City Love Companions

Québec City (in French: Ville de Québec or just Québec), the capital of the Canadian province of Québec, is a not-so-little piece of France in another hemisphere. Actually, it’s one of the most European cities on the North American continent and a very unusual place. Imagine Disneyland, but then as a functional city. There’s no understanding Québec City without understanding its history. This is where the French arrived in America in 1541. The actual pin-pointed site is now a part of a city, a neighbourhood called Charlesbourg-Royal. It grew into baby Québec City 67 years later in 1608. However, the British have always had their eye on this region. They took their chance in 1629 towards the end of the Anglo-French War. Their victory didn’t last long, as they had to return the c...

Vancouver is spectacular. It’s as if the city was built from movie sets. It’s a wet dream for Instagrammers and home-grown photographers. Vancouver’s location is a big part of its appeal. The Pacific is to the west, mountains to the north and forests…all around, really. All that pristine nature is one of the reasons why Vancouver is one of the most liveable places on earth. The crystal-clear air is the first thing people notice here. I know talking about trees might not be the most exciting thing. But wait till you see a 1000-year-old great cedar: that might change your mind. Go see the Stanley Park if you’re short on time. Vancouver’s famous urban park is more of a weekend retreat but within the city. This is where the locals go for a morning jog. There are all sorts of activi...

Montréal is one of the oldest cities in North America. It’s also the most French city outside of actual France. There’s a fascinating contrast between the New York-like skyscrapers and old almost Parisian residential areas. You’ll see what I mean when you visit Old Montréal. That district is one historic building on top of another and it’s stunning. They even got their own Notre Dame, several actually. Notre-Dame Basilica was built in 1672 as a small church and grew over the years. In 1824 the congregation grew so large they couldn’t fit into the building anymore. The administration commissioned a new building, which was finished in 1843. Interiors took a few dozen years longer to finish. What we see now was the final product. The best thing about this particular Notre-Dame is ...

Ottawa? Otta-what now? Are we talking about that province in Japan? Nope, Ottawa is the Canadian capital. It’s that quiet, unpopular kid in class that gets the best grades. No one notices Ottawa, because the USA, the loud and obese brat hogs all the attention. Years pass, kids graduate and Ottawa grows up to be an amazing, educated young man with a bright future. The USA still feasts on ice cream while building walls from sticks and manure. I’m joking… but am I that far off? It was in the 16th century that expeditions began scouting the North American continent, the French and the British called dibs on Canada. I’m fascinated by that age of discovery and the pioneers that made the very first steps on this new continent. It’s chilling and hard to empathize with for a modern man. T...

Toronto is the largest city in Canada. It’s where people live their lives to the fullest and then move to Ottawa when they’re old. The land, where it stands was bought by the English in 1787 from a local tribe called the Mississaugas. The weirdest thing about those transactions is that the Europeans offered them complete garbage for this massive piece of land. They literally gave them kettles, mirrors, some gunflints, and booze. No wonder the natives were pissed off and disputed the legalities of those treaties. They came to an agreement just recently in 2010. I find it funny in a grotesque way. It’s been 200 years ago, so what if the tribe won the argument? They would now have this enormous city on their property: would have been awkward. Toronto was named York at first; then they r...