Signs we're definitely not in Canada

As we head into our last week in Australia, it's time to reflect on our experience. We've been here three months, which is the maximum we can stay in the country for any one stretch, even though we have a one-year visa. We plan to wend our way back home over the next few weeks. More about that later this week.

Here's where we've travelled over the past three months. We're well aware there are so many places we didn't go, and things we didn't see. We understand that, but we're still pleased with what we have seen and where we did travel. It's been a great experience.

So, let's start with some obvious signs of things so typically Australian.

The kangaroos, or course, which we saw in captivity at the koala sanctuary in Brisbane, and daily in the wild, across the street from our home in Canberra, which is where this photo was taken.

Speaking of koalas, seeing them up close and usually sleeping at the sanctuary was an unforgettable experience for me. I remember taking so many photos, and would have been happy watching them for hours.

The range of birds we saw and heard in the wild never ceased to amaze us.

I didn't struggle with the accents as much as I'd expected, or encounter too much jargon that puzzled us. I did notice some people struggling to understand us though. Almost everyone who heard us speak took an interest in us, with many trying to figure out whether we were Canadian or American, which often led straight into a conversation about Trump, or a comment that we have a cool prime minister.

Grocery shopping was interesting at times. Many of the products were ones I recognized from growing up in Britain. They have the Aldi grocery chain here, which is well known in Britain. Although the cost of living is far higher here than Canada - most noticeably when eating out - the items at Aldi were usually cheaper than comparable products in Canada. Online I learned that Aldi is in 18 countries, including under the name of Trader Joe's in the USA, another favourite store of mine. I can only hope that someday Aldi will come to Canada.

This is something I've never seen in Canada, and no, we didn't eat kangaroo meat. I also didn't even ask anyone what it tastes like.

Here's another one that definitely Australian. No, I didn't buy it.

I've eaten alligator or crocodile in Florida, and wasn't interested in trying these. I do think "Naturally Wild" might be a deceiving name for the company, as my guess is they're farm raised, but I'm not sure.

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Easter candy and chocolates are now on display in most shops. Unlike the usual bunnies we see inside the chocolate eggs in Canada, this one had a koala inside. Not as cute as the real thing though.

A staple food here is Vegemite, a similar product to Marmite, which is popular in Britain. I think it's mainly used to spread on toast. Most will tell you it's an acquired taste, but having tried Marmite in my childhood, I had no interest in acquiring the taste. Marmite's marketing slogan is 'Love it or hate it', and you can guess which camp I'm in. Reading the description of Vegemite was enough to steer me clear of that!

So many beautiful flowers too. It's been a memorable trip :)