Vancouver! Just the name brings to mind a fun sophisticated city with tons to do and a great sights! Our first trip here in 1986 was for the Expo 86, which was a blast! Then we came in 2007 for Cody's Easter vacation trip, and now 2019! Each trip, the city becomes better! Much like Portland and San Diego, this city is going vertical! High rise condo's are everywhere- but the creative and interesting buildings make it ok!
To get to Vancouver, we joined our friends Dick and Donna in San Diego and boarded the Holland America Eurodam for a 4 night cruise- short, I know, but the price was awesome, barely more than a plane ticket, with real quality meals! Donna is brilliant at finding deals that can't be beat! Plus, traveling with Dick and Donna is an adventure as they love to see and do things!
In days of yore, I refused to cruise, telling people I was a backpacker and backpackers don't cruiseš¼, but was convinced to try it in the early 21st century. Guess what- I liked it! We have been on a few cruises now and Holland America is our favorite line. Reasons: their prices can't be beat, their food is truly fantastic, their portions are perfect for those of us looking to eat reasonable amounts, lots of fun things to do on the ship: afternoon high tea, pools and hot tubs, organized walking and excercise classes, nightly entertainment that is very good, and lots of nooks and crannies to sit and read.
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| And the cruise begins! |
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| a new naval cruiser passed us by- such an interesting shape these days! |
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| Our first night, we scored a table at the very rear of the ship with the wake visible from our window! |
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| my first sunrise at sea! |
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| The 3rd deck walking path |
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| Another view of the 3rd deck walking area |
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| Mid-ship pool area |
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| Our reflection as we walked the deck! |
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| Cody had lobster one night for dinner- he was so happy! |
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| Every evening our room steward made towel animals for our beds |
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| Happy Hour!!! |
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| And yet another delicious dinner! |
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| Entering Vancouver! |
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| Vancouver from the deck |
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| Arrival in Vancouver!! |
The city of Vancouver is beautiful, exciting, and loaded with things to do and see. For our initiation into the city, we took the Hop On Hop Off bus for a couple days to get around easily, and see sites that had no direct public transportation.
Stanley Park Prospect Point with First Nation Totem Poles, and bike trails around the entire 1100 acre park!
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| Girl in a swim suite, much like Copenhagens mermaid sits on a rock in Stanley Park |
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| Bears and Moose as Mounties are everywhere- LOL |
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| Loved this sign!!! LOL |
Stanley Park has lots of sights, like the Inukchuk, a method of communicating between the First Nation peoples, many nice restaurants and bars as you enter, and sunsets worth the bus trip!
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| Flowers everywhere, these tulips are beautiful, with the sun setting in the back ground |
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| BTW- it was cold:-) |
Statuary in the park- designed to bring laughter to visitors
Granville Island is not actually an islandš¤£. As there are waterways throughout Vancouver, water taxis are a common and inexpensive way to get to different parts of the city. Granville Island has restaurants and art shops, street musicians, and is such an interesting place to visit!!
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The bridges running through Granville are all beautifully decorated
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Views of Vancouver from Granville Island
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| The water taxi! |
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| The Granville Market- beautiful fruit, vegetables, and flowers, coffee shops. food stalls, crafts, and more! |
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| This cement factory made sure it was beautifully painted! |
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| The bridge is viewed everywhere! BTW- the chocolate store on the left (can barley see it, sadly) is so delicious!!! |
China Town- a bit run down, but a good area to walk thru and see a few sights:
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| In China Town- a memorial to the Chinese residents who went to war for Canada |
The Dr. Sun Yat Sun Chinese Gardens are worth the trip! The grounds are beautiful, and free! If you want to visit the tea houses, there is a fee. Honestly, unless you are really interesting in Chinese tea houses, stick to the gardens.
GasTown- started by Gassy Jack- gassy was the term in the 1800's for a man who boasts. Working in a mill, the nearest bar was 10 miles away. Gassy Jack proposed to the mill workers they help him build a bar, and receive free whiskey- 24 hours later, there was a bar- LOL!!!
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| The 3 of us with Gassy Jack, the man who started Vancouver at Gastown |
The Steam Clock of Gastown- designed to bring tourists, this goal was successful!! But beware- it was constructed in 1977š¤£š¤£š¤£. Every 15 minutes it send plumes of steam and whistles
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| Rich and Donna at the Steam clock |
Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours- I took the Lost Souls of Gastown tour- here I am with our guide dressed in period clothing. Her tour consisted of telling the story of Vancouver through the first person character of Sarah, born in 1873, telling the story of her life from birth, through travels to the Klondike, return to Vancouver, small pox epidemic, the great fire of 1880's, and the growth, destruction, and rebuilding of Vancouver. I totally recommend this tour!!! It is about 90 minutes and walks you through Gastowns historic sites. (https://forbiddenvancouver.ca/)
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| Gastown at night- so beautiful! |
Capilano Suspension Bridge- a short, and free, bus ride to this attraction is definitely worth a few hours! (https://www.capbridge.com/explore/capilano-suspension-bridge/)
This site has not just a suspension bridge, it is a 450 foot suspension bridge 250 feet above the Capilano river, they have constructed a tree top walkway suspended in the tree tops, and a bridge over the cliffs! So worth it!!! So Cody was very nervous about the bridge because it does move as you walk- it is a suspension bridgeš¤£- but it is also high up. First crossing he was nervous, return crossing, he was on his own!!! The tree top walkway scared him not in the least!!!
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| The Cliff Trail! The bridge is bolted into the rock! |
Parting shots- Vancouver has art museums and art installations, churches, great food, awesome views, and baby geese!
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| Monument to the Olympics |
In closing, Vancouver is a wonderful city to visit, see art, eat wonderful food, and experience sights not available locally. The history is fascinating, their building is creative, and easily fills a week!
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| And cats to make you smile! |
