When it came time to plan a family vacation, the last place American writer Reif Larsen wanted to explore was his home country. Like many Americans, Larsen was becoming increasingly distressed by U.S. politics – so he sought a reprieve in Canada. With his family in tow, they headed north: First to Montreal, and then taking a sleeper train east to Nova Scotia. Larsen shares his travel adventures this week using a term only an outsider could dream up: “Canadaze,” a trance-like state in which one realizes how things should be.

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