www.BoundAnna.com

The average American is probably laughing at us quaint Dutchies now. Stadskanaal to Vaals (which is the southernmost village I could think of quickly) is like 350 km's. Thats like a lunchtime drive in US terms I'd consider it too far away too btw, I've just been having a discussion on the matter with an American colleague today about it, and he was commenting how he didn't understand people thought it was weird he would drive to the beach for an afternoon (which is about a 2 hour drive from where I work). He considered that a short drive and just fine for an afternoon out. It's all a matter of perspective I guess.

You're forgetting that us Canuckians are giggling ourselves silly too.

350 km is just about Montreal to Quebec City. I've driven that and back in the same day, and spent a few hours visiting La Vieille Capitale, as they call it. Montreal to Ottawa is 200 km. Out to Toronto is 600 km (which I also did round trip in a day, though I left about 6 am and was back around 9:30 pm).

The province of Quebec is five times the area of France. Up north, around James Bay, we have a reservoir behind a Hydro dam that is about the size of Belgium.

Thing is, most of our population is in the bottom quarter of the country. And we have lots and lots of wilderness.

In Europe, everything is more closely packed together. Makes for much shorter trips between places, but to someone living there, they seem far away. Over here, close means an hour's drive away. Over there, close is an hour's bike ride - at a leisurely pace, at that.

So forgive us for our mirth.

Jenny.

bound_jenny wrote:You're forgetting that us Canuckians are giggling ourselves silly too.

Canada is just an American suburb, isn't it?

sweh wrote:

bound_jenny wrote:You're forgetting that us Canuckians are giggling ourselves silly too.

Canada is just an American suburb, isn't it?

Don't come up here wearing a t-shirt with that quote.

You'll be covered in maple syrup and feathers and run out of the country on a rail by the Possum Lodge gang.

We're quite the distinct folk, eh?

Jenny.

just an observation on the perception of distance and travel, a lot depends upon traffic density and the style of the road.

Here in the UK we have a very high traffic density and roads are often very convoluted, so getting from A to B might involve an actual speed of 5mph in a city, and an average of 40mph in the countryside if a good stretch of motorway is included in the journey.

We went to Sweden a few years ago, and apart from the one motorway, the road speed limit is 50mph (80kph) and we were touring and my initial thought was we'd spend most of the day driving because of the route distances - in fact we could drive almost all the time at 80kph because the roads were almost empty, straight, wide and smooth, and even the cities were much easier than in the UK, so the actual journeys were short and not tiring. I guess the US and Canada are similar once you get out of the city.

Here in the UK we have a very high traffic density and roads are often very convoluted, so getting from A to B might involve an actual speed of 5mph in a city, and an average of 40mph in the countryside if a good stretch of motorway is included in the journey.

I guess you have not been in Chicago during the "Rush Hour" 5 MPH is really on the move.
Now add some weather like snow, it turns into the biggest parking lot in the world. I have seen
tailgate parties spring up now and then.
Rader

I live in Limburg

My first thought when I saw the questions about distance, was that it isn’t far. When I was living in NL, I drove from Steenwijk to Schinnen once a week, and often drove to Soesterberg. I even rode bicycle from Steenwijk to Zwolle. I live in Georgia in the USA. We drive more than an hour just to get around Atlanta. It is odd to think about the distance as being too far.

And that discrepancy is exactly why us europeans (- the brits soon )
Never will get used to american shipping charges for online purchases.

*now where is that skull & bone flag topic icon shannon suggested
When you need it ?*