Canadian Impressions

Just spent 6 weird & wonderful days in Canada and rather than bore you with a story, here's a list of thoughts:
* Tax isn't included in the price: So a 14 dollar CD actually costs $15.67.
* Things cost stupid amounts even before tax: A beer at Montreal airport was $6.18 before tax and $7.34 after tax... Now you think somebody would go "Gee 7.34 is kind of an odd number lets say 7.50 and find out what it should cost before tax (like the rest of the world does...)
* Bad road signage, half the signs on the road into Montreal were unreadable, the rest were just plain confusing.
* Cars don't have indicators: Yes the rest of the world has those funky orange things on the sides of the lights to show that the driver wants to turn. In Canada the brake light flashes... So at first you are not sure if they are braking or turning.
* Quebec cars don't have front registration plates: Also a world first, the rest of Canada has them, but in Quebec province cars don't have to have front reg plates. It begs the question how the police can check up on a car that is driving behind them... Hit the brakes and wait for the car to pass? On a different matter, I'm all for federalism, but surely things like reg plates can be decided at national level?
* Breakfast in hotels is shown as "complementary": Well really it's either included in the price of the room or not, but showing it as "complementary" just falsely shows the hotel's largess.
* Water: Everywhere. There's always a chilled jug of water around. None of this paying for water shite in Europe.
* Service: Yes, it is excellent. They apologise if they don't make it to your table in under a minute. But as service personnel live on tips you always have the feeling that it is a massively fake niceness. Don't get me started on having to tip barmen. One Dollar for reaching into a fridge and using a bottle opener?
* Portions: Big. The food is also excellent.
* Cleanliness: Not sure if this is good or bad, but there are liquid soaps every 10m in Canadian buildings. On the train there is even a sign showing you "how to wash your hands properly". In the radio station there is anti-bacterial hand wash at the bottom and top of the escalators...
* The people are genuinely friendly and open: Not to mention Irish loving.
* Conversation is very much linear: It is hard to spot at first but after a while you see that conversation is a bit like football. One person has the ball (is speaking) and only when they are finished what the wanted to say do they pass it on to the next person. Interjections, Quips, Talk-over, Wisecracks etc. are definitely not the norm. For someone used to Irish "who ever speaks loudest & funniest wins" conversation it is very weird