Vacation to Canada

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                                Hey guys. I'm cutting my claims of my rookie of the year article so I could reap the reward of theme week, 6 free TPE. Props to @thadthrasher for coming up with the genius idea of the vacation theme, This means I don't have to come up with an idea for an article, which is also great. I love writing em, but sometimes you get writer's block. It happens. Anyway, to the article.

 

         As some of you must know by now, I am Canadian. But my player is Swedish, so some people automatically assume that I'm Swedish, too. But I'm not. I just thought that Swedish names sounded cool, and after looking at some names of Swedish NHL players I crafted the kickass name Linus Zetterstrom (which is actually pronounced "Lee-nus instead of Lie-nus, which is also unfortunately butchered by almost every single American and Canadian who doesn't know crap about European names). And I'll probably do a vhl.com article about how I think Swedish names work, but that's gonna be later. For now, vacation time. This is what this is: a Canadian guy writing an article about his fake Swedish hockey simulation player going on a vacation to Canada. I read what I just wrote and I'm going to take a break and do something productive. 

 

 

        It's the final Friday before March Break, and Linus Zetterstrom and his brother Jesper are going to Canada for a vacation. Linus has a break from his pro hockey with the Riga Reign, and Jesper is taking the week off from university. Older brother Henrik is tied up with work, so Jesper and Linus are on their own. Either way, there destinations remain the same. Their journey starts at the Stockholm airport. From there, they will make 6 stops to some of the most popular tourist destinations in Canada. They will see some of the best Canada has to offer, and let me tell you, it's no little amount.

 

Destination 1: St Johns, Newfoundland

 

 

A beautiful little town hidden all the way east in Newfoundland is St Johns. Linus and Jesper arrive at the St Johns airport and go to their motel to drop off their bags. Right after that, they head to a bar and undergo the St Johns' tourist tradition: kissing a cod. Yes. Kissing a fish on the lips. It's a tradition, and it's unique to St Johns by my understanding. I personally have never done it, and have no desire to. But it must be a funny little thing to do after a few drinks. With that disgusting taste still lingering in their mouths, they head out on a whale-watching expedition, where they can see a humpback whale or two, and a pod of orcas.

 

 

 

 

Quebec, Quebec

 

 

It looks like a 1800s castle village. I just finished a bunch of history lessons on old Canada, and it turns out it actually was a 1800s castle village. Which is cool. Anyway, Linus and Jesper are flown in from St Johns to  Quebec, where they once again drop their bags off at their motel and go out to explore the city. They mourn the Nordiques at the Centre Videotron by watching a Remparts game, and then go hiking at Montmorency Falls, which they nor I had ever heard of before doing some quick research. Pretty cool, I have to say.

 

 

 

 

Toronto, Ontario

 

 

I personally have been to Toronto too many times to count, as I live around half an hour away. It's a great city, at least the parts I've seen. Jesper and Linus get off their flight at the Lester B Pearson airport, which is actually freaking ginormous, and head to a hotel to drop off their bags. First things first, they go up the CN Tower. It's really not the biggest attraction Toronto has to offer, and I've only been up once, when I was like 2. But it's still cool. They then go the aquarium right beside the tower, which is also cool. Finally, they reluctantly catch a Leafs game, because the Mississauga Steelheads were out of town. 

 

^Bottom view. Actually terrifying, from experience.

 

 

 

Churchill, Manitoba

 

 

 

In way north of Manitoba, I think close to Hudson's Bay, is Churchill. Renowned for it's polar bears. I've never been, but I really want to go. Linus and Jesper, as usual, get off the airport and chuck their luggage into a motel. Before they go see the polar bears, though, they head to the Itsanitaq Museum, which I actually had to do research to find. It's a collection of Inuit carvings and other neat stuff. After they finish off admiring that, they head out to a polar bear expedition. I believe you can go out in a sort of massive jeep and the polar bears will sometimes come right up to you. Seems like something I'd want to do eventually.

 

 

 

 

Banff, Alberta

 

 

Again, I've never been myself, but my mom grew up in Calgary and told my how awesome Banff was. Apparently, it's a town right beside/in the Rockies, and it has a spectacular view of mountains, and of course, skiing. Banff is known for it's crazy cool skiing, and it's the first thing Linus and Jesper do once they get there. After they're done skiing and are freezing cold and ready to warm up, they're heading right back out for a gondola tour, right over the mountains themselves. It makes for great photos and an amazing view.

 

 

 

 

Last stop: Whitehorse, Yukon

 

 

The quaint little Northern town of Whitehorse is a sight to see. First things first, Linus and Jesper head to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, which has some animals where you'll have trouble finding anywhere south of here. They catch glimpses of moose, musk oxen, caribou, and other wildlife that thrive in the freezing cold forests of Yukon. After they return, awed by the magnificent creatures, they are blown away by Aurora Borealis, or the Northern lights. It looks magical, all the bright green and blue lights dancing in the sky. I've only ever seen it once, but I would love to see it again.

 

 

That brings us to the end of Linus and Jesper's trip. From one side of Canada to the other, they have seen a lot of the most awing parts of the country. But not even close the amount that they have yet to see. There's only one way to fix that-coming back! But for now, they prepare for the 19 hour flight that comes next......

 

 

 

1,080 words. I think I've written enough, and I don't want everyone to think I purposefully made it just over 1,000 so I can claim for two weeks.

 

Claiming for week ending 02,14

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