- 注册
- 2004-10-24
- 消息
- 10,062
- 荣誉分数
- 1,881
- 声望点数
- 373
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Travel writer television host Robin Esrock spoke Sunday/9149667/story.html
OTTAWA — Travel writer Robin Esrock’s new book, The Great Canadian Bucket List, has rocketed to the top of its category on Amazon.ca since its release on Oct. 11.
Esrock, who was born in South Africa and became a Canadian citizen in 2003, spent two years researching the book. It describes travel experiences in Canada — including four in Ottawa — that should be on everyone’s list of things to do before they die.
The Citizen’s Don Butler spoke to Esrock, who is spending several days in Ottawa.
Here’s an edited transcript:
What’s different about your book?
This isn’t a guidebook. I wanted to write an inspirational book, a book of stories, a book that has my experience, discovering Canada as an immigrant, discovering Canada as a well-travelled writer, learning about these amazing things. I put all the practical information on a companion website. The book itself is a book of stories, something to inspire you, to make you laugh, to make you talk about and think about these great things that you should be doing.
What makes a bucket-list experience?
It’s something that you’ll never forget for the rest of your life, something that you can’t do anywhere else. As I started digging, I started to find more and more of them. There’s 115 in the book and there could have been so many more.
Did you personally have each of those experiences?
I managed to do 102 of the 115 experiences. My bucket-list experience was to skate on the Rideau Canal. But it was a really warm winter last winter, the ice was all cracked, it wasn’t really good for skating on, there were ambulances out there, and I don’t skate very well. It was this iconic experience, but I couldn’t actually do it myself.
Why do you think your book has been so popular?
We don’t really realize how amazing the experiences are in Canada. We’re a very humble and modest country, with very humble and modest people. I think the book’s doing very well because finally, somebody’s said, ‘You know what? It’s OK to say that Canada’s the best country in the world to travel in.’
Does Ottawa get the respect it deserves as a bucket-list place to visit?
Every time I visit Ottawa, I always have a great time. It’s such a fascinating city. When I travel around the world, I get a tattoo. When I got this project, I thought if there’s an iconic Canadian city that I want my tattoo to come from, it’s got to be Ottawa. I’m doing it Wednesday morning (at Planet Ink on Rideau Street).
Which Ottawa experiences made it into your book?
We’ve got skating on the Rideau, we’ve got the Diefenbunker outside of Carp, we’ve got the great museums and we’ve got quite a quirky experience — to spend a night in jail. In Ottawa, in the (former) Nicholas Street jail, you can spend a night in a cell, lock yourself in and it’s the spookiest, most frightening experience. I was actually terrified of spending that night in jail, but it was great. I’ve done a few weird hotels around the world, and this was definitely one of the weirder.
Why the Diefenbunker?
It’s just fascinating. You get shown around by somebody who worked in the agency that decided which Canadians would survive a nuclear Armageddon. It’s a massive facility and fascinating to learn about how Canada prepared for the end of the world.
What about skating on the Rideau Canal?
A guy that I spoke to who lives in Ottawa said on a clear night, he puts on his skates, he has his wife drop him way up on the Rideau, he puts on some music and he skates with street lights going past him and stars above him, and it’s just the most amazing experience. That was something that really captured my imagination.
Every experience in the book had to be something we can do. I didn’t want it to be fantastical, like playing hockey with Sidney Crosby or having dinner with the PM. Even though I didn’t get the chance to skate like that guy explained to me, I thought, this is something that anybody can do.
And the national museums?
I’ve always thought that museums and mausoleums sound very similar. They can be very boring and very dull. But our national museums are fantastic.
The museum of civilization is being transformed into the Canadian Museum of History. Do you think it should be kept the way it is?
Anything that breathes life into dead objects I’m a fan of. I imagine that there’s going to be a certain amount of rejuvenation.
Why aren’t the Parliament Buildings on your list?
It’s interesting, but is it something to do before you die? That’s a very strong statement and I’m resting my reputation on these experiences
OTTAWA — Travel writer Robin Esrock’s new book, The Great Canadian Bucket List, has rocketed to the top of its category on Amazon.ca since its release on Oct. 11.
Esrock, who was born in South Africa and became a Canadian citizen in 2003, spent two years researching the book. It describes travel experiences in Canada — including four in Ottawa — that should be on everyone’s list of things to do before they die.
The Citizen’s Don Butler spoke to Esrock, who is spending several days in Ottawa.
Here’s an edited transcript:
What’s different about your book?
This isn’t a guidebook. I wanted to write an inspirational book, a book of stories, a book that has my experience, discovering Canada as an immigrant, discovering Canada as a well-travelled writer, learning about these amazing things. I put all the practical information on a companion website. The book itself is a book of stories, something to inspire you, to make you laugh, to make you talk about and think about these great things that you should be doing.
What makes a bucket-list experience?
It’s something that you’ll never forget for the rest of your life, something that you can’t do anywhere else. As I started digging, I started to find more and more of them. There’s 115 in the book and there could have been so many more.
Did you personally have each of those experiences?
I managed to do 102 of the 115 experiences. My bucket-list experience was to skate on the Rideau Canal. But it was a really warm winter last winter, the ice was all cracked, it wasn’t really good for skating on, there were ambulances out there, and I don’t skate very well. It was this iconic experience, but I couldn’t actually do it myself.
Why do you think your book has been so popular?
We don’t really realize how amazing the experiences are in Canada. We’re a very humble and modest country, with very humble and modest people. I think the book’s doing very well because finally, somebody’s said, ‘You know what? It’s OK to say that Canada’s the best country in the world to travel in.’
Does Ottawa get the respect it deserves as a bucket-list place to visit?
Every time I visit Ottawa, I always have a great time. It’s such a fascinating city. When I travel around the world, I get a tattoo. When I got this project, I thought if there’s an iconic Canadian city that I want my tattoo to come from, it’s got to be Ottawa. I’m doing it Wednesday morning (at Planet Ink on Rideau Street).
Which Ottawa experiences made it into your book?
We’ve got skating on the Rideau, we’ve got the Diefenbunker outside of Carp, we’ve got the great museums and we’ve got quite a quirky experience — to spend a night in jail. In Ottawa, in the (former) Nicholas Street jail, you can spend a night in a cell, lock yourself in and it’s the spookiest, most frightening experience. I was actually terrified of spending that night in jail, but it was great. I’ve done a few weird hotels around the world, and this was definitely one of the weirder.
Why the Diefenbunker?
It’s just fascinating. You get shown around by somebody who worked in the agency that decided which Canadians would survive a nuclear Armageddon. It’s a massive facility and fascinating to learn about how Canada prepared for the end of the world.
What about skating on the Rideau Canal?
A guy that I spoke to who lives in Ottawa said on a clear night, he puts on his skates, he has his wife drop him way up on the Rideau, he puts on some music and he skates with street lights going past him and stars above him, and it’s just the most amazing experience. That was something that really captured my imagination.
Every experience in the book had to be something we can do. I didn’t want it to be fantastical, like playing hockey with Sidney Crosby or having dinner with the PM. Even though I didn’t get the chance to skate like that guy explained to me, I thought, this is something that anybody can do.
And the national museums?
I’ve always thought that museums and mausoleums sound very similar. They can be very boring and very dull. But our national museums are fantastic.
The museum of civilization is being transformed into the Canadian Museum of History. Do you think it should be kept the way it is?
Anything that breathes life into dead objects I’m a fan of. I imagine that there’s going to be a certain amount of rejuvenation.
Why aren’t the Parliament Buildings on your list?
It’s interesting, but is it something to do before you die? That’s a very strong statement and I’m resting my reputation on these experiences
