Living in Mapleland: On Canada Day

I’m back, with a shameful lateness to leave very few impressions on Canada Day.

Logistic problems in the process to move from a flat to another, and some connection issues in my new place have made a little problematic for me to write a post.

Now everything seems to be sorted out.

1^st July is the day Canadians celebrate the “birth” of their country, as a result of the creation of the Canadian colony of the British Empire.

I had to find a compromise between my being Italian and watch the final of Euro 2012 and the natural curiosity to experience a 100% Canadian day, the same curiosity that drove me to miss a day at work in 2006 not to lose my first St. Patrick Day in Dublin.

Well, we all know Spain did not have any mercy of Italy on the pitch, but at least Mr. Weather kept the rain away for the day, and I could hang out with some friends.

I found predictably so many people around, but not a real exhibition of Canadian proud, and the maple-leaf flags handed out at Canada Place looked like more gadgets for tourists rather than an indispensable tool to celebrate the fatherland.

Everything was well managed and organized, but overall I got the impression it was a kind of big fair rather than the national day, a sort of gigantic happening for families and kids.

Only a kind of lumberjacks competition held in Canada Place and the well-known officers with the Red Serge posing with tourists gave a more Canadian look to the event.

And no… to much of my surprise I did not hear anybody singing the national anthem.

This is Vancouver, weakness and strength at the same time of a city dealing with (too???) many identities and that has not defined its own yet; imperfect mirror at some extent of a country that, as its first Prime Minister once said, has "too much geography and not enough history”.