Canada. First Impressions.

Finally, I have a place where I can sit not behind a laptop, which means it's time for new stories!

Today is about Canada. First impressions after moving from Europe.

Canada is not the closest place to fly to in general. Moreover, a flight within Canada can take more than 5 hours.

We flew from Europe for about 8 hours.

Canada greeted us with beautiful autumn landscapes.

Generally, when you first arrive in a different environment, you start noticing small details. On another continent, some everyday things look different.

For example, sinks – in Europe, it's rare to find sinks with two separate faucets, except maybe in England.

Similarly, the shower and everything related to the bathroom operates on the American system. Most often, it's a fixed showerhead without a hose, and the water pressure is not adjustable.

In general, there are some nuances :)

The outdoor environment is completely different - people walk less, and if they do, it's mostly with dogs or just for a stroll, not necessarily heading somewhere. Here, everyone loves to drive, and distances from some areas to the nearest store can exceed 3-4 km!

As it turns out, there are also apartment buildings, which is pleasing. Lately, they are becoming more and more common.

Sometimes, of course, it gets absurd with cars - for example, driving to the bank's ATM.

Quite an interesting solution indeed :)

Here's another observation in the category of "strange sightings".

The McDonald's sign is positioned at a very low level from the ground; I used to see it only very high above the ground before.

And inside the fast-food restrooms, shopping centers, and on public transport, you can come across boxes for syringes.

One pleasant surprise is about public transport. I initially thought there would be issues, but as it turns out, it operates here even better than in Europe. Everything runs at pleasant intervals and follows clear routes.

There are rapid tram lines, light rail transit, and buses. Usually, the first two are referred to as LRT here.

You need to pay for the fare with a card, which you can purchase at the station from a machine. A 90-minute ticket costs 2.75 CAD.

At LRT stations, you tap the card before entering the platform.

In buses, you tap the card at the entrance, usually at the first door. You also need to tap when exiting.

At light rail transit (LRT) or LRT stations, there are no turnstiles, you control payment with your transport card. There are toilets at large stations.

It was also nice to get acquainted with the library system.

I got a card, and now I can borrow books, CDs, and much more. Everything is free.

Another pleasant thing is that in many public places (libraries, stores, LRT stations, etc.), you can find drinking fountains, which is very convenient and eco-friendly.

What didn't please me was the prices for internet services!

I could only connect home internet for $125, on the minimum plan, though with a good speed of 250 Mbps.

I had to do some of the wiring myself :) The provider only provided the equipment in the basement of the house.

Mobile communication is incredibly expensive too.

Minutes and texts within the country are usually unlimited, you could say there's no roaming.

However, mobile internet is expensive. The minimum plan I found for myself is $25 for just 1 GB!!!

That's why in many places here, connecting to public Wi-Fi is not a problem.

Those are the first things that I encountered in the new country.