COOKIE GATE!

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ Canada is huge, but it is certainly beautiful! There is quite a wide variety of scenery and terrain throughout Canada. Starting with a cruise would probably be the best way to begin your exploration of the country. It does snow, but if you are comfortable with the cooler months, I think it would be amazing to live full-time. I have heard amazing things about Vancouver. My mom has been in the springtime and spoke so highly of it! So what is stopping you from taking a Vancouver cruise? 

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean there is something magical about snow. A fairy tale in its own way. In the UK, we tend to get more sludge than pure snow. I can imagine the wonderful landscapes of Canada covered in snow. It's something I would be happy to see. The autumn colours would look mesmerising as it does in photos and the sun beaming down gives the place a bold colour. 

[Woody14]

4 hours ago, LukeJ said:

@Cruising Caribbean there is something magical about snow. A fairy tale in its own way. In the UK, we tend to get more sludge than pure snow. I can imagine the wonderful landscapes of Canada covered in snow. It's something I would be happy to see. The autumn colours would look mesmerising as it does in photos and the sun beaming down gives the place a bold colour. 

Canada is so big we have lots of different types of snow depending where you are.   Some is beautiful and majestic some is not.  It is the same with the autumn colours parts of the country get great ones and parts are not as great.      If you think that the UK has some variety in weather, landscape and scenery then you can imagine that Canada is about 40X bigger than the UK so our diveristy is quite astounding.

For those of you in the US, Canada is bigger than your country, while we only have 10 provinces & 3 territories and our population is the size of California, we have a lot of big undeveloped spaces and it many of our amazing sites are what would be considered remote.  

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ As a newer resident of Colorado, I can tell you that the snow is so very majestic! I love snowflakes and fresh powder, but I don't particularly appreciate driving in it. I don't intermittent snow days, but when the temps get below zero I wish I lived back in a warmer state. Visiting snow states can be so fun, but to live full-time can be difficult. The fall seasons are by far my favorite. Fall and springtime in Canada are the best times of year to visit in terms of natural scenery! 

@Woody14 Thanks for your insight! I want the nest area where I dwell to be remote. After living in a city for a while, I'm tired of the traffic. I'm ready for an hour's drive to the supermarket and harvest most of my food type of lifestyle!

[LukeJ]

@Woody14 thank you for that. I didn't really think of that. I'm going by photos and documentaries, and of course they make it look stunning to sell the place to you, I guess I just fell for it and was taken in by the beauty of it. 

[Woody14]

On 10/13/2023 at 8:23 AM, LukeJ said:

@Woody14 thank you for that. I didn't really think of that. I'm going by photos and documentaries, and of course they make it look stunning to sell the place to you, I guess I just fell for it and was taken in by the beauty of it. 

Don't get me wrong I love living here and I love the vistas, views and the people.   But I met some people who were disappointed that on there excurision from Vancouver they were not able to see the rocky mountains and the great lakes.   The rocky's are about an 8 hr drive and the great lakes are over 2,000 km's away.     They were not disappointed with the coastal mountains we have right here in Vancouver as they had never seen anything like that but they had different expectations.

[FJB]

5 hours ago, Woody14 said:

Don't get me wrong I love living here and I love the vistas, views and the people.   But I met some people who were disappointed that on there excurision from Vancouver they were not able to see the rocky mountains and the great lakes.   The rocky's are about an 8 hr drive and the great lakes are over 2,000 km's away.     They were not disappointed with the coastal mountains we have right here in Vancouver as they had never seen anything like that but they had different expectations.

Some people have no sense of direction nor are they aware of their surroundings.  Not sure if they have the better life or not….

[PaulB]

I guess each to their own. Some people love travelling and spending their hard earned money in doing so. Some like to save which is fine also. 

[3Sisters]

@FJB They totally have a better life! I can tell you this, their life is better, but the one sitting in the passenger seat of the car is not OK. I'm usually a passenger princess, but I can turn into the passenger witch really fast after making two wrong turns in a row. Let's just say it's harder to have a great sense of direction and watch others make careless directional errors! 

[PaulB]

Exactly why satellite navigation was designed ha ha. I don't like it when I don't know my way, I get agitated.

[LukeJ]

I don't mind getting lost, I can see it more as a challenge or more of a trip. But my wife gets anxious, and stressed which almost makes me to feel stressed from her.

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ Your wife and I sound way too similar. I want to be calm, cool, and collected but once my husband makes more than one wrong turn, he's gonna hear it. I like the idea of enjoying the scenery and making the detour part of the adventure, but when I'm on the 100th "Are we there yet," my patience is slim to none. That's why I love cruising so much, less whining in the car and stressing about traffic and wrong turns. A major perk of cruising is having an experienced captain and crew taking the reign on transportation. That means less nagging from me!

[LukeJ]

@3Sisters are you sure this isn't my wife?

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ Oh no, you are on to me! I would never divulge such a secret. The key to my heart is a cruise with my loved ones. Do I still sound like your wife? 

[LukeJ]

@3Sisters No. Sorry for that. 

[3Sisters]

@LukeJ Well that would have been ironic. Usually, opposites attract and since you love cruising maybe that's your favorite thing! How many cruises have you been on with your wife? My husband and I have been on about 10 together. I grew up cruising and when we met he had never cruised before! Now we cruise annually, and he does enjoy it, just not as much as I do. I'm not sure he will ever love it as much as I do. 

[LukeJ]

My wife and I have been on about six. We do enjoy going on cruises, and seeing other locations of the world. It's a vacation on a vacation in some respect. We have worked hard and we deserve the break as well. As of all of us cruisers.

[FJB]

I have a craving for a cookie right now….

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I'm right there with you! I love learning from other's experiences. Since I have yet to explore most of the world, reading other cruise reviews makes me so excited to learn more about epic cruise destinations and consider booking to those locations soon! Without learning from others, I would feel so lost. The cruise industry is vast, and the ship and port options are endless! 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas what would be your absolute bucket list to visit. If you had three locations to go to, where, when and why?

[PaulB]

If I'm allowed to join in, I would be keen to go to the European Christmas locations like Germany. It looks magical and something I really want to do.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Of course, you can join! I have been dreaming about the Port of Kiel. This German port has recently seen an influx of cruise guests and is considered one of the "greenest" ports in Europe. I would love a European Christmas cruise that would include a stop at this port. In fact, I'm not sure I would consider a European holiday cruise without visiting the Port of Kiel!

@LukeJ I love this question! My top three choices would be Buenos Aires, Honolulu, and Santorini. If I could choose four, I would pick Juenea. I have various reasons for each choice. I speak Spanish and love Latin culture so Buenos Aires and that whole region is a bucket list cruise for me. Having visited Peru several times, I'm ready to explore more of South America. Honolulu would be another epic cruise port. I have yet to visit Hawaii, and this is one spot in Hawaii I would want to explore. Santorini is one of the many Mediterranean ports I dream of visiting. When I make it to Greece, I'm staying at least two weeks and exploring the whole region. There is no way I would go just to Santorini and back. An Alaskan cruise is closer to home and more realistic. I will likely make it to cruising Alaska in the next 5 years. How about you?

[PaulB]

Yes a load of top European destinations that can make your vacation for you. I would also love to go on a river cruise, down somewhere like the Danube if they have cruises on there. It sounds such a magical place the Danube. Bit like a train ride on the Orient express. Just sounds amazing. 

[LukeJ]

Good answers all round. I would love to try all these destinations. There is something unique about any of these, whether it's a sun filled holiday, or more of a city break vacation. 

[3Sisters]

What is a train ride on the Orient Express? I haven't heard of this before, but I'm always interested in a scenic train ride. I have done an amazing one in Peru from Cuzco to Aguas Caliente to visit Machu Pichu. It's one of my favorite experiences. What a treat it is to be able to explore the world via train! It's so much better than driving yourself through traffic.