Canada the beautiful

One of the most memorable things that I have discovered is that Canada is beautiful. I think it is obvious to many that Canada is a gorgeous place but until you travel from coast to coast it is hard to explain just how diverse and untouched our country really is. The East coast is nothing like the West and the priaries are nothing like the Rocky mountains but everywhere you go it is breathtaking. I think it goes without saying that an Oceanside view is always beautiful and my obsession is pretty obvious judging by the hundreds of pictures that I have taken of both the West and East coasts. I was absolutely blown away by Northern Quebec, as well as Northern Ontario, and when I say North, I mean North, as in Thunder Bay North. The views are indescribable and I know that more times than not I just caught myself saying wow. When we crossed through to Manitoba and then to Saskatchewan- it was definitely different than Northern Ontario, but still beautiful. I had always heard about how flat the prairies were but until you're there you just don't really get it; they are flat, very flat...and yes you can look out forever and still see ahead of you. The thing that struck me about the prairies were the sunrises and sunsets; they were absolutely stunning. I found myself taking pictures in the morning and at night and BBMing them to my mom, I knew she would appreciate the cotton candy skies. I remember as a kid my mom would always point out the sunset, and I would just roll my eyes thinking ugh another sunset, I've seen this a thousand times. I can truly appreciate them now, and yes they are beautiful. It is funny but I always take for granted how clean our air is, I can assume not everyone is as lucky as us to be able to see such a natural beauty every day. When we drove through Alberta I was absolutely amazed; that province hands down is my favourite. The Rocky Mountains are the most phenomenal thing that I have ever seen in my life and without a doubt I am going to go back one summer to explore them some more. Travelling through BC I have discovered a whole new side to Canada; that province has mountains, deserts, valleys, lakes, vineyards and orchards. It is amazing to me that I have essentially spent the last 3 nights in a desert and I am in British Columbia. Perhaps I am naive but I never knew just how diverse our country was; we are the second largest nation in the world and in my opinion the most beautiful. We have so much to offer, so many different things to discover and I sincerely hope that everyone gets the chance to see just how much this country has to offer sometime in their life.

The new trend

Through travelling Northern Ontario and the prairies I have discovered that the 'trapper hat' is a necessary addition to one's wardrobe. While many people on the relay jumped on the bandwagon and bought a trapper hat, I held off. There is something about this hat that just doesn't do it for me. I can assume that they are warm, I mean it was -40 and that was the staple of 90% of the local residents, but I just don't want to put one on my head. I have tons of new friends that have bought the trapper hat and they look great in it, yet the hat just looks like a dead animal on top of my head. With this being said I am happy to report that I am now rocking a new hat that I am sure will become the latest trend. I have to say that I can't take credit for being the first (2 of my friends bought the Miga version in Banff, and I was quick to run down the street and buy the Quatchi version). But I can take credit for rocking my hat all day long yesterday with confidence; I love my new hat. While walking through the streets of Banff, I definitely received a few stares, but throughout the day as we worked our way to Golden BC the hat became quite popular. I can't count how many times I was asked where I bought it, although usually it was because parents wanted to buy it for their children...hmmm. And amongst the relay staff my hat was the topic of discussion. At the end of the day, I kind of hope that the hat doesn't become a trend because I like being a little different but if it does then I will welcome that too and I will still rock my hat with a smile on my face.

my new love

I have been watersliding four times this week. I know that I am a kid at heart, this isn't news to me, but the fact that I have become slightly obsessed with watersliding is a bit concerning. When I arrive at the hotel I need to relax and not think about the OTR, my outlet is watersliding. I have become known on the OTR as the connoisseur of aquatic activities. Last night we had one of the largest slides yet- I was out of breath by the time I had climbed all the stairs, that's how big it was. There is something special about the Prairies because all of our hotels have had glorious waterslides. Perhaps the reasoning behind the waterslides is that they are creating a little bit of the tropics inside while it is so bitterly cold outside. I don't really know the reasoning but I am excited to see what the rest of Saskatchewan and soon what Alberta has to offer. Have a good one :)

slacker

It's official I have been slacking on my blog posts and it was confirmed when today I received a text message that told me I owed my readers an entry. I'm not too sure if I really have that many readers but either way I know that there has been a lack of commitment to my blog during the last month and I want to get back on track. Since my last entry so much has happened but it just seems like a blur to me. I have been through Ontario and Manitoba but it has all blended together. I don't even know what real life is anymore, all I know is the OTR. We are living in such a different world that I feel like I am in a bubble from the rest of the world. I never know what day of the week it is because to me every day is the torch relay and that's all I know. What is comforting to me is that there are 280 other people that are in my bubble. I have made some wonderful friends on this tour, most of them feel like family to me at this point. It is easy to feel this way about the other people on the tour because we experience the same things every day and we know what it is like to live in our strange little world. I am extremely sad that there are only 33 more days in my torch relay journey but at the same time I genuinely know just how lucky I was to be part of such a wonderful experience. Until next time, take care.