, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever encountered. The mix between history, modern architecture, city life, the daily hustle-and-bustle, and nature with picturesque mountains- pure Canadian perfection. I honestly doubt any true Vancouver-ite (no idea what they refer to themselves as...) would ever find another city worth leaving for. There were plenty of moments throughout my trip in which I found myself ogling at the prospects of dropping everything and finding a vancity apartment. From Gas town (their seemingly "tourist" area), filled with small souvenir shops and an aray of delicious restaurants and cafés, to English bay, a scenic overlook on one of the beautiful bays of Vanciuver, they truly offer it all for tourists like myself. I could probably ramble on about the goings and doings of this marvelous city for multiple blog posts, but to keep it short and quaint, if you have the chance to visit the city, grasp it and flee to the city ASAP. Even though I spent the vast majority of my time here working in their convention center, even the views within that facility were worth a trip alone. The Canadians know what they're doing.
Vancouver: home of quite possibly the happiest people in the world.
No wonder they're so damn polite.
English Bay at sunset
Hotel and convention center
2010 Olympic Games torch
Sangria with a view
