The Canadian side of the Niagara Falls is more spectacular, everybody said. You can take the Maid of the Mist boat tour to the falls, walk behind the falls, take helicopter flights. Apparently, a lot of US citizen nowadays stay on their side of the falls since they need a passport to return from Canada.

We did the Maid and the Behind the Falls and had a look at a town that seems little Las Vegas to me. It's amazing what you can squeeze out of two waterfalls apart from water.











Behind the falls




Don't miss the Butterfly Conservatory. It's beautiful.


If you need a nice place to stay: I can truly recommend George's and Valerie's B&B called Stanford Bed and Breaktfast.

The thing you wonder about most before reunions is how people have changed. Well, nobody really has, although you sometimes have difficulty recognizing people without their name tags. Basically we are all the same. What has changed the most are the hairstyles - the girls don't have perms anymore, but straight hair, whereas the guys have lost all of theirs.

Oh gosh, this feels so much like 17 again. Actually, even better. The first night of our reunion is over and I can't describe my feelings. All these memories! I met folks whom I hadn't seen or heard for 20 years, but it seems we had said good-bye just yesterday.

I'm going to bed now and try to digest the evening.

It's always been the same. Entering Canada means exposing yourself to inquisition. You have to answer the oddest questions and listen to the strangest remarks.

This time:
"Oh, what happened to your passport?"
"I travel a lot, that's why it looks a bit used."
"Business or private trips?"
"Mostly private."
"Where do you work?"
"In corporate communications."
"So you must earn a lot of money to afford all these trips!"
"Erm ... not really, but it's ok."

I guess it's their way of finding out if you want to earn your future salaries in Canada and have enough money for a return ticket.

"So why are you here?"
"Highschool reunion."
"Oh, you went to school in Canada?"
"Yep."
"Which one?"
...

Ages before:
Canadian Border Inquisition I

My Belgian friend Carolien and I sat in the plane crying and crying. These two silly ladies were actually messing up our last 10 hours together: Carolien and I hadn't gotten seats next to each other in the plane from Vancouver to London and nobody wanted to swap seats with one of us. Without knowing the other one had started crying as well, both of us were weeping at the same time. It helped. This was July 1988.

The end of July 2008 both of us are sitting in a plane together again. This time from Brussels to Vancouver. The Class of 88 is ready for its highschool reunion.



When I read on Facebook that Lori took over the organizational lead for the reunion, I checked flights right away. Vienna - Vancouver: ticket prices started at 1.200 Euros. So I asked Carolien if she were going. "Only if you are going!", she answered. So what the heck, this is a once-in-your-life-thing and who knows if we will ever have the chance again to travel together.

This was in December 2007. Now there is only one more week to go and we are taking off to one of the most beautiful places in the world: Vancouver Island. I can't wait to breathe the air, listen to the sound of the ferry, see the sunsets and the Comox Glacier, the eagles and the whales and most of all - our friends. Coming back to the island feels like coming home.

the more often I will be able to return. See ya, island.


Comox Bay



The Comox Glacier showed its face on the very last day



Courtenay, 10th Street East.



The new library in Courtenay





If you ever happen to be in the Comox Valley and want to relax - I can highly recommend the Kingfisher Spa. Don't miss the Pacific Mist Hydro Path. It's worth every second you are in there.

In most of the options for transportation to or from Vancouver Island there is water involved. Why not taking the seaplanes.


Nanaimo Wet Airport


Click to see rest of picture: moewen_xl (jpg, 69 KB)
Coast Mountains in the background


Click to see panorama picture of the Georgia Strait:
georgiastrait_xxl (jpg, 92 KB)



Baby ferry hiding underneath a bridge


Mama Ferry crossing Georgia Strait

In Nanaimo, Canada, somebody for sure is having a rather odd hobby: piling rocks on top of each other on the beach. Not just piling easy rocks on top of each other - balancing them is the game.

In Canada I tried to translate the word Mozartkugeln .
"Well, you know, small chocolate round things with pistacchio inside."
"Oh, Mozart's balls!?"
Yeah, kind of.

They are a total tourist trap, btw. Don't taste very special.