Lol, when Canadians talk about driving distances, we'll automatically reference time rather than kilometers. It's how long it takes to get there, not how far away it is...
I came in 1976 from the Netherlands , married a Canadian, we met in Mallorca, did not speak a lot of English but I managed well! He promised my parents to let me visit them whenever I needed too. He kept that promise till the day they passed on❤️ 45th anniversary this year!
You're such a lovely couple! I lived in the UK for about 2 year, and brought my boyfriend home with me from there. First thing that blew his mind: I said, we'll just pop up to see my mum on Friday, and we'll come back home on Saturday. He said great. She lives in Timmins. I'm in Toronto. After about 40 minutes he started asking, "are we there yet?" Every. 15. minutes. When he finally woke up in Timmins (I was driving) he said, "My God, you've smuggled me into Russia."
How rare in this day and age to have some one give a positive review as opposed to a rant, and accurate as well, I hereby declare you honorary Canadians.
A 100 km drive in the UK is a long drive. In Toronto, it is a (1 way) daily commute to work. Whereas, a 100 year old building in Canada is a heritage structure, but in the UK, it is in the new part of town.
oh yeah, I used to think of 100km as such a long way to drive, in Canada, before covid, I drove 100 a day just to commute to work - all within lower mainland :)
A bit of embellishments to your examples !. Nobody commutes 100 kms a day, one way, in Toronto !!!. A 100 yo building is an old building regardless where it is. You just like the number 100, don't you? Haha 😂🤣
Miles moved to Canada from Britain and found work in Vancouver. About 6 months later his brother Mick e-mailed him and announced that their Mom wanted to come visit Miles, so he had bought her an airline ticket to Halifax. Mick told Miles all he had to do was to please meet Mom at the airport on the 2nd of June and drive her to his place. Miles replied: 'Why don't you pick her up Mick? You're closer to Halifax than I am'.
@@capitainebonhomme1609 Look who is uneducated GoodMan,.. about 4,600 KM's as the crow flies for both distances .. but driving is different .. the shortest way is through the states at about 5,800 KM's. You learn something everyday capitaine .. :)
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I've run into a number of people over the years coming from Europe to see Canada. I always tell them that to drive from the ON/QC border on the 401 to the Manitoba Border, east of WPG is well over 2000km and takes at least 2 very long days of driving, with only stops for gas and meals. That's just one province! If people come for one or 2 weeks, I tell them just to stick with a small area- say Southwestern ON, or Southern QC etc. If they want to see all of Canada, they'll need 3 months. LOL
Wanted to add one of my own observations as an American. Though I haven’t visited Canada in many years, I was shocked by the cleanliness and beautiful flowers in evidence everywhere. Almost every home, regardless of size was well kept and attractive. In fact, at Niagara Falls, the difference when you simply walked from the American side to the Canadian side was incredible. The Canadian side was far more attractive and well kept.
Thanks for your comment. Canada has a special relationship with the natural environment. Although we have changed demographically in the last few decades, our base culture is all about working WITH nature and letting nature lead us. We are not trying to conquer or overcome our country's geography. So we celebrate it. Yes, even in a metropolis like Vancouver, you will see images of wild animals and plants all over the place. And many many flowers in the summertime. The physical beauty of nature is a part of the Canadian soul. I have visited the USA on many occasions and I always have a wonderful time. The people are great. And your country is incredibly beautiful.. Cheers!
Mind you, the video makes great hay of the uncommon cold they encountered on first arriving in Canada. But -30 degrees arises only a few times a decade in southern Ontario, if that, and then only as an overnight low. The average daytime high during January in Toronto is -1.8C, or 29F, overnight lows averaging -11.
I don’t know and but I’m in Wisconsin and we always get minus 0 temps getting down to - 40 degrees....never fails every winter. We joke about global warming...still waiting for it. We are still getting freezing temps her and it’s MAY!!!
@@CarriUSA there were a few days where the temperature in Wisconsin was colder than on Mars. That was actually reported on the news in New York City and we had great fun with that fact with our Midwest office. All of whom showed up to work on time as if it was springtime 🤣
When my sister and I came to Canada she ended up in Ontario and I took off to British Columbia with the intention of going on to Australia. However I married and settled in Vancouver. My parents decided to come and visit us both. I wrote to them and said, you know it’s as far away from Scotland to Ontario as it is from Ontario to British Columbia. They could not believe it so my dad walked down the street to the local post office where he and the postman poured over a map of Canada and the UK. They were both amazed and my father said “Gee me, oor ANN is right.“ It didn’t put them off though and we had a lovely visit.
@@tabc6870 you’re right, but the distance is significant. Airport to airport, Scotland to Ontario (Toronto) 5290.99 km.: Toronto to Vancouver 3364 km. (Taken from internet calculations.)
@@tabc6870 Yes, but in Canada it is not about the actual kilometres, it is about travel time. The time it takes to drive a distance as the crow flies (a Canadian saying meaning a direct straight line) is different than the time it takes to drive following geographic topography and weather conditions, especially when one gets into the Rocky Mountains, the boreal forests and the lake regions or in a blizzard on the prairies.
This is the loveliest video I’ve seen on TH-cam in months! I’m a born-Canadian, late 30’s, and have lived in 5 different countries over 13 years. Back living in Vancouver now. So interesting to hear about my own country through your lens! You’re spot-on about everything! 👌 You’re also the most charming couple on TH-cam and I wish you were my parents! 😆😍
I moved from Scotland to Manitoba in January. I complained about the biting cold -27 one day, to a work colleague. His advice stayed with me since then..."forget about style or what you look like, dress for the weather and you'll be fine". Smart advice.
A friend of mine emigrated from the UK in the 1970's to live just outside of Lunenburg, NS and the first real cold weather of the season he called his wife to the kitchen window to look at the neighbour who had clearly lost his mind, as he was watering the garden in the freezing cold weather! It was their first time witnessing the flooding of a backyard skating rink. haha!
That is hilarious! My husband used to make a rink in our yard for our son, it was outside his bedroom window, so I used to use the window as the concession! 🏒 🥅
My parents immigrated to Toronto from Scotland in 1967. My grandparents came for a visit a few summers later, and the first question my Granfather asked my dad after seeing Lake Ontario was "What sea is that?" He couldn't get his head around a lake he couldn't see the other side of.
And we love our friends from Michigan too. We usually spend a week in the summer and 3 days on black Friday in Michigan (pre Covid). Lovely State. ! Nice People
What a coincidence. I just replied to the comment above (that mentioned Saskatoon) about how much Michiganders revere Gordie Howe :) Growing up outside of Detroit, Canada was our closest neighbor and in those days we were thick as thieves. Even the coins were used interchangeably. Now that I've retired, I'm moving back home (glad I kept my parents house!)
@@nancysexton4364 Same was with Toronto and Buffalo. We used to drive to Buffalo in the 80s just to go to the bars, beer was cheaper and the bars took Canadian money at par, plus it was a change of atmosphere.
That was fun. So many things we take for granted here. At a B&B in British Columbia, my wife and I were seated across from a British couple for breakfast. They were listing many of the "discoveries" you've mentioned. As they were talking, the gentleman got a puzzled expression as he was watching me eating my pancakes. He said, "You dip your bacon in the maple syrup?". I joked, "I'm Canadian, I put maple syrup on everything. Try it" He cut a piece of bacon, dragged it through the syrup and put it in his mouth. I will never forget the look on his face as his eyes lit up. I thought he was going to cry. He said, "This is the best food combination I have ever had". I was so happy to have introduced him to something so simple.
Re: the bears It is not uncommon for people to be killed by them. It is best to bring your dog, or borrow a neighbor's, when walking in the wilderness. The dogs will alert you to possible ambushes and distract them from attacking you. We have lost friends and neighbours to bears. As to other animals, in Camrose Alberta, deer live right in the city. They will cross the road using the crosswalks! They are often seen relaxing on peoples front lawns, eating from the shrubs and trees planted there, and giving birth to their babies under/behind trees on peoples lawns!
@@tehscope9422 'or bring that person who only takes the elevator', so you're saying that you don't need to be able to run fast, just faster than your friend? Lol!
What shocked me about Canada?... Just how friendly the people are! EVERYONE is willing to give you a hand. Best people in the world- we Americans could really learn from Canadians. Way to many examples to list here. I'm lucky to live in Michigan, and have had many opportunities to travel in Canada.
I wish my wife could figure this out. Our huge fridge looks like a Jenga game, everything stacked haphazardly, move one wrong thing and everything crashes down. I can't tell you how much food gets wasted and the number of arguments that have ensued.
I was born in the West Midlands, and we emigrated to Canada in 1968. I remember when we used to drive from Wolverhampton to Cardiff to visit my mother’s family - I think it was two-three hours by car, and when we arrived everyone made a big fuss of my Dad because he had ‘driven all that way’. They would make a cup of tea for him, and have him sit with his feet up to rest and recover!
It really is a small world, I'm reading this from Wolverhampton in 2021 and also considering emigrating to Canada following the COVID pandemic. I'm sure the fair city of Wolverhampton has nothing to do with every resident's desire to leave 😂
My parents left to start a business in Canada - I don’t think they left Wolverhampton with any ill feeling, but they never looked back and thought it was the best thing they had ever done. Good luck with your decision!
Thanks for watching that is very kind of you to say that 🤗we love ❤️ Canada 🇨🇦 so it’s easy to be happy to talk positively about it . Hope you have a great weekend Cheers 🌺🍷🙂
Welcome ....its funny you mention the size of Canada because I remember Canada to many in England was a maybe 50 kms distance from the large cities of Toronto Montreal or Vancouver that's what was sold at a UK high street Lunn Poly travel shop and so that's what caught on to many. Pretty funny really....again welcome
Ontario has quite a lot but Quebec's even crazier on that front. It's got between a half million and a million lakes (estimates vary based on the analysis of satellite images - most aren't even named) alone. I've seen the province estimated at having 3% of the global freshwater supply. Of course, the place is 1.5 million square kilometres (slightly smaller than Alaska), most of it being glacier carved igneous uplands filled glacial melt that can't actually seep into the earth (the granite bedrock is just a few feet down is mostly non-porous). Once you go north of the northern bank of the St. Lawrence River valley, it's basically endless mountain lakes, rivers and bogs until you hit the treeline and the arctic tundra in the far north of the province. The Canadian Shield (the igneous region under much of Quebec and Ontario) is just insane for freshwater retention.
i am a canadian living in france. france fits into canada 14.7 times. vancouver to toronto is the same as paris to moscow. puts it into perspective how big canada really is. how wonderfully big it is!!
Just came across your channel and wanted to say you're both a breath of fresh air needed. I'm a Canadian born citizen but my parents also immigrated here to Canada. Many Canadians out there seem to forget we're a country of immigrants. We're blessed to have a beautiful country here, and those that come from different countries can have a greater appreciation for what Canada has to offer. Immigration is what builds a better Canada, and the both of you are what makes our country a better place to be.
When my mother-in-law from England came to visit us in the 90s, she was also taken with the outdoor Christmas lights. She took back loads of Christmas lights to decorate her home in Herefordshire, even though it meant she had to have an electric adapter!
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been to Canada twice and thoroughly enjoyed it! I actually thought about moving there and now I’m sorry I didn’t. The one thing that I never forgot was how clean it was and how friendly the people were when I was there!
Hi from a Brit in Florida, just found your channel. Moving to a new country is never easy, and is always surprising.. Ontario is nice, I have visited several times. I have family in Windsor ON.
This was really enjoyable. I am a Canadian and I found this endearing to hear what people’s impression of my country is. What a grand world this can be if we are open and accepting of each other.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement My friend andi visited her daughter in Alberta. We only had 2 weeks but she took us all over, I loved it so many lovely memories, scenery, people we met . Wild life was glorious especially the huge black bear which strolled past our parked car at Lake Cameron, it was so beautiful 🙂
@@ThisIsOurRetirement It was !!!, we went so many places Heritage Park, Bow Museum Head Smashed in Buffolo Jump, it was wonderful just mist the Stampede bya week. But can not complain about 1 thing😊
I can drive from Toronto to Florida in the same time span that it takes me to get to a family cottage in Kenora, Ontario. People forget we are the second largest country in the world, second only to Russia. So glad you've made Canada your home!
Thank you so much, we drove an RV from Toronto to Vancouver a trip of a lifetime and a way to understand the geography of this beautiful country...we flew back it's a long way!!
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Good for you! That must have been an amazing trip. I've flown out to Vancouver a couple of times, but never driven. My dream is to take a train trip back out. I felt the same shock in terms of a country's vastness when I went to Australia, naively believing I could cover more sightseeing kms. than anywhere near possible. Live and learn.
lol, the fridge size... I am Canadian and I did my MA in the UK. I spent the whole year writing home telling friends they wouldn’t believe how the British think a good sized fridge is a bar fridge and that I had to share it with my flatmate even though it was that tiny. And sure enough, No one believed me!
Haha. I come from England and I couldn't believe the size of the fridges either. I have always wished that I could find UK-sized fridges here! You know, those nice little things that fit unobtrusively under the counter instead of being this great thing sitting like an elephant in the room. I think the size is related to the way people shop here. They do a big supermarket shop once every one to two weeks, and we toddled down to the local stores on the high street every day for fresh food and our daily dose of neighbourly gossip. :)
A few tips for cold weather: 1. Wear warm clothing, in multiple layers if possible. That includes insulated boots, a hat, and either gloves or mittens. 2. Breathe through a scarf. It will act as a heat exchanger. Water droplets that condense as you exhale will warm the air as you inhale. 3. Do not inhale through your nose. 4. Stay dry. 5. Stay out of the wind. 6. Limit your exposure time. 7. Keep moving. 8. Watch out for signs of frostbite and hypothermia: - skin that turns white, red, blue, or black - pain or numbness, especially the ears, fingers, or toes - inability to straighten your fingers - shivering - fatigue / drowsiness - confusion - slurred speech
I’m from Ontario and lived in the UK for four years. Watching this video is like reliving my experience in reverse! I remember taking an item to the cash register and finding it the same price as the shelf. I thought “This is great! Why aren’t we doing this in Canada?”
I think you also have to pay to use a public toilet in europe right???? We used to have to pay 10cents to use public toilets in us back in the 80s...thank goddess we dont have to do this...anymore in usa...lol
@@duudsuufd -- Brian Mulroney was Canada's prime minister from 1984 to 1993. The GST was the federal "goods and services tax" that he added to the provincial sales tax already being charged on most products and services in several provinces. These two tax amounts initially were charged separately but later were combined into one "harmonized sales tax" for at least half of the provinces, which included Ontario.
@@zizimycat - Well, we still had been paying a provincial sales tax added to the purchase price before the GST was added; we've just paid even more since then. So, I've never known what it's like to pay merely the purchase price here (except on some food items).
Fascinating as a Canadian to hear your impressions of Canada. So interesting. It allows me to get a different perspective on my country and not take its uniqueness, size and beauty for granted. Thank you! I'm glad you took a chance on us in 1992.
First time viewer. I'm reminded of my time in the Cdn army (Shilo Manitoba '83-'86) working with the West German Army stationed there. They were going to go to either Toronto or Vancouver by car for a weekend. I drew them a map and placed THREE West Germanys inside of Manitoba alone. That was the end of their sightseeing plans. Most Canadians themselves haven't seen this country from coast to coast.
I remember when the Germans were stationed at Shilo. When they realized they couldn’t go to Toronto they came into Brandon. Must have been a bit of a let down! 😉
Talking about the black bear in the supermarket, that actually happened in our local supermarket in Northern Alberta. The automatic doors opened and the bear headed for the store's bakery department. He was finally persuaded to leave after a few hours.
@@SnootchieBootchies27 PEACE RIVER, Alta. (CP) - A bear apparently hungry for a midnight snack ambled through the front door of a northern Alberta grocery store early Tuesday. The young black bear headed for the bakery department at Peace River's IGA store and started to eating his way through the pastries. Staff were eventually able to herd the bear outside, where wildlife officials set a trap to catch it. No word on whether the bruin managed to nosh on any bear claws first.
As a third-generation Canadian, I appreciate your candid comments. I grew up on the prairies, but have travelled to most of Canada. It is endlessly breathtaking, and the people are amazing. We have lots of room to spare, and welcome any and all. (Just be aware, if you come here in the winter months, to buy winter clothing from somewhere other than Marks and Sparks!)
I was giggling and smiling and laughing throughout this whole video. It's the first time I've seen you two, and I loved every second of it. You two are adorable. Much love to you both. And thank you for helping me to feel pride in my country again. Throughout this pandemic I've lost some.....you two reminded me of it. So thank you! Xoxoxo
Glad you enjoyed it! and welcome to our channel we love 🇨🇦 Canada and feel very fortunate it’s our home. We hope you have an awesome Easter 🐣 weekend Cheers 🍺🐣🌺🇨🇦🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I'm also new to your channel, just stumbled across your vid while browsing, and wow, you are so adorable and charming! Thanks so much for doing this. You have a new subscriber. :)
If you live outside of the big city nature is nearby. I live in a city of 52,000 I am only a 5 min. walk to nature , 1000s of acres of crown land and 5 min. drive to beautiful lakes for swimming fishing or boating .
I just found your channel today and I have to tell you, this totally resonated with me. My husband and I came to Ontario in 1974 (November) and like you we bought "winter coats" before we came. I can remember getting mild frostbite. Needless to say, our first purchase was heavy parkas. Mind you, we're still here and love it.
We are Americans living in California. In 2018 we decided to drive to Alaska. We drove through BC and the Yukon before reaching Alaska. What a wonderful experience! We loved Canada. This was not our first visit to Canada but it was our longest. We saw so many black bears, a family of grizzly bears, eagles, and so much more. We hope to repeat this trip at some point. I hope you will consider visiting the American Southwest, it’s big (really big) too.
I’ve visited a huge portion of the US I’m almost as US as I am Canadian. But I’ve been really wanted to go to New Mexico and Wyoming etc.those are some areas I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting.
Just found your channel. I am a first generation Canadian. My Mum came from Coventry and my Dad was born in Oxford, but raised in Reading. The funny thing is they met and married in Canada. You have brought back so many wonderful memories for me just listening to you talking. Lost my Dad in 1977 and my Mum in 1991. My Mum and Dad loved Canada so much. Thay always planned to travel across this beautiful country, but Dad passed shortly after retiring, so our across country trip never happen. Now I am to old and unable to travel do to health reasons. Just wanted to say thank you from one proud Canadian to 2 others.
Subbed, because I'm Canadian, and I love it here. I've stood alongside moose, deer, black bears, foxes, and wolves in my lifetime. Literally. There is no experience like the Canadian experience. The enormity of our country disguises the intimacy of our population. We all share an awe and gratitude for our nation that, in turn, give birth to our humility, and politeness follows. I hope that makes sense. It's all connected, is my point.
Love your comments. My mother was raised in London and stationed at RAF Reading during the war where my Canadian father, an anti-aircraft gunner, was stationed to protect that air force base. Mother followed her new husband to Canada in 1946 as a war bride. You reminded me of her many stories of culture shock when she arrived in Canada, mostly pertaining to the adjustments to climate and the vastness of the country. It was 1963 before my mother's parents visited us for four month in Canada. My grandfather stated that he would always remember Canada as "the land of wires", since electrical, telephone and other utilities were strung on poles, rather than being buried underground. He was also amazed by homes with finished basements, rather than the rare cellars that existed in England. At age 77 he wanted to return to England and start digging under his house.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement my great aunt was a war bride from Scotland. She met my grandmother's brother during the war and moved to Canada before he actually returned from serving. Idk if they got married over here or over there before she moved here. They lived in Winnipeg... If you think the weather in Ontario is an adjustment, well, Winterpeg is even colder. Lol... Also my grandmother's mother was from Scotland and her father from Ireland and they lived in Winnipeg. No one ever mentioned how they felt about the climate.
Lots of stuff! The cold, the distance between places, the fridges, HST! Sort of fun to see this! Especially the cold. You need special tires to drive in the snow! And you stayed!
I have lived in Canada my whole life and it was refreshing to learn from your perspective what shocked you about it. In turn it gave me, as a Canadian, insight of how things differ in the UK from here. Thanks, Keep up the great work guys, and keep posting. I can’t wait until the weather gets better, and more age groups qualify for the covid vaccine.
"How big Canada is." This reminded me of a story I heard. During WW2, some British families sent their children to their relatives, to live out the war in the safety of Canada. One parent sent the following message to their relatives: "The children are arriving in Halifax. Please stop in to pick them up." The rely was: "We live in Vancouver. As you are closer to Halifax could you stop by to put them on the train."
During WWII a POW train, being the lowest and slowest priority, of Germans left Halifax. It took 3-4 days to reach Ontario. The destination was Manitoba or even further west. After taking 5 days travel through Ontario to almost make the Manitoba border, most the prisoners had concluded there wasn't a chance in hell of ever winning the war by trying to invade. Or for that matter escaping and making it home. Some of the POW camps were so remote there were minimal fences. The attitude being 'Go for it', you aren't going to make it far.
What a lovely video, I caught myself smiling the entire way through. I grew up in Canada and I'm so grateful to live in such an incredible, beautiful country. I'm actually a student pilot studying aviation, and I've gotten the opportunity to do build my cross-country flight hours over southern Ontario and it is just amazing every time how diverse and stunning it is. I've found myself much better at small-town geography in Ontario, haha! The pandemic has brought the mood down a little recently, so thank you for a great video, and for representing Canada with such warmth and authenticity! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thank you for a wonderful comment and for watching our story. Best of luck with your aviation career, aviation is a big part of our family. Norm started flying gliders when he was 14 and his Dad flew for a living. Keep well.
We moved to Northern Ontario, on top of Lake of the Woods, in the late 70s. It was absolutely magical time for me as a child- the rocky terrain that we would bike upon, the beautiful trees, crisp blue lakes, the bears, the moose, even the piles of snow in winter. Best childhood.
As a Canadian the only one that shocked me was that the price of gas and cars were cheap! We compare our gas costs with the US and even with the exchange rate we pay 50% more and cars are more expensive even after adjusting for exchange in Canada. I wasn't surprised with the cold, you can't convey what -30 feels like to someone that hasn't experienced it, it's colder than a walk in freezer. If you visit the arctic in winter, the shock of -50 compared to -30 is just as huge.
We did it in our Toronto to Vancouver RV trip, we have a video about that trip. Ontario is huge! and gets very hilly on the way out towards Manitoba. Thanks for watching.
I'll look for that Video. We did that in reverse Vancouver to Toronto, by train decades ago. If you haven't yet, go east as well. The Maritimes are beautiful.
@@garykembel8144 We have been out East quite a bit but never driven , we would like to take either a rental RV or the 🚂 train keep looking for the deals enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
@@david-lt9wj I grew up in Northern Manitoba. The nearest high school for ours to play a hockey or basketball game was 100 miles away, in Flin Flon.( I think you are in the UK?). At 60; my school chum from Flin Flon and I met up in Glasgow,rented a little Ford, and zig zagged our way south over two weeks towards London. You have a tiny fascinating country.
Such a nice video! Thank you! I’ve lived in Canada all of my life-was born in Ottawa, now live in Toronto, and have lived everywhere from northern Alberta to Cape Breton Island. My first visit to England was in 1996, when I visited 2 pen pals in Birmingham. I laughed and laughed at their fridge, until I realized that it was real! Lol. The other thing that I found funny was when they asked me where I would like to go. When they said that driving to the Scottish border would take too long, I laughed again. When they came over here, I had to show them that driving from Nova Scotia to Toronto was much more than a day trip! Lol. I LOVE both countries!! 🇨🇦❤️
I used to drive retired double decker buses from the UK in Victoria BC , which , of course , is on Vancouver Island. One day an American couple got on my city tour and asked me where they could rent a car. I figured because of where they had got on that they had just gotten off the Coho , a ferry between Port Angeles United "somewhat" States and Victoria. I knew the schedule and that they were most likely going back in very few hours so I asked them why they wanted a car. "To see the rest of the island" , they said. I started to laugh . "Are you going back this afternoon?" I asked. "Yes". They said. I told them if you rented a car right now and left for the North island you would not get there before your ferry leaves. This island is about 290 miles long and an average of 50 miles wide. It is 12000 square miles. I really enjoyed the look of shock on their faces.
I had a friend from Poland who worked here for 9 months. She had 5 days off and planned to take the bus from Sudbury to Alberta to see the mountains. I told her that she'd just get there and have to turn around and come back. She didn't believe me... Until she talked to someone at the ticket counter at the Greyhound station. She realized it wasn't the best use of her 5 days off. Lol. It takes two days to drive across Ontario. People from Europe have a hard time realizing that many of our provinces are bigger than most European countries.
Beer and liquor sales are regulated by the provinces and not by the government of Canada so there are significant differences from one to another, for you viewers from outside of Canada.
Yes, but in general, Canada has draconian and antiquated liquor laws from the dark ages. It's expensive and the restrictions are ridiculous in most provinces.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH I found that out in 1981 in BC, bloddy ridiculous laws , was only able to buy take away from a Government store , then in 2004 at Manitoba and Saskatchewan different rules but dumb , i live in Australia after leaving Scotland in 1964 , i thought i might as well migrate to somewhere warm , so my Wife and i came to Redcliffe Queensland ,and it is sub tropical here , only when it is humid does it get to one , but it does not happen much . Prices for goods are what it says on the item .
You made me laugh when talking about distances and wildlife. I had a friend visit me in Florida for a month. I surprised her by planning a national tour to as much of America as possible. She was absolutely dumbfounded by how big the country is. We drove from Orlando to Seattle and then down the West coast to Mexico then back to Florida.we did 15 National Parks! The animals in Yellowstone absolutely blew her mind! I remember her experiencing her first tornado and grapefruit sized hail. She was petrified of a supercell storm’s hundreds of thick cloud-to-ground lightening. I said, “Judy, I grew up with severe storms every afternoon in Florida....this is nothing.” She couldn’t believe how HUGE our grocery store were and was stunned that both sides of an entire long isle was dedicated to just cereal and how cheap food and gas were. She had never seen such large diversity in inexpensive restaurant choices we had and our portion sizes. The Grand Canyon dropped her jaw. Europeans crack me up when they visit me.
Glad to see some Brits over here. Always glad to see European immigration still happening. My great grandfather immigrated from London and lived in St. John New Brunswick. My other great grandparents on my father's side came from Cork, Ireland in the late 1800's.
European immigration has vastly reduced as things have so improved in Europe this last 30 years or more. More folk now arrive from Asia and other places.
Hello From Alberta.....you haven't lived until you've spent a winter up in the territories... I was up there working about two years ago and my truck thermometer stopped working at -50, yup it gets cold...lol. I really think we as a nation have been blessed to have so many fine folks such as yourselves coming to Canada to build their lives and raise families...…My clan did the same, only difference was mine came over about 120 or so years earlier. Great stories, thanks for sharing your experiences. Cheers
We would love to visit the Northern Territories, it is the only region we have not been to .We are so glad we moved here in 1992 and truly fortunate that Canada 🇨🇦 is our home. Have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
I'm a Sociology student who's lived in Canada my whole life and I had no idea how many of these were regional/non-universal things! The way we perceive distance is especially fascinating. Love your videos xx
Something I had to get used to is the long highway drives that people take for granted. Now when I visit other countries I feel so claustrophobic after getting used to wide open spaces. Thank you for posting. I enjoyed your video. I wish you both good health!
I am from China and have been in Canada for about 18 years. Honestly, I was shocked after watching your video because I can’t imagine how China is more like UK than Canada in terms of sales tax is included in the price tag, no tips in restaurant, small fridge, can buy liquor in super market, high gas price…... I thought all English speaking western countries are almost the same in terms of everything. Now I know I am wrong. Thanks for your video.
There's the US and Canada and then there's Rest of the World. Anywhere in the world is similar in style of living it's just the standard that's different, not in US and Canada tho.
Wow! That's interesting! I didn't know we were so idiosyncratic! After eighteen years, though, surely you are one of us, tipping and putting things in your big fridge. :)
I hate the tipping thing. It's so complicated and awkward. Sometimes your bill is huge but you barely asked anything to the waiter and still feel obliged to give 15% tip and sometimes the bill is really low like in breakfast restaurants and 15% is not enough considering how hard the waiters are working there. Restaurants should pay their employees correctly (I'm from Québec).
I have to agree that restaurants should pay their waiters more, not rely on customers to pay their wages, to restaurant owners: Quit expecting customers to foot the bill for your negligence in paying your waiters. I myself never pay 15% tip, I only leave a dollar or maybe two if the service is good ...
It's really not that complicated, leaving something is better than leaving nothing. If it's only 10% of the cost, that's still appreciated because there are people who leave nothing.
Recognize a lot of your story. I was born in St Catharines and lived also in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but moved with my parents to the Netherlands as a child. Came back to Canada for a 3 month visit. I immediately felt at home. Loved the outdoors (not the black flies and mosquitoes) going up North with the canoe. Visited Algonquin Park, James Bay area, Ottawa, Toronto and my relatives in different places in Ontario. Nice people everywhere. So much space. Houses and cars and petrol soooo much cheaper. Lower taxes (really). Returning to the Netherlands I had to get used again to everything being smaller, closer and more crowded. But that has its advantages too. Anyway I loved Canada, and always still feel a bit homesick
Thank you for sharing your story, Europe does have a lot to offer from public transport to beautiful architecture. We liked Holland there is a lack of formality than the UK, or used to be. It’s great you have a connection to both countries and continents. Thanks for visiting our channel.
Your comment about the size of Canada being larger than you imagined reminded me of my 2-year stay in the UK when my husband and I thought we had ample time to see everything, but you all pack a whole lot of history, architecture and culture into a small island! We didn't make it to Ireland and we only scratched the surface of Wales. I blame Edinburgh a wee bit because it continued to beckon us! We absolutely loved our time in the UK. Happy to hear that Canda has offered you some pleasure also.
We are so glad you enjoyed your time in the UK 🇬🇧, we also loved Wales and Edinburgh saw a bit of Ireland 🇮🇪 on a 🚢 cruise but after 29 years here Canada 🇨🇦 is very much our home and we love it 😍. We hope you have a great weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
@@garykembel8144 so true! We were also there in 2000 and during the millennial year English Heritage had a variety of reenactments and visiting archaeologists and all kinds of fascinating things going on most weekends, so that kept us very occupied. Additionally we found ourselves frequently tempted by the incredibly cheap airfares over to various other cities in Europe. We were accustomed to domestic Canadian flights being so very expensive that when we saw we could fly to Venice or Athens for not much more than the petrol it would cost to drive for half a day, we had to succumb on occasion.
@@rwilsonweir5697 yes absolutely. The cost of flights between European countries is very reasonable. My flights to and from the UK to Spain are around £25 per person per flight.
A scotsman visiting relatives in Canada was in the pharmacy and noticed condoms on offer at a reduced price of $3.00. He took them to the cashier who charged him $3.39. He queried the price and was told it was $3.00 for the condoms and 39 cents for the tax. Handing over $3.00, Jock said “ Keep your tacks , I’ll tie them on”
This is a good example of the droll Canadian sense of humour!:- Scottish immigrants were very prominent in Canadian history from 1763 onwards after the Seven Years War and made a very considerable contribution to the political and economic development of Canada but these Scottish stereotypes were often the object of wry humour in Canada although post-1945 non-British immigrants generally don't understand this tradition and this type of humour has been fading away. My mother was actually Polish and quite enjoyed the company of Scottish folks!
This video kept popping up on my screen the last couple of days, today I thought "oh well, I'll watch it". I smiled all through the video at your talk through. Thank you for making me smile about Canada today. 🙂🙂🙂
it was interesting to compare these observations with my own. There were two periods when i lived in the UK: as a kid, in buckinghamshire (parents both born and raised in england) and in london much later, for about 4 months. I1. n Toronto we don't get those extreme temperatures but I've experienced them on work visits to the prairie provinces, including a scary night in Winnipeg when my taxi failed to arrive and i was standing outside the now shuttered restaurant in a suit and oxfords. 2. the sales taxes: yes, a bit cumbersome especially when there are multiple "middle men" involved in the sale, such as a ticketing service with myriad service charges. At least it is clearer than pre harmonization where provincial taxes were paid by manufacturers of goods and then past on to the consumer inside the sticker price, with GST - a different kettle of fish as it is a tax on consumption - bobbing around on top. Then, as now, there are actually quite a few goods and services that are HST-free, like food, health services, house sales from resident to resident, condo fees, prescriptions, daycare for kids, legal aid, many educational services, music lessons, and most fees charged by financial institutions. oh hell, this is way too long. maybe i'll talk about daily food shopping vs NA car-culture weekly supermarket hauls. Or the UK delight of having a milkman/woman deliver bread and dairy to one's doorstep on account (does that still happen?) and how that stuff (plus the cooler english summers) factor into fridge sizes.
"...We arrived in february..." Oh you poor souls. I once talked to a man from Cameroon who immigrated to Canada and moved to Winnipeg in February. the poor guy had the shock of his life. He came to his senses and now live in Montreal.
@@maryokeefe5351 Oprah did a speaking tour of Alberta in February one year, it was -27 with a wind chill. She mentioned it when she walked on stage. You would think there would be a warning or an alert when foreigners make reservations for Canada in February.
I spent three winters in Halifax from 2002. My shocks were: - The kindness of the Canadians (although some of the officials could be inflexible.) - At the time all bank accounts not only charged fees but I even had to purchase a cheque book. - Additives in the food. - Stop signs and turn tight on red.
Everywhere in Europe does that, that’s why it was a thing for us coming to Canada gotta love the cultural differences. It’s because North America washes off the natural protective coating of the egg.
@@mckessa17 they drink everything warm. My daughters were so stressed when ordering drinks in Scotland, they would say, Coke with ice and the drink would come with ONE cube. It took a few days till they were saying, fill the glass with ice and then put the pop in. 🤣🤣🤣
A friend of mine told me a story of when they arrived in Canada. They arrived at about 730pm in Montreal in a winter month. They were astonished that there was were no people on the streets of this city on a Saturday night. On arrival to their hotel, they asked where every one was. Even more surprising to them was that “The Canadians were on the ice”. They had no idea about hockey, and had to learn we Canadians loved our game. This happened in the early 1980s
It is serious business hockey and can stop a city very easily. We were in Montreal during one of the play offs staying near St Laurent, the street was deserted then cars started honking horns and it became packed with people and cars. Thanks for your story, it’s great to hear.
I think all countries have negatives and positives. I live in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa and have been to Canada twice to visit family. What amazed me about Canada compared to South Africa, is that in SA we hang our washing outside to dry as we have sunshine most of the year, and if it rains, I use a tumble drier, but not if there is no rain. In Canada the drier is used all the time. I also found that no one I knew in Canada opened their windows, they have 'central air', whereas here in Cape Town I open windows daily even in winter, for a bit of fresh air. I also noticed in summer in Canada, I would look out the window, see grey sky and assume it would be chilly, only to go outside with a jacket on and be hit by humidity and warmth! Here in SA, when it is warm, the sky is bright blue, and in winter only when it rains or is cloudy, is it grey. South Africans are very friendly in general, but I found Canadians also very polite! I found the atmosphere in Canada on the streets is less frenetic and slower than in the USA, and therefore felt slower and more relaxed. I suppose it also depends where you go though! Enjoy your life in Canada! I personally can't wrap my head around that kind of cold weather i winter, am just not used to it.
All very true. My parents immigrated to Canada from UK in the late 1950s and never looked back. The way to cope with the weather is to spend more time outdoors in it. As long as your dressed appropriately it's really quite enjoyable. I personally love all the seasons and what a lovely spring we are having this year. Just glorious! Friends in the UK were having snow flurries the other day while we had summerlike temperatures here in Ottawa. 🥰
#8 is an Ontario thing. I now live in Alberta where there are private alcohol outlets, there is not government run stores for it, so there is price competition here. And we only have to pay 5% GST here too, so the price on the item is a bit closer to the real cost. On top of that -30°C is common here in winter, and usually goes down to -40°C/F at least once per winter. We keep complaining about the price of gasoline in Canada because we love to compare ourselves to USA on that count, instead of comparing our situation with the UK. We humans love to check out the greener grass and ignore when things are worse or harder in other places because we like to complain more than be thankful. The dumb thing is that we would be happier if we learned thankfulness.
I'd say it's more that Alberta is the odd one out, in Atlantic Canada its the same deal as Ontario (except that Newfoundland can sell beer at corner stores and things) with alcohol.
I am from Vancouver, and I work with a gentleman from Cockney (a specific area of London I understand). He told me everything in British Columbia feels new to him, ie the buildings, highways, homes. Which is interesting, as I would love to live in the UK for the amazing history.
@ Calum the person in question is a Cockney, not from an area called Cockney. Cockneys come from East London and to be called a cockney you have to be born within the sounds of “bow bells” which is the church bells of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside in the city of London. The area within which the bells could be heard is said to include most of the hospital within London East End.
NICE COMMENTS, YES CANAD IS BIG, THEY ARE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO MOVE AND WORK THERE, A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVE BECAUSE OF THE COLD , GLAD YOU SAW SOME OF THE LAND
You two are absolutely amazing! Any time that a newcomer to a new country is challenged to come up with a list of most impressionable things it can be difficult to articulate! You did an amazing job and I think your list was well thought out!
I left the UK in October 1991 I was also shocked at the bitter cold. Also. I was also shocked at the checkout and the HST tax. Overall the life is better here in Canada.
We totally agree with you, only if global warming could give us winters at 15°c lol We have never regretted moving to Canada and becoming Canadian citizens. We appreciate you watching.Thank you.
As a New yorker who visited Canada twice, lived among so many different types of people, I've ala enjoyed other people's perceptions about the US and other places.
I moved to Alberta in 1989, but returned to Scotland in 1995 when my dad passed away. We didn't have sales tax at the time in Alberta. I noticed the seasons in southern Alberta, they didn't seem to have a spring or autumn, it went from summer straight to winter. Very cold in the winter, but also very dry, not a wet cold like we have in northern Scotland where I am from, and very hot in the summer. I noticed the huge size of the milk containers in Canada, the fact that fast food was so cheap, like a taco, and free coffee refills! How come, upon returning to the UK & going into Pizza Hut, the pizzas were half the size & twice the price, even though its the same company. It took getting used to going to an Alberta Liqueur Control Board store to buy beer & at the time it closed at 8pm at night. Lastly, one time I drove from Calgary to visit a friend in Saskatoon. I actually stopped in the middle of the road in the middle of the night, had a coffee on the yellow line & that is highway #1!! It's a long way. I loved Canada, nice people and a beautiful country.
Having grown up in Michigan, can't help but point out that Saskatoon's the home of our beloved Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings legend.) In fact, I hear that the new bridge they're building to replace the old Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Canada is going to be named after him.
I have lived in the GTA for all 30 years of my life and I always thought things were so boring and common around here. It's really interesting hearing about our home and culture from a lovely couple who emigrated here. Thank you for reminding me that the whole world is beautiful and unique! ❤️
Same can be said of the U.S., except for the cold - it's MUCH warmer down in the southern states, but we have the cold, too, from Alaska to the border states (Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine, Vermont, Montana, etc.), and the sale of alcoholic drinks.
You mentioned all the ones that shocked us too. And then some. My husband decided we would take his Mini to Canada. This was in 1968. I should mention that my lovely dad had rescued us from most towns in Surrey when said Mini broke down. So off we set up the M1 heading for Liverpool to put the car on the ship. Well. You guessed it. My dad had further to travel for this breakdown. I didn’t go on the second successful trip. We flew to Toronto. Only to discover that the ship carrying the car had an accident in the St Lawrence. So no car. We took the train to Regina. It took for ever, passing millions of fallen down fir trees . I should start my own TH-cam channel about my husband’s vehicles. The only reliable thing about his numerous vehicles was the frequency with which they went wrong!
We came to Canada in 1987, my inlaws warned me about the harsh winters, when they came on holiday they were surprised about the tax you pay on chocolate bars. I do miss the Uk and hope to return one day. The countryside and greenery is beautiful in UK.
Joy, if you go back to UK, as you would like, you will find it is not the place you left. I returned to UK from New Zealand after 20 years and was disappointed. It has changed so much.
Please subscribe to our channel it's free! 👍
Lol, when Canadians talk about driving distances, we'll automatically reference time rather than kilometers. It's how long it takes to get there, not how far away it is...
For sure , we are one of the only counties that does that , distance is irrelevant , it’s all about how long it takes 👍
Hence the saying “are we there yet?” ‘‘ - Twas birthed in the family Canadian road trip
The time to get there is the same down under.🐨🇦🇺
In the Arctic it's flying time.
@@russelldeboersap4701 pretty sure thats an American saying
I came in 1976 from the Netherlands , married a Canadian, we met in Mallorca, did not speak a lot of English but I managed well!
He promised my parents to let me visit them whenever I needed too. He kept that promise till the day they passed on❤️
45th anniversary this year!
I came from the Netherlands too (Rotterdam) in 2007, married a canadian! I met my husband via online game.. (which is very rare back then)
@@Kitty200145 I am really surprised and wondering why would someone want to leave Netherlands???
@@Kosmopolit99love and adventure ❤️
@@Kitty200145 yes, it was....happy it worked out for you as well 😀
Congratulations. 45 years is impressive
You're such a lovely couple! I lived in the UK for about 2 year, and brought my boyfriend home with me from there. First thing that blew his mind: I said, we'll just pop up to see my mum on Friday, and we'll come back home on Saturday. He said great. She lives in Timmins. I'm in Toronto. After about 40 minutes he started asking, "are we there yet?" Every. 15. minutes. When he finally woke up in Timmins (I was driving) he said, "My God, you've smuggled me into Russia."
Lol lol 😆
ok you two need a yotube channel, your boyfriend is hilarious!
How rare in this day and age to have some one give a positive review as opposed to a rant, and accurate as well, I hereby declare you honorary Canadians.
Thanks so much glad you enjoyed it have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
They seem to be lovely people, which is why I subscribed.
@@theresahenderson3534 Thanks so much and welcome to our channel 🌺
@@theresahenderson3534
The reason I subscribed too!
A 100 km drive in the UK is a long drive. In Toronto, it is a (1 way) daily commute to work. Whereas, a 100 year old building in Canada is a heritage structure, but in the UK, it is in the new part of town.
@Hello Donald how are you doing?
Great examples of different perspectives! From different Countries !
oh yeah, I used to think of 100km as such a long way to drive, in Canada, before covid, I drove 100 a day just to commute to work - all within lower mainland :)
A bit of embellishments to your examples !.
Nobody commutes 100 kms a day, one way, in Toronto !!!.
A 100 yo building is an old building regardless where it is.
You just like the number 100, don't you?
Haha 😂🤣
That's a good one
Miles moved to Canada from Britain and found work in Vancouver. About 6 months later his brother Mick e-mailed him and announced that their Mom wanted to come visit Miles, so he had bought her an airline ticket to Halifax. Mick told Miles all he had to do was to please meet Mom at the airport on the 2nd of June and drive her to his place.
Miles replied: 'Why don't you pick her up Mick? You're closer to Halifax than I am'.
Conclusion :.
Miles is uneducated
Funny but true story TFW have a great day Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
@@capitainebonhomme1609 Look who is uneducated GoodMan,.. about 4,600 KM's as the crow flies for both distances .. but driving is different .. the shortest way is through the states at about 5,800 KM's. You learn something everyday capitaine .. :)
Lol
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I've run into a number of people over the years coming from Europe to see Canada. I always tell them that to drive from the ON/QC border on the 401 to the Manitoba Border, east of WPG is well over 2000km and takes at least 2 very long days of driving, with only stops for gas and meals. That's just one province!
If people come for one or 2 weeks, I tell them just to stick with a small area- say Southwestern ON, or Southern QC etc. If they want to see all of Canada, they'll need 3 months. LOL
Wanted to add one of my own observations as an American. Though I haven’t visited Canada in many years, I was shocked by the cleanliness and beautiful flowers in evidence everywhere. Almost every home, regardless of size was well kept and attractive. In fact, at Niagara Falls, the difference when you simply walked from the American side to the Canadian side was incredible. The Canadian side was far more attractive and well kept.
Very interesting 🌺
And the people aren't as fat.
@@Captain_MonsterFart we're seriously trying to catch up!!
@@Captain_MonsterFart I think it depends where in Canada, in BC yes but Ontario and Quebec give America a run for our money on the OW issue
Thanks for your comment. Canada has a special relationship with the natural environment. Although we have changed demographically in the last few decades, our base culture is all about working WITH nature and letting nature lead us. We are not trying to conquer or overcome our country's geography. So we celebrate it. Yes, even in a metropolis like Vancouver, you will see images of wild animals and plants all over the place. And many many flowers in the summertime. The physical beauty of nature is a part of the Canadian soul.
I have visited the USA on many occasions and I always have a wonderful time. The people are great. And your country is incredibly beautiful.. Cheers!
How can you dislike this video,c'mon they're talking about the experience of living in Canada.Nice polite people.Enjoy your life.
Have a great weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
I’m Brazilian who has been living in Canada for 30 years and still not used to the cold. But I love and admire this country. You’re a lovely couple.
I've lived here all my life and I will never be used to it 😂
I was born here, you either love the cold or dread it. I dread it😊
Mind you, the video makes great hay of the uncommon cold they encountered on first arriving in Canada. But -30 degrees arises only a few times a decade in southern Ontario, if that, and then only as an overnight low. The average daytime high during January in Toronto is -1.8C, or 29F, overnight lows averaging -11.
I don’t know and but I’m in Wisconsin and we always get minus 0 temps getting down to - 40 degrees....never fails every winter. We joke about global warming...still waiting for it. We are still getting freezing temps her and it’s MAY!!!
@@CarriUSA there were a few days where the temperature in Wisconsin was colder than on Mars. That was actually reported on the news in New York City and we had great fun with that fact with our Midwest office. All of whom showed up to work on time as if it was springtime 🤣
When my sister and I came to Canada she ended up in Ontario and I took off to British Columbia with the intention of going on to Australia. However I married and settled in Vancouver. My parents decided to come and visit us both. I wrote to them and said, you know it’s as far away from Scotland to Ontario as it is from Ontario to British Columbia. They could not believe it so my dad walked down the street to the local post office where he and the postman poured over a map of Canada and the UK. They were both amazed and my father said “Gee me, oor ANN is right.“ It didn’t put them off though and we had a lovely visit.
Except you’re wrong. Ontario is closer to BC than Scotland. You’re off by a few thousand kilometres.
@@tabc6870 you’re right, but the distance is significant. Airport to airport, Scotland to Ontario (Toronto) 5290.99 km.: Toronto to Vancouver 3364 km. (Taken from internet calculations.)
That's why it's such a beautiful country....we have the distance and from one Province to the next is so different, nature etc.
@@tabc6870 Yes, but in Canada it is not about the actual kilometres, it is about travel time. The time it takes to drive a distance as the crow flies (a Canadian saying meaning a direct straight line) is different than the time it takes to drive following geographic topography and weather conditions, especially when one gets into the Rocky Mountains, the boreal forests and the lake regions or in a blizzard on the prairies.
don’t understand that scottish phrase at all.
This is the loveliest video I’ve seen on TH-cam in months! I’m a born-Canadian, late 30’s, and have lived in 5 different countries over 13 years. Back living in Vancouver now. So interesting to hear about my own country through your lens! You’re spot-on about everything! 👌 You’re also the most charming couple on TH-cam and I wish you were my parents! 😆😍
Wow, thank you! glad you enjoyed it have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
Hi Jen, how are you doing?
I moved from Scotland to Manitoba in January. I complained about the biting cold -27 one day, to a work colleague. His advice stayed with me since then..."forget about style or what you look like, dress for the weather and you'll be fine".
Smart advice.
Great advice 🌺
Welcome to Manitoba. You picked a good part of Canada. We have a quite active Scottish community. You in Winnipeg or "out in the country?"
:@@Sylvander1911 Wpg and awaiting Mosquitoes (big ones, I'm told).
@@someoneelse.2252 Well compared to the midgies, yes
@@someoneelse.2252 Watch out for the odd piper popping up in public places once we get through this lockdown
A friend of mine emigrated from the UK in the 1970's to live just outside of Lunenburg, NS and the first real cold weather of the season he called his wife to the kitchen window to look at the neighbour who had clearly lost his mind, as he was watering the garden in the freezing cold weather! It was their first time witnessing the flooding of a backyard skating rink. haha!
That is hilarious and so true! Maybe they thought it was winter cabbage.
Ha ha! That is so funny!!
Giggles
Actually we also do it all night in order not to lose our grapes...
That is hilarious! My husband used to make a rink in our yard for our son, it was outside his bedroom window, so I used to use the window as the concession! 🏒 🥅
My parents immigrated to Toronto from Scotland in 1967. My grandparents came for a visit a few summers later, and the first question my Granfather asked my dad after seeing Lake Ontario was "What sea is that?" He couldn't get his head around a lake he couldn't see the other side of.
That’s very funny LOL 😂😂enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
We had a couple of visitors from Europe to the GTA area. They thought Lake Ontario was the Atlantic Ocean.
@@edhollingsworth2335 Most people do it’s so big LOL 😂😂
And that's the baby of the 5 GL
@@PianoMoverSmith1 Right. Lake Superior (the biggest, of course), is almost as large as South Korea.
As a Michigander, I love our Canadian brothers and sisters! Thanks for your perspective of Canadian life from across the pond!
Our pleasure! have a wonderful week Cheers 🍷🍺🙂
And we love our friends from Michigan too. We usually spend a week in the summer and 3 days on black Friday in Michigan (pre Covid). Lovely State. ! Nice People
@@cutchopweld5717 Absolutely we love visiting the USA 🇺🇸 too enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
What a coincidence. I just replied to the comment above (that mentioned Saskatoon) about how much Michiganders revere Gordie Howe :) Growing up outside of Detroit, Canada was our closest neighbor and in those days we were thick as thieves. Even the coins were used interchangeably. Now that I've retired, I'm moving back home (glad I kept my parents house!)
@@nancysexton4364 Same was with Toronto and Buffalo. We used to drive to Buffalo in the 80s just to go to the bars, beer was cheaper and the bars took Canadian money at par, plus it was a change of atmosphere.
This couple is right and are so respectful .
Thank you 🌺
That was fun. So many things we take for granted here.
At a B&B in British Columbia, my wife and I were seated across from a British couple for breakfast. They were listing many of the "discoveries" you've mentioned. As they were talking, the gentleman got a puzzled expression as he was watching me eating my pancakes. He said, "You dip your bacon in the maple syrup?". I joked, "I'm Canadian, I put maple syrup on everything. Try it" He cut a piece of bacon, dragged it through the syrup and put it in his mouth. I will never forget the look on his face as his eyes lit up. I thought he was going to cry. He said, "This is the best food combination I have ever had". I was so happy to have introduced him to something so simple.
Breakfast Sausages and maple syrup too 😋
Extremely unhealthy.
Re: the bears
It is not uncommon for people to be killed by them. It is best to bring your dog, or borrow a neighbor's, when walking in the wilderness. The dogs will alert you to possible ambushes and distract them from attacking you.
We have lost friends and neighbours to bears.
As to other animals, in Camrose Alberta, deer live right in the city. They will cross the road using the crosswalks! They are often seen relaxing on peoples front lawns, eating from the shrubs and trees planted there, and giving birth to their babies under/behind trees on peoples lawns!
@@gin6760 If you wear bells on your shoes that works very well , probably wont see any wildlife. Or bring that person who only takes the elevator .
@@tehscope9422 'or bring that person who only takes the elevator', so you're saying that you don't need to be able to run fast, just faster than your friend? Lol!
What shocked me about Canada?... Just how friendly the people are! EVERYONE is willing to give you a hand. Best people in the world- we Americans could really learn from Canadians. Way to many examples to list here. I'm lucky to live in Michigan, and have had many opportunities to travel in Canada.
We are fortunate and proud to live in Canada 🇨🇦 thanks for watching 🍷🇺🇸🍺🇨🇦
The problem with our huge fridge is, You have to keep it organized or perishables get forgotten in the back and go bad.
You are right things do get “lost” in the back or crisper drawer lol Thanks so much for watching have a great week.
YESs science projects are not uncommon
@@ushillbillies I am so glad I'm not the only one.
I wish my wife could figure this out. Our huge fridge looks like a Jenga game, everything stacked haphazardly, move one wrong thing and everything crashes down. I can't tell you how much food gets wasted and the number of arguments that have ensued.
Ron: lol yup! The many times I have forgotten- “oh ya, I forgot about that “ lol
I was born in the West Midlands, and we emigrated to Canada in 1968. I remember when we used to drive from Wolverhampton to Cardiff to visit my mother’s family - I think it was two-three hours by car, and when we arrived everyone made a big fuss of my Dad because he had ‘driven all that way’. They would make a cup of tea for him, and have him sit with his feet up to rest and recover!
Nothing like a cup of tea ☕️ my (Tinas ) favourite is Tetley Tea
have a great week Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
@Hoa Tattis Thanks for the suggestion it might be a bit strong for me 🍵🌺
It really is a small world, I'm reading this from Wolverhampton in 2021 and also considering emigrating to Canada following the COVID pandemic. I'm sure the fair city of Wolverhampton has nothing to do with every resident's desire to leave 😂
My parents left to start a business in Canada - I don’t think they left Wolverhampton with any ill feeling, but they never looked back and thought it was the best thing they had ever done. Good luck with your decision!
@@charlesstacey3824 Thanks for watching have a great weekend cheers 🍷🇨🇦🍺
You two are so endearing. We should pay you for advertising our Country. We need people like you to live here.
Thanks for watching that is very kind of you to say that 🤗we love ❤️ Canada 🇨🇦 so it’s easy to be happy to talk positively about it . Hope you have a great weekend Cheers 🌺🍷🙂
Why because they are white cpl, you racist MG you don't like black,brown people what are you afraid of...take your racism out of here.
Welcome ....its funny you mention the size of Canada because I remember Canada to many in England was a maybe 50 kms distance from the large cities of Toronto Montreal or Vancouver that's what was sold at a UK high street Lunn Poly travel shop and so that's what caught on to many. Pretty funny really....again welcome
@@goalie604403 We love living in Canada 🇨🇦 have a great Easter 🐣 weekend Cheers 🌺🐣🍷🍺
@@ThisIsOurRetirement - all best to you. ( large fridges for fat society)
I was always proud of being a Minnesotan here in the US with our 15,000 lakes & rivers....
That until I read Ontario has 250,000 lakes & rivers! 🤣😎😄😉
Minnesota almost makes you Canadian 😂😂 we are both lucky to live in such natural beauty. Thanks so much for watching our video 🇨🇦🇺🇸 😀😀
Ontario has quite a lot but Quebec's even crazier on that front. It's got between a half million and a million lakes (estimates vary based on the analysis of satellite images - most aren't even named) alone. I've seen the province estimated at having 3% of the global freshwater supply. Of course, the place is 1.5 million square kilometres (slightly smaller than Alaska), most of it being glacier carved igneous uplands filled glacial melt that can't actually seep into the earth (the granite bedrock is just a few feet down is mostly non-porous). Once you go north of the northern bank of the St. Lawrence River valley, it's basically endless mountain lakes, rivers and bogs until you hit the treeline and the arctic tundra in the far north of the province. The Canadian Shield (the igneous region under much of Quebec and Ontario) is just insane for freshwater retention.
@@paranoidrodent Thankyou. I did not know that about Quebec! Amazing land.
@@88SunsetStrip
🤣
@@flyinbrian865 it's actually only 7% renewable fresh water where number 2 Brazil is number 1 and Russia is third Cheers
i am a canadian living in france. france fits into canada 14.7 times. vancouver to toronto is the same as paris to moscow. puts it into perspective how big canada really is. how wonderfully big it is!!
We visited France many times and love it hope you are enjoying it too have a great week Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
plus you forgot the extra kms from Toronto to Nova Scotia.
Born and lived in Canada until I was 57, then moved to Jamaica - 11 years ago. Six years now since I was last there That was a very sweet video.
Thanks for watching from Jamaica 🇯🇲 Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
I'm 56 and very close to retirement. I'd love to leave this overly taxed country.
@@Redneckboy991 We love living in Canada 🇨🇦 for the summer months but like to go to warmer places during the Winter 🥶Cheers 🍺🌺🍷
Just came across your channel and wanted to say you're both a breath of fresh air needed. I'm a Canadian born citizen but my parents also immigrated here to Canada. Many Canadians out there seem to forget we're a country of immigrants. We're blessed to have a beautiful country here, and those that come from different countries can have a greater appreciation for what Canada has to offer. Immigration is what builds a better Canada, and the both of you are what makes our country a better place to be.
When my mother-in-law from England came to visit us in the 90s, she was also taken with the outdoor Christmas lights. She took back loads of Christmas lights to decorate her home in Herefordshire, even though it meant she had to have an electric adapter!
That’s funny cool story the Christmas lights on houses are lovely
Enjoy your Sunday 🌺
Transformer u mean.....
@@Leatherkid01 yep that’s it!🇺🇸🏴
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been to Canada twice and thoroughly enjoyed it! I actually thought about moving there and now I’m sorry I didn’t. The one thing that I never forgot was how clean it was and how friendly the people were when I was there!
Hi from a Brit in Florida, just found your channel. Moving to a new country is never easy, and is always surprising.. Ontario is nice, I have visited several times. I have family in Windsor ON.
Hello Alan, It is a huge change emigrating but also very rewarding, thanks for watching our video.
This was really enjoyable. I am a Canadian and I found this endearing to hear what people’s impression of my country is. What a grand world this can be if we are open and accepting of each other.
Good morning ☕️ we are glad you enjoyed our video hope you have a wonderful day 🍁🥂
@@ThisIsOurRetirement My friend andi visited her daughter in Alberta. We only had 2 weeks but she took us all over, I loved it so many lovely memories, scenery, people we met . Wild life was glorious especially the huge black bear which strolled past our parked car at Lake Cameron, it was so beautiful 🙂
@@brendapowell4795 Sounds like a wonderful trip 🌺🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement It was !!!, we went so many places Heritage Park, Bow Museum Head Smashed in Buffolo Jump, it was wonderful just mist the Stampede bya week. But can not complain about 1 thing😊
I can drive from Toronto to Florida in the same time span that it takes me to get to a family cottage in Kenora, Ontario. People forget we are the second largest country in the world, second only to Russia. So glad you've made Canada your home!
Thank you so much, we drove an RV from Toronto to Vancouver a trip of a lifetime and a way to understand the geography of this beautiful country...we flew back it's a long way!!
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Good for you! That must have been an amazing trip. I've flown out to Vancouver a couple of times, but never driven. My dream is to take a train trip back out. I felt the same shock in terms of a country's vastness when I went to Australia, naively believing I could cover more sightseeing kms. than anywhere near possible. Live and learn.
@@d.d.mac.3773 We would love to do the sleeper train 🚂 across Canada 🇨🇦 ❤️
Glad to know you are more of a patriot to foreign nations than living in Ontario. We need more 'canadains' like you!
@@lindabrown0 Great story 🍷🌺
lol, the fridge size... I am Canadian and I did my MA in the UK. I spent the whole year writing home telling friends they wouldn’t believe how the British think a good sized fridge is a bar fridge and that I had to share it with my flatmate even though it was that tiny. And sure enough, No one believed me!
Haha. I come from England and I couldn't believe the size of the fridges either. I have always wished that I could find UK-sized fridges here! You know, those nice little things that fit unobtrusively under the counter instead of being this great thing sitting like an elephant in the room. I think the size is related to the way people shop here. They do a big supermarket shop once every one to two weeks, and we toddled down to the local stores on the high street every day for fresh food and our daily dose of neighbourly gossip. :)
A few tips for cold weather:
1. Wear warm clothing, in multiple layers if possible. That includes insulated boots, a hat, and either gloves or mittens.
2. Breathe through a scarf. It will act as a heat exchanger. Water droplets that condense as you exhale will warm the air as you inhale.
3. Do not inhale through your nose.
4. Stay dry.
5. Stay out of the wind.
6. Limit your exposure time.
7. Keep moving.
8. Watch out for signs of frostbite and hypothermia:
- skin that turns white, red, blue, or black
- pain or numbness, especially the ears, fingers, or toes
- inability to straighten your fingers
- shivering
- fatigue / drowsiness
- confusion
- slurred speech
I’m from Ontario and lived in the UK for four years. Watching this video is like reliving my experience in reverse! I remember taking an item to the cash register and finding it the same price as the shelf. I thought “This is great! Why aren’t we doing this in Canada?”
I think you also have to pay to use a public toilet in europe right???? We used to have to pay 10cents to use public toilets in us back in the 80s...thank goddess we dont have to do this...anymore in usa...lol
We used to, but everything changed when Mulroney gave us the GST.
@@zizimycat Who the f... is Mulrony? What the f... is GST?
@@duudsuufd -- Brian Mulroney was Canada's prime minister from 1984 to 1993. The GST was the federal "goods and services tax" that he added to the provincial sales tax already being charged on most products and services in several provinces. These two tax amounts initially were charged separately but later were combined into one "harmonized sales tax" for at least half of the provinces, which included Ontario.
@@zizimycat - Well, we still had been paying a provincial sales tax added to the purchase price before the GST was added; we've just paid even more since then. So, I've never known what it's like to pay merely the purchase price here (except on some food items).
What a sweet couple. Their perspective of Canada is something I mostly never thought about! They are fascinating to listen to!
As a Canadian I found this really charming. :)
Same.😊😊
And the gas prices are even cheaper in Alberta than Ontario 😝
Me too... 🇨🇦
Fascinating as a Canadian to hear your impressions of Canada. So interesting. It allows me to get a different perspective on my country and not take its uniqueness, size and beauty for granted. Thank you! I'm glad you took a chance on us in 1992.
Thanks for a very nice comment, it made us smile.
First time viewer. I'm reminded of my time in the Cdn army (Shilo Manitoba '83-'86) working with the West German Army stationed there. They were going to go to either Toronto or Vancouver by car for a weekend. I drew them a map and placed THREE West Germanys inside of Manitoba alone. That was the end of their sightseeing plans. Most Canadians themselves haven't seen this country from coast to coast.
Wow great story TFW have a great weekend Cheers 🍷🐣🍺
I've lived in 4 provinces, from the Bay of Fundy to the Pacific.
I remember when the Germans were stationed at Shilo. When they realized they couldn’t go to Toronto they came into Brandon.
Must have been a bit of a let down! 😉
@@madamehall2376 Enjoy your week Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
I live in the GTA. been coast to coast 4 times and only seen a bit of Canada. It’s a big place
Talking about the black bear in the supermarket, that actually happened in our local supermarket in Northern Alberta. The automatic doors opened and the bear headed for the store's bakery department. He was finally persuaded to leave after a few hours.
Yikes 😱 not sure if that would be fun or scary LOL 😂 obviously he had a sweet tooth 🦷🍩 TFW Cheers 🍷🌺🙂🐻
Oh I see. That's hilarious! Are you from here?
Did they just have to wait until he'd had his fill of donuts? Haha!
@@SnootchieBootchies27 PEACE RIVER, Alta. (CP) - A bear apparently hungry for a midnight snack ambled through the front door of a northern Alberta grocery store early Tuesday.
The young black bear headed for the bakery department at Peace River's IGA store and started to eating his way through the pastries.
Staff were eventually able to herd the bear outside, where wildlife officials set a trap to catch it.
No word on whether the bruin managed to nosh on any bear claws first.
@@rosehanchar4162 no way, I grew up near Berwyn!
Great video. You captured Canada without mentioning maple syrup, politeness, bacon, hockey or Timmy's. You're true Canadians.
@Single Mom Diary Correction: They captured Ontario, eh?
Or poutine
@@urgencepc4563 sorry but not sorry eh
Ontario dude
@@noelle3388 Our pot laws , or lack thereof.
As a third-generation Canadian, I appreciate your candid comments. I grew up on the prairies, but have travelled to most of Canada. It is endlessly breathtaking, and the people are amazing. We have lots of room to spare, and welcome any and all. (Just be aware, if you come here in the winter months, to buy winter clothing from somewhere other than Marks and Sparks!)
Thanks for watching have a great day 🍷🌺🍺
This is the fairy tale I was told about Canada, and a lot of it is untrue, after 16 years resident in Hamilton.
@@Exiled.New.Yorker What were the differences you found?
I was giggling and smiling and laughing throughout this whole video. It's the first time I've seen you two, and I loved every second of it. You two are adorable. Much love to you both. And thank you for helping me to feel pride in my country again. Throughout this pandemic I've lost some.....you two reminded me of it. So thank you! Xoxoxo
Glad you enjoyed it! and welcome to our channel we love 🇨🇦 Canada and feel very fortunate it’s our home. We hope you have an awesome Easter 🐣 weekend Cheers 🍺🐣🌺🇨🇦🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I'm also new to your channel, just stumbled across your vid while browsing, and wow, you are so adorable and charming! Thanks so much for doing this. You have a new subscriber. :)
@Deanne I felt the same sort of pride but you were able to put it into words.
Well said Deanne, 👍👍 support u from Ontario.
If you live outside of the big city nature is nearby. I live in a city of 52,000 I am only a 5 min. walk to nature , 1000s of acres of crown land and 5 min. drive to beautiful lakes for swimming fishing or boating .
Seems like Canada got a good couple of folks here. Enjoyable video guys!
Thanks so much we love living here Happy Easter 🐣🌺
Hey
I just found your channel today and I have to tell you, this totally resonated with me. My husband and I came to Ontario in 1974 (November) and like you we bought "winter coats" before we came. I can remember getting mild frostbite. Needless to say, our first purchase was heavy parkas. Mind you, we're still here and love it.
Thanks for sharing!! wasn’t it amazing we too are still here 🇨🇦 now in early retirement and love ❤️ it Happy Easter 🐣 have a great weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
We are Americans living in California. In 2018 we decided to drive to Alaska. We drove through BC and the Yukon before reaching Alaska. What a wonderful experience! We loved Canada. This was not our first visit to Canada but it was our longest. We saw so many black bears, a family of grizzly bears, eagles, and so much more. We hope to repeat this trip at some point. I hope you will consider visiting the American Southwest, it’s big (really big) too.
How wonderful we are envious of you, one day we hope to do this, thanks for sharing.
I’ve visited a huge portion of the US I’m almost as US as I am Canadian. But I’ve been really wanted to go to New Mexico and Wyoming etc.those are some areas I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting.
Just found your channel. I am a first generation Canadian. My Mum came from Coventry and my Dad was born in Oxford, but raised in Reading. The funny thing is they met and married in Canada. You have brought back so many wonderful memories for me just listening to you talking. Lost my Dad in 1977 and my Mum in 1991. My Mum and Dad loved Canada so much. Thay always planned to travel across this beautiful country, but Dad passed shortly after retiring, so our across country trip never happen. Now I am to old and unable to travel do to health reasons. Just wanted to say thank you from one proud Canadian to 2 others.
Subbed, because I'm Canadian, and I love it here.
I've stood alongside moose, deer, black bears, foxes, and wolves in my lifetime. Literally. There is no experience like the Canadian experience. The enormity of our country disguises the intimacy of our population. We all share an awe and gratitude for our nation that, in turn, give birth to our humility, and politeness follows. I hope that makes sense. It's all connected, is my point.
Thanks for a great comment enjoy your day Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
Hey
Love your comments. My mother was raised in London and stationed at RAF Reading during the war where my Canadian father, an anti-aircraft gunner, was stationed to protect that air force base. Mother followed her new husband to Canada in 1946 as a war bride. You reminded me of her many stories of culture shock when she arrived in Canada, mostly pertaining to the adjustments to climate and the vastness of the country. It was 1963 before my mother's parents visited us for four month in Canada. My grandfather stated that he would always remember Canada as "the land of wires", since electrical, telephone and other utilities were strung on poles, rather than being buried underground. He was also amazed by homes with finished basements, rather than the rare cellars that existed in England. At age 77 he wanted to return to England and start digging under his house.
What a beautiful story, thanks for sharing it with us. Lots of war brides came from the UK, my Mums best friend came after the war from Glasgow.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement my great aunt was a war bride from Scotland. She met my grandmother's brother during the war and moved to Canada before he actually returned from serving. Idk if they got married over here or over there before she moved here. They lived in Winnipeg... If you think the weather in Ontario is an adjustment, well, Winterpeg is even colder. Lol... Also my grandmother's mother was from Scotland and her father from Ireland and they lived in Winnipeg. No one ever mentioned how they felt about the climate.
I hope he did. At that age you need to keep in shape!
Lots of stuff! The cold, the distance between places, the fridges, HST! Sort of fun to see this! Especially the cold. You need special tires to drive in the snow! And you stayed!
We are having a wonderful life in Canada Cheers 🍷🇬🇧🇨🇦🙂
I have lived in Canada my whole life and it was refreshing to learn from your perspective what shocked you about it. In turn it gave me, as a Canadian, insight of how things differ in the UK from here. Thanks, Keep up the great work guys, and keep posting.
I can’t wait until the weather gets better, and more age groups qualify for the covid vaccine.
Glad you enjoyed it! and we appreciate you watching our channel we are having fun doing it hope you have a great week Cheers 🍷🍺🌺
"How big Canada is." This reminded me of a story I heard.
During WW2, some British families sent their children to their relatives, to live out the war in the safety of Canada.
One parent sent the following message to their relatives: "The children are arriving in Halifax. Please stop in to pick them up."
The rely was: "We live in Vancouver. As you are closer to Halifax could you stop by to put them on the train."
Lovely funny story LOL 😂😂have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍺🐣🍷
Yes we got that story on the ship coming over!
During WWII a POW train, being the lowest and slowest priority, of Germans left Halifax. It took 3-4 days to reach Ontario. The destination was Manitoba or even further west.
After taking 5 days travel through Ontario to almost make the Manitoba border, most the prisoners had concluded there wasn't a chance in hell of ever winning the war by trying to invade. Or for that matter escaping and making it home.
Some of the POW camps were so remote there were minimal fences. The attitude being 'Go for it', you aren't going to make it far.
@@foamer443 Thanks for sharing 🌺
@@foamer443 Only one German POW that came to Canada escaped and returned to Germany. They made a Hollywood film about it "The One that Got Away'
What a lovely video, I caught myself smiling the entire way through. I grew up in Canada and I'm so grateful to live in such an incredible, beautiful country. I'm actually a student pilot studying aviation, and I've gotten the opportunity to do build my cross-country flight hours over southern Ontario and it is just amazing every time how diverse and stunning it is. I've found myself much better at small-town geography in Ontario, haha! The pandemic has brought the mood down a little recently, so thank you for a great video, and for representing Canada with such warmth and authenticity! 🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thank you for a wonderful comment and for watching our story. Best of luck with your aviation career, aviation is a big part of our family. Norm started flying gliders when he was 14 and his Dad flew for a living. Keep well.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement love this tidbit.
We moved to Northern Ontario, on top of Lake of the Woods, in the late 70s. It was absolutely magical time for me as a child- the rocky terrain that we would bike upon, the beautiful trees, crisp blue lakes, the bears, the moose, even the piles of snow in winter. Best childhood.
When they ask you, "How for is it to Vancouver from here?" and you pull out a globe instead of a map.
True 😍😃😎😀
😂😂😂
As a Canadian the only one that shocked me was that the price of gas and cars were cheap! We compare our gas costs with the US and even with the exchange rate we pay 50% more and cars are more expensive even after adjusting for exchange in Canada.
I wasn't surprised with the cold, you can't convey what -30 feels like to someone that hasn't experienced it, it's colder than a walk in freezer. If you visit the arctic in winter, the shock of -50 compared to -30 is just as huge.
I’ve survived -20C when I visited my parents in Quesnel, BC! I’m from Victoria, BC and consider myself lucky to be alive! 😋
If you left Toronto to head towards Manitoba, you would drive for over twenty hours direct before you get out of Ontario.
We did it in our Toronto to Vancouver RV trip, we have a video about that trip. Ontario is huge! and gets very hilly on the way out towards Manitoba. Thanks for watching.
I'll look for that Video. We did that in reverse Vancouver to Toronto, by train decades ago. If you haven't yet, go east as well. The Maritimes are beautiful.
@@garykembel8144 We have been out East quite a bit but never driven , we would like to take either a rental RV or the 🚂 train keep looking for the deals enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
I've got somebody's registration plate from Manitoba. On my garage wall.and an Oklahoma one..
@@david-lt9wj I grew up in Northern Manitoba. The nearest high school for ours to play a hockey or basketball game was 100 miles away, in Flin Flon.( I think you are in the UK?). At 60; my school chum from Flin Flon and I met up in Glasgow,rented a little Ford, and zig zagged our way south over two weeks towards London. You have a tiny fascinating country.
Such a nice video! Thank you! I’ve lived in Canada all of my life-was born in Ottawa, now live in Toronto, and have lived everywhere from northern Alberta to Cape Breton Island. My first visit to England was in 1996, when I visited 2 pen pals in Birmingham. I laughed and laughed at their fridge, until I realized that it was real! Lol. The other thing that I found funny was when they asked me where I would like to go. When they said that driving to the Scottish border would take too long, I laughed again. When they came over here, I had to show them that driving from Nova Scotia to Toronto was much more than a day trip! Lol. I LOVE both countries!! 🇨🇦❤️
Fantastic story thanks for sharing
Hi Donna, how are you doing?
Hi Donna, how are you doing?
I used to drive retired double decker buses from the UK in Victoria BC , which , of course , is on Vancouver Island. One day an American couple got on my city tour and asked me where they could rent a car. I figured because of where they had got on that they had just gotten off the Coho , a ferry between Port Angeles United "somewhat" States and Victoria. I knew the schedule and that they were most likely going back in very few hours so I asked them why they wanted a car. "To see the rest of the island" , they said. I started to laugh . "Are you going back this afternoon?" I asked. "Yes". They said. I told them if you rented a car right now and left for the North island you would not get there before your ferry leaves. This island is about 290 miles long and an average of 50 miles wide. It is 12000 square miles. I really enjoyed the look of shock on their faces.
I had a friend from Poland who worked here for 9 months. She had 5 days off and planned to take the bus from Sudbury to Alberta to see the mountains. I told her that she'd just get there and have to turn around and come back. She didn't believe me... Until she talked to someone at the ticket counter at the Greyhound station. She realized it wasn't the best use of her 5 days off. Lol. It takes two days to drive across Ontario. People from Europe have a hard time realizing that many of our provinces are bigger than most European countries.
Beer and liquor sales are regulated by the provinces and not by the government of Canada so there are significant differences from one to another, for you viewers from outside of Canada.
Yes, but in general, Canada has draconian and antiquated liquor laws from the dark ages. It's expensive and the restrictions are ridiculous in most provinces.
If it's that bad, brew your own!
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH I found that out in 1981 in BC, bloddy ridiculous laws , was only able to buy take away from a Government store , then in 2004 at Manitoba and Saskatchewan different rules but dumb , i live in Australia after leaving Scotland in 1964 , i thought i might as well migrate to somewhere warm , so my Wife and i came to Redcliffe Queensland ,and it is sub tropical here , only when it is humid does it get to one , but it does not happen much . Prices for goods are what it says on the item .
You made me laugh when talking about distances and wildlife. I had a friend visit me in Florida for a month. I surprised her by planning a national tour to as much of America as possible. She was absolutely dumbfounded by how big the country is.
We drove from Orlando to Seattle and then down the West coast to Mexico then back to Florida.we did 15 National Parks! The animals in Yellowstone absolutely blew her mind!
I remember her experiencing her first tornado and grapefruit sized hail. She was petrified of a supercell storm’s hundreds of thick cloud-to-ground lightening. I said, “Judy, I grew up with severe storms every afternoon in Florida....this is nothing.”
She couldn’t believe how HUGE our grocery store were and was stunned that both sides of an entire long isle was dedicated to just cereal and how cheap food and gas were. She had never seen such large diversity in inexpensive restaurant choices we had and our portion sizes.
The Grand Canyon dropped her jaw. Europeans crack me up when they visit me.
European countries are tiny by comparison, neat story thanks for sharing.
Glad to see some Brits over here. Always glad to see European immigration still happening. My great grandfather immigrated from London and lived in St. John New Brunswick. My other great grandparents on my father's side came from Cork, Ireland in the late 1800's.
European immigration has vastly reduced as things have so improved in Europe this last 30 years or more. More folk now arrive from Asia and other places.
Hello From Alberta.....you haven't lived until you've spent a winter up in the territories... I was up there working about two years ago and my truck thermometer stopped working at -50, yup it gets cold...lol. I really think we as a nation have been blessed to have so many fine folks such as yourselves coming to Canada to build their lives and raise families...…My clan did the same, only difference was mine came over about 120 or so years earlier. Great stories, thanks for sharing your experiences. Cheers
We would love to visit the Northern Territories, it is the only region we have not been to .We are so glad we moved here in 1992 and truly fortunate that Canada 🇨🇦 is our home.
Have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
I'm a Sociology student who's lived in Canada my whole life and I had no idea how many of these were regional/non-universal things! The way we perceive distance is especially fascinating. Love your videos xx
Thank you have a great weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
You guys are like listening to two friends talk about life… enjoying the conversations 🥰
Thanks Ellen glad you enjoyed it hope you have a great week Cheers 🍷🙂🌺
So happy to hear how much you guys enjoy living in Canada. Wishing you lots of happiness, love and good health ♥️🇨🇦
Something I had to get used to is the long highway drives that people take for granted. Now when I visit other countries I feel so claustrophobic after getting used to wide open spaces. Thank you for posting. I enjoyed your video. I wish you both good health!
I am from China and have been in Canada for about 18 years. Honestly, I was shocked after watching your video because I can’t imagine how China is more like UK than Canada in
terms of sales tax is included in the price tag, no tips in restaurant, small fridge, can buy liquor in super market, high gas price…... I thought all English speaking western countries are almost the same in terms of everything. Now I know I am wrong. Thanks for your video.
We are happy to share our knowledge, North America is quite different to the rest of the world. Thanks for a great comment.
There's the US and Canada and then there's Rest of the World. Anywhere in the world is similar in style of living it's just the standard that's different, not in US and Canada tho.
@@_framedlife Thanks for your comment and for watching Cheers 🍺🌺🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Really, now I'm shocked, I've never lived anywhere but Canada?
Wow! That's interesting! I didn't know we were so idiosyncratic! After eighteen years, though, surely you are one of us, tipping and putting things in your big fridge. :)
Nice to hear things we take for granted in Canada.
Yes indeed!
I hate the tipping thing. It's so complicated and awkward. Sometimes your bill is huge but you barely asked anything to the waiter and still feel obliged to give 15% tip and sometimes the bill is really low like in breakfast restaurants and 15% is not enough considering how hard the waiters are working there. Restaurants should pay their employees correctly (I'm from Québec).
if you have to give a tip, yes it's about 15% in Canada, again it's more expensive in an European Rest. Tips are included in the price
@@TheSwisscanada I would prefer that! Less complicated. But the waiters should still be paid more by the restaurants
@@glowyboo They would be, and if you are really really really happy, you always can give something small
I have to agree that restaurants should pay their waiters more, not rely on customers to pay their wages, to restaurant owners: Quit expecting customers to foot the bill for your negligence in paying your waiters. I myself never pay 15% tip, I only leave a dollar or maybe two if the service is good ...
It's really not that complicated, leaving something is better than leaving nothing. If it's only 10% of the cost, that's still appreciated because there are people who leave nothing.
Recognize a lot of your story. I was born in St Catharines and lived also in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but moved with my parents to the Netherlands as a child. Came back to Canada for a 3 month visit. I immediately felt at home. Loved the outdoors (not the black flies and mosquitoes) going up North with the canoe. Visited Algonquin Park, James Bay area, Ottawa, Toronto and my relatives in different places in Ontario. Nice people everywhere. So much space. Houses and cars and petrol soooo much cheaper. Lower taxes (really). Returning to the Netherlands I had to get used again to everything being smaller, closer and more crowded. But that has its advantages too. Anyway I loved Canada, and always still feel a bit homesick
Thank you for sharing your story, Europe does have a lot to offer from public transport to beautiful architecture. We liked Holland there is a lack of formality than the UK, or used to be. It’s great you have a connection to both countries and continents. Thanks for visiting our channel.
I'm in Alberta now, but I'm from St. Catharines, too! Still have family there! Cheers!
Your comment about the size of Canada being larger than you imagined reminded me of my 2-year stay in the UK when my husband and I thought we had ample time to see everything, but you all pack a whole lot of history, architecture and culture into a small island! We didn't make it to Ireland and we only scratched the surface of Wales. I blame Edinburgh a wee bit because it continued to beckon us! We absolutely loved our time in the UK. Happy to hear that Canda has offered you some pleasure also.
We are so glad you enjoyed your time in the UK 🇬🇧, we also loved Wales and Edinburgh saw a bit of Ireland 🇮🇪 on a 🚢 cruise but after 29 years here Canada 🇨🇦 is very much our home and we love it 😍. We hope you have a great weekend Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
Edinburgh is beautiful. So much to see in the UK, so little time.
@@garykembel8144 so true! We were also there in 2000 and during the millennial year English Heritage had a variety of reenactments and visiting archaeologists and all kinds of fascinating things going on most weekends, so that kept us very occupied. Additionally we found ourselves frequently tempted by the incredibly cheap airfares over to various other cities in Europe. We were accustomed to domestic Canadian flights being so very expensive that when we saw we could fly to Venice or Athens for not much more than the petrol it would cost to drive for half a day, we had to succumb on occasion.
You could spend a while day in the Natural History Museum in London and still not see everything. I know, because I've tried.
@@rwilsonweir5697 yes absolutely. The cost of flights between European countries is very reasonable. My flights to and from the UK to Spain are around £25 per person per flight.
A scotsman visiting relatives in Canada was in the pharmacy and noticed condoms on offer at a reduced price of $3.00. He took them to the cashier who charged him $3.39. He queried the price and was told it was $3.00 for the condoms and 39 cents for the tax.
Handing over $3.00, Jock said “ Keep your tacks , I’ll tie them on”
Enjoy your week TFW Cheers 🍷🍺🌺
This is a good example of the droll Canadian sense of humour!:- Scottish immigrants were very prominent in Canadian history from 1763 onwards after the Seven Years War and made a very considerable contribution to the political and economic development of Canada but these Scottish stereotypes were often the object of wry humour in Canada although post-1945 non-British immigrants generally don't understand this tradition and this type of humour has been fading away. My mother was actually Polish and quite enjoyed the company of Scottish folks!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
This video kept popping up on my screen the last couple of days, today I thought "oh well, I'll watch it". I smiled all through the video at your talk through.
Thank you for making me smile about Canada today. 🙂🙂🙂
Your welcome have a great week Cheers 🙂🇨🇦🙂🍷
Me too
We have 3 winter temperatures here: cold, really cold and really f-ing cold. 🥶🇨🇦
That’s so funny LOL 😂😂but at least it’s hot 🥵 in summer have a great week Cheers 🍺🍷🌺
@@ThisIsOurRetirement
Cheers back and welcome to Canada. You’re going to love it here in Ontario 🇨🇦🏴🍺
@@dabsafe they said they moved here in 92
I grew up in Canada but now live in Florida. Down here, we also have three temperatures: Hot, Really Hot and I'M MELTTTTTINNNNGGG! :-D
Not in Vancouver. I plant my flower beds in February. Rest of Canada too cold for me.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It’s interesting. 👍🇨🇦
it was interesting to compare these observations with my own. There were two periods when i lived in the UK: as a kid, in buckinghamshire (parents both born and raised in england) and in london much later, for about 4 months. I1. n Toronto we don't get those extreme temperatures but I've experienced them on work visits to the prairie provinces, including a scary night in Winnipeg when my taxi failed to arrive and i was standing outside the now shuttered restaurant in a suit and oxfords. 2. the sales taxes: yes, a bit cumbersome especially when there are multiple "middle men" involved in the sale, such as a ticketing service with myriad service charges. At least it is clearer than pre harmonization where provincial taxes were paid by manufacturers of goods and then past on to the consumer inside the sticker price, with GST - a different kettle of fish as it is a tax on consumption - bobbing around on top. Then, as now, there are actually quite a few goods and services that are HST-free, like food, health services, house sales from resident to resident, condo fees, prescriptions, daycare for kids, legal aid, many educational services, music lessons, and most fees charged by financial institutions. oh hell, this is way too long. maybe i'll talk about daily food shopping vs NA car-culture weekly supermarket hauls. Or the UK delight of having a milkman/woman deliver bread and dairy to one's doorstep on account (does that still happen?) and how that stuff (plus the cooler english summers) factor into fridge sizes.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Canada, the country I deeply love and admire.....Cheers and have a happy retirement !!
Couldn’t agree more and thank you we are loving our retirement Happy Easter 🐣Cheers 🍷🐣🌺🍺
"...We arrived in february..." Oh you poor souls. I once talked to a man from Cameroon who immigrated to Canada and moved to Winnipeg in February. the poor guy had the shock of his life. He came to his senses and now live in Montreal.
It's cold in Montreal.....but not Winnipeg cold 😳
@@YanickaQuilt Nobody deserve Winnipeg february cold. It's the height of human hubris. Like a reverse Phoenix, Arizona.
I moved to Edmonton in January back in the 90s. That February we had a day where it was -43 C in the morning.
Of course why on earth would anyone arrive here in February?
@@maryokeefe5351 Oprah did a speaking tour of Alberta in February one year, it was -27 with a wind chill. She mentioned it when she walked on stage. You would think there would be a warning or an alert when foreigners make reservations for Canada in February.
NB. basic groceries are not taxed in canada. Fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, etc. (cake and ice cream and that sort of stuff is taxed)
It's essentially non-processed (pure milk) vs. processed (chocolate milk).
I spent three winters in Halifax from 2002. My shocks were:
- The kindness of the Canadians (although some of the officials could be inflexible.)
- At the time all bank accounts not only charged fees but I even had to purchase a cheque book.
- Additives in the food.
- Stop signs and turn tight on red.
Thanks for watching Cheers 🍺
Canadian here: When I visited the UK in 2014 I thought seeing eggs sitting on a shelf non-refrigerated in a grocery store was the oddest thing ever.
Everywhere in Europe does that, that’s why it was a thing for us coming to Canada gotta love the cultural differences. It’s because North America washes off the natural protective coating of the egg.
That and they drink their beer warm
@@mckessa17 they drink everything warm. My daughters were so stressed when ordering drinks in Scotland, they would say, Coke with ice and the drink would come with ONE cube.
It took a few days till they were saying, fill the glass with ice and then put the pop in. 🤣🤣🤣
@@lynnrahn7307 sounds like a dream come true for a person with sensitive teeth! haha
I am from UK I find it odd putting. eggs in the fridge. Love to visit Canada though...
This was soo sweet.. one of the more refreshing and more natural videos on TH-cam (not the usual hyped up, loud, TH-camrs)
Wow, thank you! have a great weekend Cheers 🌺🍺🍷
@@ThisIsOurRetirement you as well :)
A friend of mine told me a story of when they arrived in Canada. They arrived at about 730pm in Montreal in a winter month. They were astonished that there was were no people on the streets of this city on a Saturday night. On arrival to their hotel, they asked where every one was. Even more surprising to them was that “The Canadians were on the ice”. They had no idea about hockey, and had to learn we Canadians loved our game. This happened in the early 1980s
It is serious business hockey and can stop a city very easily. We were in Montreal during one of the play offs staying near St Laurent, the street was deserted then cars started honking horns and it became packed with people and cars. Thanks for your story, it’s great to hear.
@@flyinbrian865 Too bad the Calgary Flames always wipe the ice with them!
Easy there.
@@MsK-xm7vw 👌
The Montréal hockey team is written as
"Canadiens"
Not "Canadians"
The Toronto team is written as
"Maple leafs"
Not leaves
I think all countries have negatives and positives. I live in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa and have been to Canada twice to visit family. What amazed me about Canada compared to South Africa, is that in SA we hang our washing outside to dry as we have sunshine most of the year, and if it rains, I use a tumble drier, but not if there is no rain. In Canada the drier is used all the time. I also found that no one I knew in Canada opened their windows, they have 'central air', whereas here in Cape Town I open windows daily even in winter, for a bit of fresh air. I also noticed in summer in Canada, I would look out the window, see grey sky and assume it would be chilly, only to go outside with a jacket on and be hit by humidity and warmth! Here in SA, when it is warm, the sky is bright blue, and in winter only when it rains or is cloudy, is it grey. South Africans are very friendly in general, but I found Canadians also very polite! I found the atmosphere in Canada on the streets is less frenetic and slower than in the USA, and therefore felt slower and more relaxed. I suppose it also depends where you go though! Enjoy your life in Canada! I personally can't wrap my head around that kind of cold weather i winter, am just not used to it.
Thanks for watching and a nice comment hope you have a great week in South Africa 🇿🇦 Cheers 🍷🇨🇦🇿🇦🍺🌺
All very true. My parents immigrated to Canada from UK in the late 1950s and never looked back. The way to cope with the weather is to spend more time outdoors in it. As long as your dressed appropriately it's really quite enjoyable. I personally love all the seasons and what a lovely spring we are having this year. Just glorious! Friends in the UK were having snow flurries the other day while we had summerlike temperatures here in Ottawa. 🥰
Also with this pandemic and us all being at home we are enjoying our home country of Canada 🇨🇦 even more we hope you have a great day Cheers 🍺🌺🍷
@Glass Half Full ...Just out of interest, what temps do you call lovely spring weather? Also, what temps are "summer-like"? ta
@@Sydneysider1310 20 degrees Celsius is nice for spring. Summer temps are 25-32 degrees Celsius. 🥰
#8 is an Ontario thing. I now live in Alberta where there are private alcohol outlets, there is not government run stores for it, so there is price competition here. And we only have to pay 5% GST here too, so the price on the item is a bit closer to the real cost. On top of that -30°C is common here in winter, and usually goes down to -40°C/F at least once per winter.
We keep complaining about the price of gasoline in Canada because we love to compare ourselves to USA on that count, instead of comparing our situation with the UK. We humans love to check out the greener grass and ignore when things are worse or harder in other places because we like to complain more than be thankful. The dumb thing is that we would be happier if we learned thankfulness.
I'd say it's more that Alberta is the odd one out, in Atlantic Canada its the same deal as Ontario (except that Newfoundland can sell beer at corner stores and things) with alcohol.
in quebec, beer and wine can be bought at pretty much any corner store till 11 at night every night
I am from Vancouver, and I work with a gentleman from Cockney (a specific area of London I understand). He told me everything in British Columbia feels new to him, ie the buildings, highways, homes. Which is interesting, as I would love to live in the UK for the amazing history.
@ Calum the person in question is a Cockney, not from an area called Cockney. Cockneys come from East London and to be called a cockney you have to be born within the sounds of “bow bells” which is the church bells of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside in the city of London. The area within which the bells could be heard is said to include most of the hospital within London East End.
NICE COMMENTS, YES CANAD IS BIG, THEY ARE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO MOVE AND WORK THERE, A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVE BECAUSE OF THE COLD , GLAD YOU SAW SOME OF THE LAND
We live in an awesome country but it was interesting hearing the perspective of new immigrants. Thanks for sharing.
TFW glad you enjoyed it Cheers 🌺🍺🇨🇦🍷
Hello how are you doing 😊
You two are absolutely amazing! Any time that a newcomer to a new country is challenged to come up with a list of most impressionable things it can be difficult to articulate! You did an amazing job and I think your list was well thought out!
We are so glad you enjoyed it we hope you have a wonderful weekend Cheers 🍷🌺🌞🍺
I left the UK in October 1991 I was also shocked at the bitter cold. Also. I was also shocked at the checkout and the HST tax. Overall the life is better here in Canada.
We totally agree with you, only if global warming could give us winters at 15°c lol We have never regretted moving to Canada and becoming Canadian citizens. We appreciate you watching.Thank you.
@@ThisIsOurRetirement Awesome! I never had the choice to become a Canadian, but am sure glad that my dad made that choice back in the 30's
As a New yorker who visited Canada twice, lived among so many different types of people, I've ala enjoyed other people's perceptions about the US and other places.
Thanks for watching have a great week Cheers 🍷🌺🍺
“We can land in Toronto and drive to Vancouver tomorrow and return to Niagara Falls the next day for brunch.” Yeah, no
Now that would be a grand tour 😂😂
Lol
But you can leave Toronto around 9:00am and be in Niagara Falls in time for brunch 🤷♂️
@@kevinshamrok Not in the summer you can't, especially on a weekend. Three hours minimum.
The reason you can't do that
There's a 3 day mandatory quarantine in a hotel upon arrival in any Canadian airport
I moved to Alberta in 1989, but returned to Scotland in 1995 when my dad passed away. We didn't have sales tax at the time in Alberta. I noticed the seasons in southern Alberta, they didn't seem to have a spring or autumn, it went from summer straight to winter. Very cold in the winter, but also very dry, not a wet cold like we have in northern Scotland where I am from, and very hot in the summer. I noticed the huge size of the milk containers in Canada, the fact that fast food was so cheap, like a taco, and free coffee refills! How come, upon returning to the UK & going into Pizza Hut, the pizzas were half the size & twice the price, even though its the same company. It took getting used to going to an Alberta Liqueur Control Board store to buy beer & at the time it closed at 8pm at night. Lastly, one time I drove from Calgary to visit a friend in Saskatoon. I actually stopped in the middle of the road in the middle of the night, had a coffee on the yellow line & that is highway #1!! It's a long way. I loved Canada, nice people and a beautiful country.
Nice comment thanks have a great day Cheers 🍺🌺🍷
Having grown up in Michigan, can't help but point out that Saskatoon's the home of our beloved Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings legend.) In fact, I hear that the new bridge they're building to replace the old Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Canada is going to be named after him.
@@nancysexton4364 That’s wonderful a national hero thanks for sharing enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍻
I have lived in the GTA for all 30 years of my life and I always thought things were so boring and common around here. It's really interesting hearing about our home and culture from a lovely couple who emigrated here. Thank you for reminding me that the whole world is beautiful and unique! ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it have a great day Cheers 🌺🍷🍺
Hey
you forgot expensive !
Same can be said of the U.S., except for the cold - it's MUCH warmer down in the southern states, but we have the cold, too, from Alaska to the border states (Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine, Vermont, Montana, etc.), and the sale of alcoholic drinks.
You mentioned all the ones that shocked us too. And then some. My husband decided we would take his Mini to Canada. This was in 1968. I should mention that my lovely dad had rescued us from most towns in Surrey when said Mini broke down. So off we set up the M1 heading for Liverpool to put the car on the ship. Well. You guessed it. My dad had further to travel for this breakdown. I didn’t go on the second successful trip. We flew to Toronto. Only to discover that the ship carrying the car had an accident in the St Lawrence. So no car. We took the train to Regina. It took for ever, passing millions of fallen down fir trees .
I should start my own TH-cam channel about my husband’s vehicles. The only reliable thing about his numerous vehicles was the frequency with which they went wrong!
We came to Canada in 1987, my inlaws warned me about the harsh winters, when they came on holiday they were surprised about the tax you pay on chocolate bars. I do miss the Uk and hope to return one day. The countryside and greenery is beautiful in UK.
Joy, if you go back to UK, as you would like, you will find it is not the place you left. I returned to UK from New Zealand after 20 years and was disappointed. It has changed so much.
@@Eric-ye5yz yes it has Eric and not for the better. That's why I left my homeland for Spain.
How fabulous are you two as ambassadors for Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you so much Happy Easter 🐣 enjoy your weekend Cheers 🍷🐣🍺