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Sleeping in unusual accommodations often means higher cost, which I avoided in Canada. Nevertheless, I happened to go to a very unusual place. I always slept in hostels except for the three nights on the train and the one in Toronto.
In the final part of the trip I devoted myself to the eastern cities. I know there are those who argue that one should stay there longer, but I have seen hundreds of Western cities, perhaps these were almost the last I missed of the main ones, and I was more interested in getting a feel for them. I stayed one night for each city-Ottawa, Quebec City, and Montreal. Since they were close, getting there early and skipping museums, I was able to see the essentials. Except that they are all on the great St. Lawrence River and its main tributary, they differ quite a bit from each other. All 3 are interesting, with less modern architecture than Toronto (apart from Montreal), but in general I reiterate that the best of Canada is the endless nature.
In hostels it would not only be to sleep in unusual accommodations
As is often the case in Western countries, the level of cleanliness and organization of hostels is very high. By now you can find the worst places only in bnbs. In non-Western countries, however, the parameters are completely different. In order to limit expenses a little, I had no alternative to going back to sleeping in the dorms, where clearly there can be inconveniences due to possible rudeness and the mere presence of strangers. For example, at Jasper it was difficult to sleep for one guy took an hour to set up his backpack, hollowing everything out and taking it off several times. Incidentally, chance would have it that in the bunk beds I always happened to be upstairs which I don’t like at all.
Hostels used to have the great advantage of being a great place to make friends. Now I don’t know if it’s because I’ve gotten older, or because everyone is busy with their smartphones, but it’s different. At Canmore I was in the common area, ready to chat and playing Sudoku in the meantime. The boy next door turned to me and said that his grandmother used to play it all the time, too.
I also chose the first hostel in Vancouver because it had the pub on the ground floor. Only the first night I arrived cooked after the trip and went straight to bed, while the second night I didn’t stay up late because I would wake up at dawn the next day. It was too bad because I didn’t find anything better in the following days; there was a cheerful atmosphere with customers of all ages and good live music. Even in Montreal there was the pub in the basement, but they only accepted cash, which being on my way out I had run out of! I did not feel like doing cash, which was present in the pub, and went to bed. Incredible when I think of my evenings during my early travels.
Do you like sleeping in unusual accommodations? Go to Ottawa
In the late 1800s, the Candesians decided they needed a capital city worthy of the name and were inspired by Paris. Ottawa is filled with grand government buildings reminiscent of French châteaux.
I was wrapping up the tour between the buildings in the wide, sparsely animated avenues when I noticed that many people were walking in one direction. In particular, all the women of all ages were dressed as cowgirls. Even a little girl in a baby carriage was wearing a hat, a denim miniskirt, and boots. I had to go, too! It was a blues festival with several concerts. The price was prohibitive, my hostel far away and I would have a dawn wake-up call, very conflicted I gave up.
If I had known I would not get any sleep, I might have chosen differently. The hostel is made out of a former prison. The rooms were the old cells; the bathroom is still entered through the grates. I later learned that it is apparently a haunted place. Anyway it will be because of the negative energy that those red bricks have accumulated, I really couldn’t sleep a wink.
In Quebec city the opposites of music
Like Ottawa, Quebec city I could call it a city for nostalgics; it does not feel like being on the American continent at all, but rather in France. It is the oldest city in North America and still has walls erected by French settlers. The Château Frontenac is now a luxury hotel and has nothing to envy European chateau kitchens.
Canadian cities, at least in the summer, are full of events and especially festivals. On my night in Quebec at the same time and in close proximity there were two distinct concerts of some note: Slayer and Bob Sinclar. I think you can’t find more different artists, I dislike both but it was great fun to look for a spot from where with my left ear I could hear the verses of one and with my right ear the other. Remarkable to observe, even in the hours before, fans with opposite looks. Incidentally, I passed the lead singer of Slayer, who would be a Satanist roker, quietly dragging his trolley along with his chubby, elderly companion through a small city alley and into a hotel.
Disc jockey Bob Syncler I was able to catch a glimpse of him on stage, visible from a spot in the city walls. When I still had never heard of him, in August 2007, he was like me, on the same night in San Sebastian, Spain. After almost 20 years, we were still in the same city for the usual things: him making young people dance and me discovering places.
I end up in Montreal
The other French-speaking city was my last stop on the Canada trip. French is spoken and read here; for example, I had considered attending an interactive event on dinosaurs in the science museum, but it was only in French.
It is located on an island, among many in a curious location, at the intersection of the St. Lawrence (which then ends in Quebec) and Ottawa rivers. It is very modern and is the one I liked the least, however, it was interesting to visit. On another island very close by, the formula one grand prix is held, and when there are no races there the cyclists go, and the few pedestrians like me. The circuit is inside a beautiful green park with some remnants from when there was the World’s Fair in 1967.
As also in the other cities there were a lot of events and by going around, besides running into a court of naked cyclists twice, I ended up at several concerts or spots where they were setting up shows. In particular,in China Town an argumentative old man interrupted two singers, and I enjoyed the scene of those who carried him away by weight, but always with kindness, like everything in Canada.
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