A commentary by a resident of Victoria.
I was in Berlin the summer of 2009. While walking back from the Reichstag, I was attempting to photograph a billboard while fluttering red and white fabric was making difficulties.
A brief pause in the wind revealed the Canadian flag. When I crossed the busy street to investigate, I was at one of the entrance doors into Canada’s recently completed embassy.
This was during that wait for my permanent resident application’s approval. The young German employee of our government asked me to sign the guest book.
Rather than limit myself to “Cheers; Andrew from Victoria, B.C.”, I must have waxed euphoric about my hoped to be new country, Canada.
Trained as an architect, I inquired about a tour of our new embassy, which were not sadly on offer. The reception staffer encouraged me to sit in the Marshall McLuhan lounge where a filmed tour of the building would soon commence.
I understood, after the fact, that the staff person, upon reading my full page of maple syrup-laced Canadian euphoria, called upstairs to share my praiseful prose.
The consular staff person asked her reception colleague if I were still there and if so hold onto me. The staffer came down and offered me a tour of the upper floors as a quid pro quo for my enthusiasm.
What I recall seeing were: Douglas fir paneling, Tyndall stone walls and slate floors. My guide pointed out that all three, especially Tyndall stone, were previously unknown in Berlin and were subsequently taken up by German architects and designers in large (imported) quantities. I also enjoyed a lunch in the staff dining room with her!
Wherever “24 Sussex” appears in the future, I hope it will be a comfortable residence for the PM with or without family, an elegant setting in which to entertain those who come from away while exposing them to a great work in progress: Canadian democracy, and a three-dimensional advertisement to help boost sales of Tyndall stone and other Canadian building materials as well.
I wonder if my fellow subscribers appreciate that our embassy in Washington is beloved by skateboarders, and any attempt to limit access usually just produces more outrageous challenges!
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