The other morning in the elevator a woman asked me if I'd ever been to Nova Scotia.

I told her no. I always hate doing this; I feel like I'm letting people down, and not doing my job. (But if there did exist someone who'd been EVERYWHERE, he'd probably have forgotten half the places.)

She said she and her family were going this summer. They had been planning to go to Europe but it was too expensive.

Canada, I thought, the new Europe. Why not, when we can actually drive there? The people (most of them) speak English. Where this woman's going you can find traces of Scottish Highland culture. In Quebec you can sometimes feel like you're in France. Toronto has a lively Italian neighborhood, hearty Hungarian restaurants, Polish pastry shops heavy with poppy seeds. You can stroll elegant gardens and have afternoon tea in Victoria, British (get it?) Columbia. You can go to Ukrainian festivals in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. And who needs the Swiss Alps when you've got the Canadian Rockies?

I'm sure I'm missing other Europe-like attractions. Canadians - lovers of Canada - help me out here.