Category Archives: Canada
One Hundred Years Ago, the female Robinson Crusoe only survived thanks to a cat – August 1923: Ada Blackjack
Four men. One woman. One island. –
The history of Arctic exploration, Russian expansion, and a dramatic story which explains why you should never travel without a cat. Continue reading
One Hundred Years Ago, the Battlefields turned Red – November 1921: Poppies
Zur deutschen Fassung. Since this is not only a history blog, but also a travel blog, I naturally thought of combining these two aspects when I began the “One Hundred Years Ago …” series. Under the pretext of urgently having … Continue reading
“How are you?”
Someone: How are you? Me: Confused. Someone: Oh. I am sorry to hear that. Me: No, that’s OK. I am studying philosophy. When I first went to Israel on a youth exchange program, I stayed with a family in a … Continue reading
Canmore, the better Banff
In every country, there is a place that everyone, literally everyone, recommends you to visit. Actually, recommend is too weak of a word for the obtrusiveness: “You have to go there!” Instinctively, this raises some resistance with me, because I … Continue reading
When Train Travel means Time Travel: on the Mennonite Express from Winnipeg to Toronto
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. This is the third part of the crossing-Canada-by-train trilogy, hence my recommendation to read part 1 and part 2 first. Otherwise, the whole story will go haywire and derail like a freight train, setting an innocent town ablaze. … Continue reading
A Train full of Old Men – from Edmonton to Winnipeg
In the first part of this Trans-Canadian railway trilogy, the prior perusal of which I recommend for reasons of strictly following the timetable, I had written about the historical importance of the railway for the establishment of Canada. The current … Continue reading
Communism in Canada?
With elections less than a month away in the province of Alberta, political placards are sprouting faster than crocuses. “Communism coming soon,” I read on one, coincidentally as I was walking to the grocery cooperative, and I thought: “Well, that … Continue reading
William Somerset Maugham in a Box
I read a lot, but, with few exceptions, I feel no urge to maintain physical possession of books after having read them. Quite the contrary, I find them put to much better use if I pass them on as gifts, … Continue reading
Did you notice the Irony? (23) Machismo
Dear Calgary Sun, I don’t think we need a microscope to spot the machismo on this page. Nice juxtaposition, really, and all too common, sadly. Whenever I read about traditional gender stereotypes or objectification of women, I just need to … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 