My Halifax City Tour, expertly narrated by Allen Mackenzie, a passionate Haligonian in a kilt, had provided me with a great overview of this city, and my visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic had added to my knowledge of Halifax, particularly of its connection to the Titanic and the 1917 Explosion. Still mulling over the historic significance of this city, the largest population centre on Canada’s East Coast, I sat down close to the waterfront to finally have lunch and strengthen myself after an intense introduction to the city.

On this sunny, fairly warm day I had a seat on the outdoor patio of Stayner’s Wharf, one of the restaurants on the Waterfront, located right next to the Halifax – Dartmouth Ferry Terminal. I was finally able to catch a rest, relax in the autumn sun and get ready for my lunch. I ordered the “Captain’s Brunch”, a pan-seared brunch-size portion of Atlantic salmon with one lightly fried egg, creamy whipped potatoes topped with a bit of Hollandaise sauce, served with a slice of tomato and cucumber. It was a very satisfying lunch, looking out onto Halifax’ waterfront, with a view of the Theodore Too, Halifax’ famous TV-show inspired tugboat.

I took about half an hour before I got up and made my way southwards on the Harbourwalk, Halifax’s 3.8 km boardwalk that stretches all the way from Casino Nova Scotia in the north to the Pier 21 National Historic Site in the south. More than 2.5 million visitors walk the Harbourwalk annually. $31 million were invested in order to purchase and rejuvenate properties and to renew infrastructure. The Harbourwalk is composed of a series of public parks, wharves and plazas all connected by a boardwalk system that is primarily wooden to reflect the historic marine character of Halifax’s waterfront which is now easily accessible to the public. People were out in full force, enjoying the pleasant weather. Several street comedians were performing right next to the waterfront, drawing huge crowds of onlookers.

The Halifax Harbour actually is one of the world’s best natural harbours as it extends almost 20 km inland into the Bedford Basin. Several islands are located in the harbour. The closest to the harbour entrance is George’s Island which has been designated a National Historic Site although it is not currently accessible to the public. This island has long played an important role in the harbour’s defense system.

McNabs Island is located farther out in the harbour and is accessible via a ferry from the Eastern Passage or via a charter boat from Cable Wharf. This island was settled in the past although the homesteads are now abandoned. A lighthouse, ruined fortress and batteries as well as sand beaches can be found on McNabs Island. One more island, Lawlor’s Island, is located close to the mainland. It never had any military installations and today is a protected nature area.

The Halifax harbour also features a deportation cross, reminiscent of the famous deportation cross at the Grand Pré, the original deportation site of the Acadian Expulsion. And being Canada’s major seaport on the east coast, it has always had a strategic military role and even today features key military installations.

As I was walking along Harbourwalk, I saw various ships passing in and out of the narrow passage, but the most interesting one was a military submarine, with all the sailors standing on deck, often waving to the fascinated audience on land. I was wondering when the sailors would disappear below deck, but I lost sight of them as I walked southwards towards the pier buildings.

Halifax is a true centre of ocean transport due to being blessed with one of the world’s deepest and largest natural harbours. The harbour’s waters remain ice-free and experience minimal tides and the port generally is the first inbound and the last outbound port to North America from Europe, the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. It is also a major cruise ship centre: in 2005 108 cruise vessels with over 188,000 visitors docked in Halifax, causing a major economic infusion for the city.

In line with the ocean transportation theme, a monument to a famous Halifax resident is located just south of the entrance gate to the Halifax Port area: Samuel Cunard (1787 to 1865) , a native son of Halifax, is forever commemorated in a bronze statue that prominently presides over the Port of Halifax. Cunard became a Nova Scotia shipping magnate, whose Cunard Steamship Line would run many of the famous transatlantic ocean liners in the 1800s. His primary competitor was the White Star Line, whose ill-fated ocean liner Titanic sank 750 km off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1912. After this disaster, Cunard dominated the transatlantic passenger shipping and his company became one of the most important companies in the world. The Cunard line’s fortune began to decline in the 1950s when air travel became popular, but over the last few years has experienced a major revival with the world renowned Queen Mary 2, the first ocean liner to be built in 30 years, and the largest passenger liner ever built. In 1998 Cunard was taken over by Carnival Corporation, but the Cunard name can still be seen on the side of the Queen Mary 2.

I was in luck, because as I strolled closer to the pier buildings in the Halifax Port area, I saw that the Queen Mary 2 was indeed in town. An impressive ship, it appears to be about 8 to 10 stories tall and towers over the port buildings. Right here, with the Queen Mary 2 as a backdrop, I had reached my next destination: Pier 21, Canada’s immigration museum.

Upon arrival I connected with Stefani Angelopoulos, Communications Manager for the museum who was so kind to give me a personalized tour through this unique facility. Pier 21 is the Canadian equivalent to Ellis Island: more than a million immigrants came through its doors between 1928 and 1971. Until its opening in the late 1990s, the building sat empty as a warehouse and was finally turned into a museum in 1999 and designated as a National Historic Site. It was also the embarkation point for about 500,000 soldiers who were transported from here to fight in the Second World War. Halifax’ strategic importance in linking Canada with Europe became evident once again.

Stefani informed me that between 1942 and 1948, more than 48,000 War Brides came to Canada from Britain and other countries in Europe and they brought 22,000 children with them. They had fallen in love with Canadian soldiers and were ready to start their new life in Canada. The vast majority arrived in 1946, 60 years ago, and made their first connection with their new homeland right here in Halifax, at Pier 21. Many then took a train from here to start their new lives in other parts of the country.

I learned that to commemorate the 60 year anniversary, Via Rail came up with a special event in celebration of this occasion: the 2006 War Bride Train which is scheduled to bring hundreds of Canadian War Brides back to Pier 21 where their lives in Canada began. On November 6 the train will depart in Montreal and arrive on November 7 in Halifax where there will be great opportunities for celebration and reminiscing for hundreds of War Brides. Stefani commented that Pier 21 is linked to so many moving human stories that sometimes it is hard to keep a dry eye.

We started our tour at the Research Centre downstairs which has a collection of photographs of over 90% of the ships that transported immigrants to Halifax from 1928 to 1971. Images and newspaper photographs tell the diverse stories of immigrants, mostly from Western Europe and the Mediterranean area. Many images also relate to the almost half a million Canadian troops that departed from Pier 21 in Halifax to join the war effort in Europe during the Second World War.

The Research Centre also provides public reference for all ocean
immigration records from 1925 to 1935 and many Canadians specifically
come to Pier 21 to research their parent’s or grandparent’s arrival
records in Canada. Four computer terminals provide access to the website, to the stories database, the ship database and other electronic resources related to immigration. Microfilm records contain the responses to 28 questions that a prospective immigrant would have to answer prior to being allowed to enter Canada. These microfilms are some of the most popular records in the Research Centre.

Although I have no personal connection to Pier 21, having arrived by myself in Toronto without family in 1986, Carrie-Ann Smith, Pier 21′s Manager of Research, provided me with a copy of the entire chapter on German and Austrian immigration, taken from the Encyclopedia of Canada’s People’s, edited by Paul R. Magocsi, and published in 1999 by University of Toronto Press. I found out that about 31,000 Austrian immigrants came through Pier 21 from 1928 to 1971, compared to 1,152,400 immigrants from the United Kingdom and 527,000 immigrants from the United States. In addition to 48,000 War Brides and their children, many refugees and displaced persons also came to Canada during these years, including about 69,700 Jewish immigrants, many of whom were victims of the Holocaust. In addition, Canada also welcomed about 3,000 Evacuee Children from the United Kingdom who were evacuated during WWII due to the heavy bombing raids and the perceived threat of invasion. More than 250,000 children were supposed to be evacuated, but one of the ships transporting children was sunk by enemy ships so the program was cut short.

Another category of immigrant were the Home Children: more than 100,000 left Great Britain between the late 1860s and the mid 1930s due to the extreme poverty in their home country. These children would typically be employed either as domestic help or farm labourers, and the practice was already dwindling when Pier 21 opened in 1928. Stories representing the almost half a million WWII veterans who embarked for military service in Europe from Pier 21 during the Second World War, can also be found here. The human stories of so many different types of people provide fascinating insights into one of the most turbulent times of human history and Canada’s role in it.

Pier 21 is certainly one of Canada’s most unique museums, testimony to the key role that immigration has played and continues to play in this country. You enter the museum and arrive in a large exhibition hall, the Kenneth C. Rowe Heritage Hall, a multi-purpose area that can also be rented out for private functions which holds up to 600 guests. Up the elevators you arrive in the main exhibit area which features a wide variety of exhibits illustrating the immigration experience. The Rudolph Peter Batty Exhibition Hall allows you to retrace the steps of an immigrant who just arrived at the Halifax Harbour, complete with wooden waiting benches and an immigration officer’s desk. The Wall of Ships features images of many of the ocean liners that used to transport thousands of immigrants to their new home country. A replica of a Canadian National Railway car conjures up memories of the train journeys that so many immigrants took across Canada to their new homes in different parts of the country.

Six video booths provide access to video clips featuring the story of immigrants from different places. As a Canadian immigrant from Austria, I sat down in the first video booth where an Austrian video testimonial was being played and I saw the story of an Austrian immigrant , a man who had come to make his life in Canada in the 1950s. His emotion and gratefulness to his new country were clearly visible.

The Andrea and Charles Bronfman In-Transit Theatre at the far end of the exhibition space features a 24 minute virtual projection presentation that portrays the emotional stories of those who passed through these historic halls. Stefani pointed out that the volunteer guide who was supervising the presentation was a very special person: Robert Vandekieft is an 89 year old individual who volunteers at Pier 21 three days a week. But not only does Robert give his personal time to this unique museum, he actually came through the doors of Pier 21 as an immigrant himself in 1954 to start his new life in Canada.

Robert originally is from Haarlem, a town in northern Holland and decided to make his new life in Canada. Three months after his arrival in 1954 his wife and children followed. Robert fondly recalls a story of his family’s arrival: he had bought a teddy bear for his older son and upon arrival tossed it up to the top level of the ship where the boy successfully caught it. He had also bought some plastercene for his younger son as a present which he tossed up towards his younger child.

Unfortunately his throw was off and the plastercene fell into the water, but thanks to the kindness of the longshoremen of the Halifax Port, they fished it out of the water and brought it back to Robert so he would be able to give his younger son a proper welcome gift.

Robert had originally travelled to Winnipeg where he was hired as a fur dyer, his original occupation. But he did not like his job there very much, so after a few weeks he travelled back to Nova Scotia where he was offered a job on a farm. After his family’s arrival Robert found out that his wife was not at all keen on farming so he looked for another job. He started working for Canada Packers in the warehouse and would regularly lift sides of beef with a weight of up to 62 pounds.

After 8 months he applied for a job as a stagehand with the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), then he moved up in the ranks to crew header and later to become the supervisor of the design department. As his career progressed, Robert Vandekieft became a producer and director at the CBC and his career ended with senior roles in educational television. One of Robert’s last shows before his retirement was a 5-part series on the Mi’kmaq First Nations People filmed in their native language. What a Canadian success story!

Obviously this man at almost 90 years of age is able to look back on a long and interesting life of which he has spent 52 years in Canada. I asked Robert what he thought about Canada and his face lit up with a huge smile: “I love this country!”

Robert has been honoured as the “Maritimer of the Week” and he smiles when he says that his granddaughter nominated him. He loves volunteering for Pier 21 and has been doing it for almost five years now.

Although my visit at Pier 21 was cut short because of my tight schedule (I still needed to see Dartmouth on my last afternoon in Nova Scotia), I was touched by all the human stories of Pier 21, represented first and foremost by the living testimonial of Robert Vandekieft, who, like thousands of others, turned his arrival at Pier 21 into the first step of a long and successful life in Canada.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences & interesting life journeys, interviews with travellers and travel experts, cross-cultural issues, and many other features.

Susanne has recently published a series of FREE travel ebooks about destinations such as Spain, Cuba, Mexico, Sicily, New York City, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, Nova Scotia and many more. Visit Travel and Transitions – FREE ebooks (www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html) “Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.

Author: Susannne Pacher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Make PCB Assembly

Canada has ambitious targets of immigration aimed at raising its population from 25 to 40 million by 2020. Behind every immigrant’s statistics, however, is a personal tale. Martin Smith tells his…

It was autumn 2004 and, after three years in North East, the marketing job, Number Two to the managing director, just wasn’t working out.  And, it wasn’t the first time.

It was clear, I had to change jobs — the long hours with little or no reward were just getting me down.

I seriously started to think about my options.  What did the region offer in terms of job prospects? Very little. Another move within the UK? Not if I could help it. I was in my late 40s, married with a young son, what was I to do?

Yes, change job, but what else was directing our thinking?  Simple — the desire for a better standard of living and to spend more time together, as a family.

While our thinking was fuelled by what we wanted out of life as a family, the ultimate decision was about our son. He hated being an only child and the brother or sister he wished for every Christmas would have been yet another medical miracle. We wanted him to have the support of his extended family — cousins of a similar age — who he could grow up with, get to know and who could be there for him (and he for them) in the future. We also wanted to give him better opportunities than we believed were possible in the UK.

We only had one option — we had to move to Canada, or more specifically Aurora, Ontario; hometown to my wife’s brother who was married with two girls a little younger than our son. Also, with my wife’s cousins only an hour away, there would be a huge extended family that we could get to know.

But, what would our families in the UK and, specifically, my elderly parents, think? It was going to be difficult to tell them that we were taking their only grandson a few thousand miles away, especially as they would ever make the trip. To say they took it badly is an understatement but, as ever, they understood the reasons, supported us 100 per cent and sincerely wished us all the happiness in the world while being silently heartbroken.

Having made the decision to move, we were actually very lucky. My wife had lived in Canada from age 18 to 30 and had taken Canadian citizenship, so our son was Canadian too. And, what about me?  Having fallen in love with the country during several visits in the 1980s, I had to apply for Permanent Residency.  Having a Canadian wife and son was obviously going to help, but we were unsure how long it would take.

Thinking of emigrating to Canada?

To be honest, the form filling was something of a nightmare. Obviously we had to provide the expected documents — proof of citizenship, passports, birth certificates and wedding certificate. But we also had to supply address details of everywhere we had lived since the age of 18 and, if you knew us, you’d know how difficult that would be. Our friends have an address book just for us! And, we had to provide photographs of friends who knew us before we were married, were at our wedding and after the wedding. We had to provide details of family members in Canada and proof of how much money we were going to be bringing into the country. I had to visit the Canadian Embassy in London twice. Once to submit all the papers, and again to collect my permanent residency card.

Having heard it could take up to a year, it actually happened really fast – in just three months. This was probably because my wife and son were Canadian citizens and possibly because I’d had an application accepted in 1994 which I had turned down to take an “amazing” opportunity in the UK. We were now in a position to move and decided summer was an ideal time, so that our son could start the new school year in his new country.

Now, of course, we had to sell our house and cars, and resign from our jobs. The challenge was to accomplish all this in five months. We also had to find somewhere to live in Canada and find a school for our son. Oh, and what was I going to do for a living once we arrived in Canada ?

After some nervy opening weeks, the house sold fairly quickly although, having agreed to a price, the purchaser did try some underhand tactics to reduce the price further, knowing we were moving to Canada and had to sell. In fact, we didn’t know if we were going to close on the house until the day of closing, which was quite stressful. The cars also went fairly quickly. Resigning, of course, was delightful and I can still see the look on my MD’s face when I told him.

As for work, I advised my long-standing clients based in Belgium and the United States, who had followed me through thick and thin, that I was once again moving, but this time to Canada. They were delighted for us and, importantly, wanted to maintain our working relationship. So, my job was settled.  I would be a freelance marketing consultant, working from an office in the house. Oh, and the company is named after my son who inspired me to make the bravest decision of my life.

We travelled to Canada for a week in May with the intention of finding somewhere to live and to check out the schools. The fact that we achieved both still amazes us to this day — especially buying the house! I guess a decent deposit helped, but the bank couldn’t have been more helpful. For days afterwards, we kept pinching ourselves to see if it was all real. Having seen a new build that we liked, the purchase had taken just three hours.

We arrived in Canada on July 28, 2005, staying with my wife’s brother for a week until we closed on our house purchase. Frustratingly, we then had to wait another month for our possessions to arrive, as they got caught by a strike at Vancouver, even though they were coming via Montreal. That was probably our only bit of bad luck in the ten months since we decided to move.

Has it all been worthwhile? Yes.

Although it took our son a little longer to settle than we expected, it has all worked out well. He is doing well in school and getting involved in sports and activities that we never would have thought of in the UK — ice hockey, snow-boarding, sailing, kayaking and water skiing to mention a few. Oh, and he is still playing football (or, soccer as it is called in Canada). During his long summer vacation, he spends time at sports camps (day and residential) where he has great fun and meets new friends. While not inexpensive, different sports are much more accessible than in the UK as, being active outdoors, is very much a way of life — whatever the season.

He gets on well with his cousins and we see family as regularly as we want; they are always there for us if we need them.

As for my wife and me, well she hasn’t stopped smiling, having wanted to move back from the day we got married. My consultancy is going well despite the economic downturn, and I am earning more now than ever. Long may it continue.

In our opinion, the cost of living and quality of life in Canada is much better than in the UK. For the first time, we have been able to save and put some money into pension plans. We have a more relaxed attitude to buying what we need, either for the house or ourselves, without having to think hard if we can afford it, and our credit cards aren’t anywhere near their max.

Do we miss living in the UK ? No, and annual visits confirm our opinions. Do we miss our friends and family? Of course. Do we regret moving? Absolutely not, as we are now living the life we always wanted to.

There is no doubt that the number of Brits buying and moving abroad has been increasing markedly. It is estimated that more than 2.2 million currently own property abroad and that, in the past six years, more than a million have emigrated permanently. Between 2000 and 2004, there was a 250 per cent increase in the number of British residents buying property abroad solely for investment purposes, and more than one and a quarter million Brits own second homes in Spain and France already.

Many people dream of a second home in Canada

While near neighbours Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal seem obvious locations for second homes, Canada is increasingly moving into the frame for Brits and other buyers in the global homes market.

What’s the attraction ?

With Canada ranked in the world’s top 15 most popular tourist destinations, it must have something to offer.

Spectacular and diverse scenery, a laid-back lifestyle, an attractive cost of living, year-round sports, and political and social stability are just some of the factors that make Canada an attractive proposition. With travel also becoming easier, and the rise of long-haul holiday breaks making it seem like just a short hop over the pond, Canada is becoming a refreshing alternative to any number of European countries. And, in the most of the country, there’s no language barrier — always a potential sticking point for the language-shy Brits.

Another important factor is that residential property is also generally cheaper than in the UK, which, along with historically healthy appreciation, makes it a potentially good investment. In fact, some of Canada’s provinces boast property prices that rank among the lowest in the western world.

There is a strong belief that Canada has weathered the global recession better than most developed economies, thanks to a number years of budget surplus.  As a result, property in Canada has a chance of surviving the recession well and, although prices have fallen, the slide seems to have stabilised and there are now signs that they have started to rise.

But where in Canada?

Historically, every part of Canada has been home to British immigrants, but with travel time and cost probably being key criteria for those contemplating a second home, eastern Canada has usually been top of the list. Lower cost transatlantic flights, however, are opening-up the rest of Canada and the development of purpose-built year-round resorts is proving popular.

Generally cheaper than the west, eastern Canada boasts beautiful countryside and excellent sporting facilities, including winter sports. Flights into the UK and Europe are frequent and not too long. One of the most popular locations in the east is Muskoka’s “Cottage Country”, just two hours north of Toronto. It is so beautiful and accessible, yet remote, that it has even proved popular with Hollywood’s elite, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Goldie Hawn, who all own property there. Lakefront properties with a genuine sense of tranquility, only a short distance from busy city life, are the attraction. In Québec, Mont Tremblant, just 75 miles north of Montréal, is fast gaining a reputation as a first class winter sports resort with the benefit of four-season facilities.

British Columbia, in the west, is arguably among the most beautiful areas in the world, with glorious mountains, lakes, rivers and beaches, and it also boasts Canada’s most temperate climate. Transport links with the UK are improving, with direct daily services from London to Vancouver (flight time approximately 9.5 hours).  Vancouver, though, is the most expensive area of Canada for residential property. The city, with the neighbouring ski resort of Whistler, is to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, which is expected to increase its attraction while leading to higher prices. A major lure for winter sports enthusiasts, Whistler, and nearby Blackcomb Mountains, are regarded by many as some of the best slopes in North America. They have also combined this with high-quality sports, such as mountain biking, hiking and golf for the non-winter seasons.

Also in British Columbia, Kelowna, on the Okanagan Lake in Okanagan Valley, draws homeowners from around the world because of its skiing, hiking, boating, watersports, vineyards and wineries and its hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

The spectacular Rocky Mountains are just a romance waiting to happen, but property tends to be expensive. As much of it is situated within national parks, it is out of bounds to most purchasers. Canmore, in Alberta, is becoming popular though.  It is close to the Banff and Kananaskis national parks, only an hour’s drive from Calgary’s international airport (flight time to London nine hours) and in a temperate climate zone.  No surprise then that its population has doubled since it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988.

In other parts of Canada, the west coast of Newfoundland and coastal New Brunswick are experiencing increasing traffic from the UK and Ireland. These areas are attracting attention from European investors who recognise the genuine value for money that can be achieved here, as most homes are right on the water and travel times are shorter.

Resort properties

Brits and other Europeans are increasingly appreciating the benefits of buying resort properties. Many are skiers frustrated by the higher costs and larger crowds associated with skiing in Europe. Most resorts, though, are now year-round facilities, with family-orientated attractions.  These help to extend the rental season and attract a wider range of purchasers. As a bonus, build quality is generally higher, maintenance is arranged by a management company, and capital appreciation tends to be very good, particularly in eastern Canada.

Martin Smith

Canada Magazine is a great new magazine about the country that offers the world’s most exciting range of holiday and adventure opportunities. Whether it’s family vacations lazing by languid lakes, pampering yourself in a luxury spa, testing your endurance in the Arctic tundra, or sampling the best single vineyard wines, Canada offers it all.

But no-one has previously tried to capture this rich diversity within the pages of a single high-quality lifestyle and travel magazine. Now that’s changing, with the launch of the brand new Canada Magazine.

Our mission is to capture Canada’s rich diversity of landscape, people and culture with the very best words and pictures.

Why not keep up to date with a subscription to Canada Magazine?

You may never have been to Canada: Canada Magazine may persuade you to go. You may not have been for some time: Canada Magazine will recall good times and remind you that Canada is a dynamic, evolving place where exciting change demands your return. You may dream of going to Canada: Canada Magazine will make those dreams more exciting and tangible.

Our e-newsletter gives you a taste of Canada Magazine through the pages of our prototype issue, just out. We hope you like what you see and will sign up to a five-issue subscription (cover dates, April, July and November 2010, January and March 2011).

WIN ONE OF TEN FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS

We’re  offering a total of TEN free subscriptions in our prize competition!

All you have to do is sign-up for the e-bulletin from the newsletter page on this site, and also complete our fun general knowledge challenge (details below).

If you are lucky enough to be a winner AND have already subscribed to Canada Magazine, we’ll refund your subscription in full or reassign it to another recipient of your choice.

ENTER THE COMPETITION HERE

(You’ll be directed to our SurveyMonkey competition page).

Good luck!

Vancouver is just that kind of a ‘zen koan’—exotic yet familiar, challenging yet affirming. And this winter, during the 2010 Winter Games, is the time to visit.

The high rise towers of Vancouver

News from the Canadian Tourism Commission

| Search for images of Canada at our Digital Asset Management site.

Vancouver, BC, February 2010: be there! Unless you’re, you know, planning on jetting to India for eye surgery.

That’s the advice of the good folks at Lonely Planet. In its Best of Travel 2010, the travel-guide publisher has tabbed Vancouver among the cities you simply have to see this year. Why? Those 2010 Winter Games, of course.

Lonely Planet has developed crack radar for why people hit the road. They know we’re hungry for life experiences of the vivid or wacky or life-affirming kind. So LP staffers and contributors annually nominate destinations for a best-of compendium. Vancouver in 2010 is obviously the fat bull’s-eye of the world’s biggest outdoor party: that’s the hook. Of course, Vancouverites know that no excuse is really needed to visit their city. (Unofficial slogan: “You’ll come for the lantern-jawed bobsledders, you’ll stay for the mountain vistas and drop-dead seawall walks and great cuppa at a fair price.” Etcetera.)Vancouver is one of only two burgs in North America to make the cut in the “cities” section of LP’s Best of Travel 2010. In the book’s foreword, the editors give a hint of what’s on their minds. “Travel is finding the self by escaping the self,” the editors write, borrowing a quote from a prominent film critic. Vancouver is just that kind of a “zen koan”—exotic yet familiar, challenging yet affirming. It’s like the one great picture a friend took of us, the one that’s gonna run one day in our obituary no matter how old we live to be. It’s us on our best day.

As for medical-procedure tourism—also mentioned by LP as an emerging trend… well, that’s more an acquired taste.

www.hellobc.com

When British adventurer Ed Wardle fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition by being left to fend for himself for three months in wilds of Yukon, the resultant TV show on the UK’s channel 4 and National Geographic channels (backed by Twitter and live blogs) proved something of a fiasco. Wardle cracked up, nearly starved, and was brought home after 50 days… Some, however, get on better with the Canadian wilderness. We review a couple of examples…

Northern Wilderness

The latest exploits of the remarkable Ray Mears

The book of survivalist Ray Mears’s journey through Canada’s vast northern landscapes tells the story of the fur trade, learns the ways of the Inuit, and follows the paths of great early Northern explorers through the tundra and Rocky Mountains.

At the heart of northern Canada is the vast boreal forest. Like the Amazon, the boreal forest is of critical importance to all living things. Its trees and peatlands comprise one of the world’s largest “carbon reservoirs”. Its wetlands filter millions of gallons of water each day. It’s a vast and intact forest ecosystem, home to moose and beaver, birch and spruce, insects and people.

For centuries this forest was seen to have no commercial value. In fact, frozen for six months of the year, it was deemed impenetrable, but ultimately when British pioneers, working with indigenous tribes, learned how to explore this land, they set the way for modern Canada to evolve.

Ray explores the wonder of this special place, giving insight as to how the eco-system works, forest survival and traditional crafts. He sees how different it is in late summer and winter, learns about the interdependence of all things in the forest and unlocks the secrets of this forgotten place.

If you buy the book through Ray’s own site, Woodlore, it comes individually signed by Ray himself at a cost of £20 (UK pounds).

A DVD of the series – shown in the UK on BBC 2 – is due for release shortly after the series.

www.raymears.com

Journey to the Edge of the World

Billy Connolly's latest adventure

The brilliantly charismatic comedian and actor Billy Connolly is back in his guise as a tour guide as he travels through the legendary Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. His adventures were filmed for a TV series, just screened for the second time this year on the UK’s ITV network. The DVD release not only contains all four episodes in the series, but also includes footage exclusive to the DVD. In Journey to the Edge of the World, we follow the intrepid comedian on a once-in-a-lifetime trip across this fascinating landscape.

The ever-engaging Billy Connolly invites you to escape from the humdrum of a busy and stressful lifestyle and take this journey with him to the edge of the world from the comfort of your own home. What’s it like to live on the edge on the world? Here’s your chance to find out and have your mind blown away by the scenery!

Universal Pictures, £8.38 on Amazon.

The book of the same title is available in hard cover for £19.95

A good map here of Connolly’s route is available here…

http://www.audleytravel.com/Destinations/Canada-Alaska-and-The-Arctic/Features/Journey-to-the-Edge-of-the-World/Introduction.aspx

A visit to the Siksika Nation — the Blackfoot of Alberta – is a journey that tells us much about how the “sense of place” of the Aboriginal, or First Nation, peoples of Canada.

The event was a community affair; we had been invited to attend the unofficial inauguration of the magnificent Siksika Nation-Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Interpretive Centre. In many respects it was like an enormous family picnic during which a great deal of inter-generational bonding was going on.

On another level, it was a soft-spoken but triumphant celebration of thousands of years of Siksika history; a validation and reconfirmation of the soul of a people. It was a day for reconnecting through low-key speeches, exhibits, various cultural demonstrations and displays, a focus on eldership and storytelling, visits to the strategic moments in time nearby, and a traditional feast. This was a day on which the Siksika would quietly assume ownership once again of their heritage.

We had made our way to the Siksika Nation across very windy and rather damp grasslands. Dark theatrical clouds formed, reformed, and shifted across the vast prairie sky. On this day, nature seemed to be cautioning us to take care, and to be prepared to take shelter if necessary.

Turning south from the Transcanada Highway, we entered the Siksika Nation reservation and followed a road, along which there were few of the usual indicators that mark the route being followed. And yet there was a subtle sense of direction as if the slightly rolling landscape was gently urging us onward. We went with the flow until up ahead there appeared an apparition, at an indeterminate distance. Initially it looked like sailing ships about to slip over the horizon. And then as we came closer, the lofty, tent-like structures defined themselves, and stood out starkly against the moody sky. I was reminded of the approach to the great Gothic cathedral of Chartres across the pastoral countryside of rural France.

The emblem of the Siksika

As we pulled into the parking lot, I was drawn to the sight of three traditional tepees standing self-assured on a low hill, somewhat of an anomaly itself in the flat prairie landscape we had just traversed. Behind them the Siksika had erected a long white dining tent of modern materials and design but with a sculptured look that provided a perfect contrasting background. This initial “visual” also established what would be a key theme for the day, the artful blend of time past and time present.

As we reached the top of the low-rising hill, we looked out over a magnificent landscape, one small part of the ancestral lands of the Siksika. The panoramic view is of the Blackfoot Crossing, a low-lying valley and wooded area that embraces the gently meandering Bow River.

This was also a transit area for Aboriginal hunters and their prey (primarily the great buffalo herds) for thousands of years. Later it was a crucial crossing point for explorers as they began to open the West to the European newcomers.

Looking to our left, we saw for the first time, the new Interpretive Centre. Its design is a masterful combination of structural configurations and architectural themes that embody the traditional and the futuristic. Facing westward over the valley, its prominence in the landscape is striking but not overwhelming. The symmetry of this state-of-the-art structure creates a very successful blend with the natural environment of the prairie that surrounds it, and the valley over which it presides.

The Interpretive Centre is an architectural tour de force that personifies the Siksika culture and ethos. It is a conceptual building that also embodies in its physical structure the ancient stories and metaphors of the nation it celebrates. It is a highly integrated structure that “flows”, following the patterns inherent in the landscape.

Not only does the new centre look over an important historic site, it is also a window onto a remarkable environmental site; the largest prairie riverbank ecosystem still in existence on the planet. The centre is also a complex iconic structure, a testament to the Aboriginal way of life in which the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things are understood on a profound (often non-verbal) level.

In integrating the theme and metaphor of the tepee in the design of the Centre, the architects (and the Siksika elders who advised them and contributed their inherited wisdom) did indeed risk creating an imitation of a cultural and geographical heritage. However, because the process was a truly shared experience, what they have produced is true to the Siksika consciousness, and at the same time innovative. The building is a living metaphor for the natural balance that is at the core of the Siksika belief system; and it is also successful in leaving a soft footprint on the land.

The approach to the Centre up an S-curved lane sets the tone of following the landscape. To the left of the entranceway are a series of Buffalo rub rocks, highly polished boulders that bison over the millennia have used to rub against in an attempt to remove mosquitoes and other insects. These rub rocks are in a way touchstones to the past when the great herds of bison roamed these grasslands, and were hunted by the forbears of the Siksika and other nations. The bison that is part of the coat of arms of the Siksika is representative of this animal which is sacred to them given that it sustained their ancestors in many ways.

The overall spoke-like design of the building too is a link to the past, and representative of the medicine wheels; large stone circles still found throughout Alberta which confirm the existence of some of the earliest peoples on the Great Plains of North America.

You enter the Centre under a feature that I particularly admired, a luminous glass eagle feather fan. The eagle is sacred to the Siksika; and this luminosity is a central motif in the Centre. The seven sacred tepees on the roof are also skylights; and they are also connected to a central tepee “Sundance Arbour” which allows the prairie light to permeate the structure. The enormous windows that look out to the west are covered with an energy-efficient reflective gold and blue glass curtain. In telescope-fashion, the great wall of glass brings the panorama to the viewer. If you were an eagle, this would be the place from which you would launch yourself and soar over the landscape, confident and free.

When a member of the Siksika creates his or her own tepee, it is painted with symbols and images that come to the individual in the form of a vision or a dream. This new Centre is part of a visionary 21st-century dream of creating a place where travellers can come from all over the world to learn about the great stories this land has to tell. It is also, of course, a new and dramatic focal point for the members of the Siksika Nation.

But the Centre and the Blackfoot Historical Crossing Heritage Park are also part of a strategic business plan on the part of the Siksika. This is a travel and tourism initiative that will attract especially those who value the kind of historical-cultural travel that informs and enlightens.

And this Centre will be the entry point, for non-Aboriginal people especially, into a history that pre-dates that on which people of European descent often base their frame of reference.

The Siksika Nation has approximately 6,000 members and is part of the much larger Blackfoot Confederacy whose ancestral lands (approximately 113,000 square kilometres) once spread over most of southern Alberta and into what today is Montana. Their history adds 10,000 years onto what is usually considered the span of Canadian history.

Treaty 7, signed by the Siksika Nation and the Crown, is considered one of the most “defining” of the so-called “numbered treaties” under which the Aboriginal peoples surrendered parts of their land in return for direct payments and other promises on the part of the Crown. It played a crucial role in uniting Canada. Because of Canada’s special geography and the constant fears of expansion northward on the part of the great new republic to the south, the newly formed government of Canada knew it had to acquire full control over the vast lands to the west. The only way to do this was to build a transcontinental railroad — a political unification strategy that took into account the great inland waterway of the St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, which stops of course at the western end of Lake Superior.

A railroad across the prairies and then through the largest obstacle of all — the Rocky Mountains — became therefore the “national dream” of Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A Macdonald. Such a railroad, however, was also crucial because it was the key “bargaining chip” for bringing British Columbia into Canadian Confederation, which it did in 1870.

Because “Indian lands” were under control of the federal government — as stipulated in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 — the government in Ottawa had to deal with the aboriginal people whose land stood between the onward thrust of the railroad: over 80,000 square kilometres. And a large part of this land was the ancestral homeland of the Siksika Nation. The treaty that allowed the transcontinental railroad to go ahead was Treaty 7. And as you stand looking out the windows of the Interpretive Centre, you can see Blackfoot Crossing, the exact spot on which that treaty was signed.

Were these just real estate deals? What was the spirit and the intent of each party in the negotiations? In one document I was shown by the Siksika, there is the statement: “Siksika has a rich culture that has been eroded and overrun by a Eurocentric view of the Aboriginal role in the development of Canada. Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park will help revive our noble heritage and will add a new dimension to Canadian history. This is our gift to you, an expression of the partnership understood when our ancestors signed Treaty 7.”

Like most indigenous people, the Siksika have invested a great deal of trust in their oral history, a record that has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.

The Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Interpretive Centre is a collection of stories. And while there is much tangible evidence of the long-term shared knowledge, wisdom, and art of these people to be found in the Centre, the non-Aboriginal visitor would do well to bear in mind the intricate narrative that the Centre and the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park communicates on many levels, through many layers, and in many ancient forms of “media”. This is grand theatre with all that such historic dramas imply: impressive settings, dynamic characters and characterisation, complex plot lines, crises, and a dénouement.

I am confident that what the Siksika Nation’s new Heritage Centre will achieve is a new level of dialogue between the Siksika and the visitors they welcome to this wonderful site.

Bob Fisher invites us to spend a long weekend in his home city, Toronto…

How does a travel journalist describe the city in which he has spent most of his life?

A Latin professor of mine at university many years ago insisted that we speak certain rather arcane sentences. I remember especially:

Strepitum odi urbium; rus est semper mihi gratissium (I hate the din of cities; the country is most pleasing to me.)

There is the perennial love-hate relationship with cities and their cultures of “the rush”. As poor angst-ridden Woody Allen once said in a documentary, “I like everywhere I go; I just don’t like where I am at the moment.”

In Toronto, you are smack dab in the middle of urbanity and gutsiness, and in many ways everywhere at once.

In this multicultural megacity, life happens as it does in other similar urban centres in North America — lickety split. It is a metropolitan and cosmopolitan environment in which your senses are fully engaged and your mind is always in overdrive.

And if from time to time your idea of a fun getaway is to immerse yourself in someone else’s urban culture, then Toronto is your kind of town.

The Toronto skyline at sunset

Toronto is a Huron name that suggests meeting place, or trees in the water. Less flattering names for the city have been Hogtown and Muddy York. Whichever way you look at it, though, Toronto is a world-class North American city. And although comparisons can be misleading, let me nonetheless be so bold as to make the following one.

When you think Toronto, think Chicago. In many ways they are sister cities — different but similar: architecture, world-class cuisine, cities of neighbourhoods, art, theatre, music, sport, museums, multicultural, worldly.

And both are major inland seaports on the largest inland waterway in the world. By the way, the film Chicago was shot … wait for it … in Toronto! And I have been told that this occurred somewhat to the chagrin of the Windy City. And Toronto, like Chicago (and Montréal) is a major jazz capital, as its annual International Jazz Festival attests. At any time of the year, the joint is jumpin’.

Indeed, Toronto is a favourite film shoot location. After LA and New York it is actually the largest film and television production centre in North America. The exchange rate, government tax credits, and highly trained film and television production crews account for this. Toronto has also doubled for other cities, such as New York, Boston, Vienna, and even Tokyo, Shanghai, Teheran… and Siberia!

Remember: Cinderella Man, X-Men, The Hurricane, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forester, Bollywood Hollywood, Serendipity, The In-Law?

With his colleagues in other major cities across Canada, David Miller — Toronto’s dynamic, and mildly charismatic (in a low-key Canadian way mind you) mayor — vigorously and continuously negotiates a new economic deal for cities with the Canadian federal government.

As the economic engines of Canadian society, our major cities are demanding an increasing share of federal tax revenues in order to continue to flourish. And as the de facto commercial capital of Canada, Toronto continues to be re-energised. As we say in French, “Ça boum!“

When I think of great cities I have visited, I can actually hear specific sounds. And as I write this, I am aware that I can also hear Toronto. I hear the steel-on-steel sound of Toronto streetcars and the insistent clanging of their bells advising motorists or pedestrians that it might be a good idea if they moved a touch to the right or left.

A Toronto streetcar after all has a kind of divine right of way. I hear the descending three-toned sound in the subway cars of Toronto announcing that the doors are about to close. I hear the slightly muffled sound of thousands of heels on the marble floors of downtown Toronto’s labyrinthine underground shopping city. I hear the scalpers outside Toronto’s Dome flogging their last-chance wares in provocative tones and ingenious phrasing; perfect ambiant clamour for a movie’s soundtrack. Like all major cities, Toronto’s urban cacophony can at times seem overwhelming, especially to those who didn’t grow up here, or those who just visit… or those who move to its suburban hinterland… but if you listen carefully you can hear the distinct patterns of Toronto city life.

But most of all, I hear the voices of many nations. Toronto is perhaps the most representative city in multicultural Canada — a mosaic as opposed to a melting pot. And in this city of neighbourhoods, many of them ethnically designated but by no means ghettoised, I love to amble slowly and or just stand still and hear the sounds of many tongues: English, French, Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish, Farsi, Greek, Hindi, German … and the list goes on and on.

When the megacity of Toronto was created in 1998 (previously it was five cities cheek by jowl), it became the fifth largest city in North America.

At 2.4 million, it was bigger than all 12 provinces and territories in Canada, except Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, and Alberta. And today its amoeba-like pods reach far out into what we call the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

At over 4.6 million, this former colonial outpost on the shoreline of prehistoric Lake Iroquois has now become the financial and international focal point for Canada. We Canadians tend to be a quiet lot (or seem so from the point of view of outsiders) but we do have our family squabbles. And Toronto comes in for its fair share of criticism. Or is that envy? Speaking disparagingly of the financial and cultural dominance of Toronto has been de rigueur among many Canadians for a long time, but it’s the most visited city in Canada.

For the first-time visitor to Toronto, the best way of getting an overview of this city, is from the top of Toronto’s most famous landmark, the CN Tower. I have also found that if life is getting you down, a trip to the Tower is a quick and easy way to look out over it all and get things back into perspective. It can be a great place to lighten up.

Height: 1,815 feet … and five inches. The publicity people tell me it is the world’s tallest building. It is essentially a major telecommunications tower but also a vertical theme park.

Two million people a year get high at the CN Tower. It took 40 months to build, opened in 1976, serves 16 Canadian television and FM radio stations, and employs 550 people. It is one of Toronto’s premier entertainment destinations and its award-winning 360 restaurant is frequently the venue for major events.

The views across the city and out over Lake Ontario are spectacular. Dinner or lunch at the top of the Tower (a “dissolving” restaurant as one friend prone to malapropisms called it) is an experience in itself.

While enjoying a cuisine of regional ingredients you get to watch the world (um … I mean Toronto) go by every 72 minutes. However don’t leave your purse or camera on the window sill; it doesn’t rotate with you. The restaurant revolves internally, kind of like Toronto. And if you go to the bathroom, pick an internal visual locator to find your way back because your friends will have moved on while you were freshening up.

To a large degree, the city’s essential layout is due to the building of the streetcar system — initially horse-drawn — in the 19th century. And Toronto’s safe, secure, and increasingly aesthetically pleasing subway system along with a myriad of other rapid transit methods including two LRT (Light Rapid Transit) rail lines, will get you wherever you need to go at one low price.

Toronto’s “Green Facts” are also quite impressive especially the reference to Rouge Park, the largest natural and cultural heritage park in an urban area in North America. And the sandy islands that are a 20-minute ferry ride from downtown take you back to a quiet carless world of clapboard houses and views to die for.

I am not a shopper, but I have it on good authority that Toronto is one of the best shop-till-you-drop destinations on the continent. When I was growing up, Canadians who wanted to do some big time shopping went to the nearest US border city. If you were a Torontonian, you went to Buffalo. But the flow has reversed.

We have our own home-grown and international merchandising success stories. The days of beaver pelts are long gone. Examples include Roots, The Bay (the descendant of the original Hudson’s Bay Company), and then there’s Tilley’s Endurables (http://tilley.com)… Alex Tilley’s story is a fun and fascinating one. And I can personally vouch for his hats. If you are somewhere in the world and you see someone wearing the distinctive Tilley hat, they are probably Canadian or a wannabe.

Toronto is also a prime marketplace for art, antiques, and many speciality items. If shopping is on your agenda, Toronto.com’s shopping page will direct to where you want to go. And don’t forget that in downtown Toronto, there is a subterranean shopping centre of six interconnected passageways and 1,100 stores. Or visit the new trendy Distillery district, with its craft shops and cafés.

Toronto is a city of diverse architectural styles (at least 22). If you like architecture, be sure to see: The Gooderham Building (also known as the Flat Iron building); Union Station (my favourite); The Royal York Hotel (one of the classic railway hotels in Canada); Old and New City Hall (I got married in the former); all the big bank buildings in the downtown core; Eaton’s Centre (an indoor multilevel retail mall that is at the heart of the city).

And if you haven’t seen Toronto’s new Fours Seasons Opera House or the newly renovated Royal Ontario Museum (the very avant-garde new section, known as The Crystal), you are in for a treat. Likewise at the Art Gallery of Ontario, with its stunning new extension by Frank Gehry, Toronto’s most famous architectural son.

The ethnic diversity of the city makes for good eating in Toronto. When you arrive, pick up copies of Toronto’s annual Dining Guide, WHERE magazine, or Toronto Life magazine, and check out the dining page on Toronto.com.

Each year there are more than 40 major city events in Toronto, such as: The International Boat Show, Toronto WinterCity Festival, The International Automobile Show, the very popular One of a Kind Craft Show and Sale, The Toronto International Dragon Boat Race, The Queen’s Plate (Thoroughbred Racing), The Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, Gay & Lesbian Pride Week, The Toronto Street Festival, The Molson Indy (car race), The Beaches International Jazz Festival, Caribana, The Toronto International Film Festival, The Canadian International Marathon, The International Festival of Authors, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Toronto is a very gay-friendly city especially since June 28, 2005 when same-sex marriage was approved by Canada’s House of Commons in a vote of 158-133. For more information on gay Toronto, visit the Gay Guide Toronto. As they say at the CN Tower, “Things in Toronto are looking up.”

www.torontotourism.com

www.cntower.ca

www.frommers.com/destinations/toronto – great general guide

www.martiniboys.com – to find our where’s “in” at the moment

The Green Tourism Association of Toronto (http://greentourism.ca)

Toronto CityPass (www.citypass.com)

Toronto’s Lester B Pearson International Airport is Canada’s main international gateway and is 30 minutes from downtown, depending on traffic. Toronto City Airport, in the harbour, is very accessible and offers a network of internal flights by Porter Airlines. www.gtaa.com; www.torontoport.com

While other 20-year-olds were heading for the all-night discos of the Mediterranean, Hannah Abbott chose to Go West…

Cortes

A Mecca for East-coast Canadian travellers partial to a bit of peace and love, the islands off the West coast of British Columbia would have remained undiscovered for me were it not for a friend of a friend of a friend. Well, one island in particular: Cortes.

I spent a month there, variously staying with old friends, crashing at new friends’, sleeping under the stars, and living in a refurbished 1955 school bus. It’s just that kind of place.

We certainly got there in style. Bleary-eyed on arrival at Vancouver Airport, the nearby Flying Beaver Bar proved our salvation – overlooking a stretch of river, we enjoyed steaks in the blazing sunshine against a backdrop of seaplanes taking off and landing.

Revived, the sunset flight to Campbell River, Vancouver Island, was a delight, as we took in magnificent golden-hued views of the island-dotted straits. It was getting late, and though we were lucky to make the last ferry to Quadra island, how we would get beyond there to the considerably more remote Cortes was another matter. Fortune prevailed by throwing us an amphibious taxi driver! Crossing Quadra by car, we were then ushered into his speedboat and concluded our journey bouncing across the water at a thrilling pace, wind in our hair and spray in our faces beneath a burning orange full moon.

After the intensity of the journey, days spent relaxing on the shores of Hague Lake at Manson’s Landing felt well-deserved. Staying with local friends, and adhering closely to the adage “when in Rome…”, much of this time was spent soaking up the sun on the large rocky outcrop that is the nudist area of the beach, occasionally launching off to cool down in the crisp water.

If it weren’t for the friendly and generous locals, to go much further afield than this without a vehicle would have been a challenge – I certainly didn’t see any buses! But as it happened, many an exciting distance was covered whizzing around in the back of pick-up trucks in a community where hitch-hiking is the norm.

If you are a nature lover, Cortes has it in abundance. The mountainous landscape, pebble beaches and sapphire waters are reminiscent of the West coast of Scotland and its loch-speckled Highlands, though on a much vaster scale. But trekking through steamy forests of ancient trees, pushing past enormous ferns, I would barely have raised an eyebrow had a dinosaur lumbered by. A trip by boat will take you past seals sunning themselves lazily on rocky islets. At the destination of one charmed walk, we emerged onto the beach to the sight of a Bald Eagle, while playing nearby was a family of otters. There are also bear, wolf and cougar sightings. Perhaps the most magical encounter though was a night swim in phosphorescent algae. More pleasant than they sound, these tiny organisms become visible as bluish glowing dots when they detect motion, so that your movement in the water creates beautiful streaks of light. Emerging from the sea, you are momentarily drenched in a luminous waterfall.

As far as nightlife goes, this was mostly located on the beach at Smelt Bay, where we witnessed night after night of ever more fantastic sunsets and watched the stars far from the glow of light pollution. Should we feel peckish, an entrepreneurial local came laden each night with delicious freshly baked pie at $1.50 a slice. To draw a comparison: less sipping cocktails on the golden sands of a Greek island, this was more swigging wine from the bottle on the shores of Loch Lomond – though on Cortes you don’t need to worry about your ipod being stolen while you go for a skinny-dip!

Cortes is home to Hollyhock, a health and educational tourist retreat offering yoga, meditation and spiritual exploration to its affluent guests. Our experience of it was largely from the other side of the fence; that is until a raucous night at the Tak, pizza restaurant-come-occasional nightclub, ended in a group of us clambering over it to sneak in a late-night hot tub. Of course the abiding memory of the evening is being frog-marched out, heads hung in affected shame while trying not to snigger. Other night-time events included fantastic live music and dancing in the community halls. If clubbing’s your thing, try to time a visit around August to catch the annual open-air Carrington Bay Party, and Shambhala Music Festival on the mainland.

It is possible for non-residents to attend events at Hollyhock; we joined an evening of tabla drumming and meditative chanting. Not really my cup of tea, but then I’m more of a milk and two sugars girl than a lover of weird and wonderful herbal infusions.

Shopping highlights include the market at Manson’s Landing – packed with local produce, art and beautiful imports from India. And the saying “one man’s rags are another man’s riches” is never more true that in Squirrel Cove’s Free Store, a sort-of jumble sale run on trust, where islanders swap their unwanted clothes, appliances… anything reusable really. Don’t worry about taking a bag full of books – swap the one you’ve finished with a well-thumbed edition from one of the “help-yourself” bookshelves.

A place sure to tickle one’s sense of novelty is Wolf Bluff, known locally as Karl’s Castle. On an island where everyone seems to build their own houses, it is a five-storey castle lovingly constructed by owner Karl. Out of breezeblocks. In exchange for a donation we were able to explore its towers and dungeons, indulge in some historical fancy dress and photograph Karl with his tiara-adorned pet dog.

Dramatic and beautiful, Cortes is a breathtaking holiday destination. But what really sets it apart is the strong sense of community and friendship. Don’t just be a tourist, and you will be welcomed into the fold. It is hippie values and spirituality with a bit of hedonism thrown into the mix. Be warned, if you go there you might not want to leave.

by Hannah Abbott

Rufus Wainwright - Image by Sharat Ganapati

Much as we’re loathe to appeal to the baser instincts of people who like to stereotype their pop and rock stars, it behoves us to report that we are talking to Montréal-raised Rufus Wainwright in a pink tent. He is dressed in a suit that defines the word dapper. He is one of rock’s smartest and classiest, openly gay, the owner of a knowing wink and the creator of some of the most operatically inclined pop music of the past ten years. He is firm in the belief that his music must be of some purpose, that it should form the basis of change, that it should engage, inspire and influence.

“That’s the object of this silly game,” he says, relaxing into an easy chair, moving his sunglasses over his forehead, and making eye contact. “You want to transcend, transform. Transfer funds, even! What happened with me is that — because my parents were both in the business and there was always a stage nearby — I immediately became aware of the fact that when I did have an audience, be it in front of a mirror, or propped up on the piano singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, there was this immediate effect where I did, in a way, transform the audience in the room. I was conscious of that at a very young age… and of the power of that.

“Humans find where their power is and go with it. I was lucky because I was young. It’s a long road, because you really do have to come to terms with whatever power you have over many years. It’s totally sensible and forgivable in your early 20s to tell the world to go away and be a rock star and abuse your surroundings; revel in the excess of it all. But there is a time limit to that, and then you have to realise that there is a distinction between life and art. They may mirror each other, but they are two separate entities, and no matter how many songs you write or how many records you sell, it’s not going to fix any of your personal problems. So you have to separate those two, and wait to see what happens.”

Wainwright has been through this waiting period and come out the other side relatively intact. There was a time in the early Noughties when it looked as if he wouldn’t. These were the times of nights spent partying in a wild and reckless manner. He has been behaving himself for quite a few years now (“my behaviour started to disgust me,” he admits) and now regards his imaginary glass as being half full of life’s little joys.

“I definitely enjoy moroseness and revel in sad, romantic sensibilities,” he admits, “but that said, I do think there is always a silver lining in my work and attitude. It’s always about hope, I think. Most of my songs exhibit that.”

The silver lining, he adds half-joking, is not just his creativity but also his destiny. “I’m a bit of a hippie, or something,” he laughs. “I think that music and art are somewhat prophetic — even books you read or movies you see have something to do with your future. There does seem to be a kind of survival mechanism I have that keeps me going. The reason I say that is that, of my generation,–  there were artists ­ Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley Kurt Cobain ­– where, in retrospect, you listen to their music and hear or feel an intense darkness, which they were enveloped in. I don’t think I have that — the darkness, that is — as much as them. So I go with that theory, just to stay bright.

“It’s something in the past that I was quite jealous of ­– oh, why can’t I be more kind of self-destructive, or damned? But now I thank my lucky stars I wasn’t; I went in for a bit of it, but there is so much more than falling into the abyss. I do think it’s the fault of rock ’n’ roll, artistically — there are so many stages that a human being can experience, with the imagination and creation, if you put yourself into it. But sometimes rock ’n’ roll can steal that from the artist because it can become more about youth, excess and the fleeting moment. And I just didn’t and don’t want to fall for that. When you see it happening, it’s quite impressive in a way, but I’m for impressing people in a different way. I’m out to impress people when I’m old and fat and have a beard.”

Family remains an important issue in his life. Although he started off his career under the shadow of being the son of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, he has steadfastly refused to hitch his wagon onto their coat-tails. Where initially people might have wanted to talk to him about his parents, now the conversation revolves around him and his sister Martha.

“I’m still very close to both my parents and my sisters (he has a half-sister, Lucy). I have, though, quite recently walked out of an interview because the guy just continued to ask about my family life. I don’t mind if people touch on it, but for half an hour that’s all he wanted to talk about. So I went to the bathroom and never came back. And yet I can’t deny that the connection has served me well. I certainly got a lot of coverage when I first started, and whatever it takes to get your foot in the door is whatever it takes. Now, though, I think I’ve proved myself enough.”

Above and beyond, some might say. Not only does Wainwright have a substantial body of work to his name ­– five original, distinctive albums of it –­ but he also has a cute if cathartic sideline of love for Judy Garland to guide him through the dark nights of the soul. In 2006, he staged a facsimile of’ Garland’s 1961 valedictory album, Live at Carnegie Hall, at the New York venue and at the London Palladium (which also hosted Garland in her heyday). The reasoning behind such a show was threefold: one, he regards the songs (a number of which were written in the Depression era and around the tow world wars) as sacred texts; two, it gives him the excuse to don stockings, high heels and a dinner jacket; and three, he defines his love of the songs as an appeasement to his voice.

“In this whole story of my career I’ve always felt my voice was maligned by certain critics and fans, who come up with lines such as “the nasal quality” or the “acquired taste”. So the Garland shows came about, among other things, to put these people at ease. I consider the creative aspects of myself as a three-pronged fork: the singer, the songwriter and the composer-arranger. So I had to appease those elements and bring them together on one project.”

Opera is another abiding passion: Wainwright has said that to sit through a Wagner opera is one of the greatest experiences humanity has to offer. He has just completed writing Prima Donna, a Day in the Life of an Opera Singer, and views the art form as very much a religion or haven from life in general.

“Opera has served me well : going to it, writing it, thinking about it. I think it’s because of the way in which the medium has chosen me. I never intended to be an opera fanatic; it wasn’t something I tried to do, it just happened one night. One day I hated it, the next it was all I could listen to. It’s like a calling, a vocation, and whether it’s drama or just meditation or intensity I don’t know, but it’s got it all. It’s all in there.”

The story of his life? “My life, your life, everybody’s life. The world, the Ring cycle, here we go!”

Interview by Tony Clayton-Lea