Dispatch from Canada

As we often do when I get a break from work, Michael and I took a short holiday in Montreal this week. This time around, we took the train. While it was an absurd 10-hour trip, Amtrak is super comfy, affordable, and has a lower carbon footprint than driving on this particular route (what we usually do). In Italy and other European nations, this trip would have taken about 3 hours via high-speed rail. However, since the US is addicted to fossil fuels and tells us cars are better, little investment is made into creating a truly useful and efficient train system. (Check this out.) I love train travel so I am actively pissed off that the US does nothing to make travelling around the USA via train a viable, cost-effective, and planet-mindful option. Thirty-three years ago, when I moved out west, I took Amtrak cross-country, and it was one of the best trips of my life. Since then, I’ve been waiting in vain for Amtrak to do something positive!

FYI: My daughter and I, and Michael too, have taken trains around Europe while others fly because a) carbon footprint, b) the views, and c) Trenitalia Frecciarossa, for one, is a total treat!

Our ride up was totally relaxing—we packed snacks and games, much better than the stress of driving on the highway—and of course, once we arrived in Montreal, things got even better. Since we come here about twice a year, we have many favorite places, but I’m not going to get into that right now. My main point in writing about this trip, though, is to share a couple of observations about life in Canada these days, now that the USA’s inept and unhinged orange wannabe dictator has used his masterful ‘art of the deal’ (snark snark) to bully our friendly neighbors to the North: Canada.

This will be short and simple:

• Lots of US-produced products sit on the shelves in grocery stores.

• More “Proudly Made in Canada” stickers and signs are displayed.

• At a bar the other night, we sat next to a man wearing a baseball hat that said: “Canada is Not For Sale!”

At that same bar, we chatted with the bartender about the wall of alcohol behind him. He said they are finishing up their already purchased stocks of US hooch and will not be reordering. Good on them. We also talked about the new PM, Mark Carney—college hockey player turned banker—and how he is already standing up to (t)Rump’s bullying.

It will be interesting to watch this play out and I cannot wait to return to Quebec and other provinces (we’re thinking of doing an exploration of Prince Edward Island, New Foundland, and Nova Scotia) this summer. I encourage you all to support our Canadian siblings!