Tuesday 30 October 2012
Back to Norway!
This has been a long journey, and actually we are looking forward to coming home now! The last week we have got to see what the world`s second biggest country has got to offer. We have experienced a lot, and we think that shopping and downhill-skiing was a really great combination. We agree that it has been an amazing trip in every way! We would love to do this trip once again, in a two years time or so :)
Sunday 21 October 2012
Whistler next!
Siren and I love downhill skiing, and finally the day had come for our skiing-trip! Whistler is ranked as the number one mountain resort of the world, so that’s why we chose to come here. Until today we had only seen photographies of the spectacular mountains, but now we have experienced them for real!
The bus left at 9 o’clock this morning, and we drove Highway 99 from Vancouver to Whistler. We took a nap on the two hours ride, just to be sure that we were completely rested before starting the day!
A genuine winter wonderland lay in front of us when we woke up by the bus stopping. After renting two pairs of ski, we planned our route and took the gondola to the top. There were an endless amount of slopes to choose between, and both Siren and I agreed that Whistler had to be the best place in the world for ski-enthusiasts!
A special guest
When we
went down to eat our breakfast this morning, the lobby was overcrowded by
reporters and journalists. It turned out that the prime minister of Canada,
Christy Clark, was in the same hotel as us! She had come to Vancouver to
participate in a conference. The background was that the 15-years-old Amanda
Todd committed suicide last month due to cyberbullying. After three years of
bullying, the young girl gave up and ended her life. Clark admitted that time
has come to discuss a completely new legislation to prevent cyber bullying.
Siren and I looked at each other and agreed that this was a serious and growing
problem in Norway too. We hope that our politicians also will handle the
problem soon!
The prime
minister, Christy Clark
What a day!
Just after checking-in at the Hilton Hotel, we rented bicycles and started the tour. It was just a 20 minutes ride to the Park, so we decided to take the dinner in there even though we were starving to death. When we finally got to the restaurant, we ordered a large portion of poutine, which is one of the national dishes in Canada. The french fries, topped whit brown gravy and curd cheese was a calorie-bomb, but a perfect meal for us, since we hadn`t ate since breakfast.
The park had a wonderful view over the city. The sun was shining, and hundreds of people had made the trip to Stanley Park on this sunny day. Some were bicycling like us, others were walking or running. The magnificent wildlife, the waterfalls and the flora were really impressing!
On our way home, we made a stop in the city and went shopping. Both Siren and I found some favourite-shops, and this made the day complete!
http://no.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g154943-Vancouver_British_Columbia-Vacations.html
“Vancouver, here we come!”
Today we are travelling by plane to Vancouver in Canada. We will arrive early in the
afternoon, and we have planned a visit to Stanley Park. We have high
expectations for the visit, since the park is ranged as the nr. 1 among Vancouver`s
171 attractions! We`ll probably rent bicycles, and combine the trip in the park
with some shopping.
Our plane
is leaving in a couple of hours, so my time is running out now. I will write
again later this evening!
Recommendations
We are enjoying the last few days here on the island. The trip has been amazing, and this is really something we will remember for the rest of our lives. There are some places and persons we will remember more than others. First of all, the woman we met here on Barbuda, Joanne. Secondly the Jolly Harbour Beach on Antigua, which is the most beautiful beach we have ever been to. Third of all the Stanford Cricket Ground that we visited on our way to the airport. We admit having regrets about not going to a cricket match, considering that cricket is the most loved sport of the locals in Antigua and that the atmosphere probably would have been amazing. Last but not least, we visited The Martello Tower by the airport on Barbuda. The Martello Tower is a protective tower from the British colony, which was really worth seeing!
Sunset on The Jolly Harbour Beach
The Stanford Cricket Ground
Living conditions and values
After five days on Antigua and a week here on Barbuda, we have really got to see how the natives live. There are some things that really surprises us. Family is one of the natives main value. The number of unemployment is also quite high. We talked to a woman that recently had lost her job. We felt sorry for her, but she told us that things like this happen all the time. Over 20% of the young women are unemployed, while in Norway this number is as low as 3%. That is a huge difference.
This is the woman we came in contact with, Joanne.
As far as we can see, people are much more grateful here of what life gives them. To have a job is something a lot of other people around the world take for granted.
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