Vibrant Vancouver

Some weeks now since we went on our trip to Vancouver and Alaska with Christine and Peter. me and Sue followed them out there later giving them time to go to Whistler and explore Vancouver before heading there ourselves for a couple of days pre- Alaska cruise and a few nights afterwards.  This blog covers the Vancouver days. Me and Sue had been before but had a few things to do that we missed last time and wanted to see how it had changed in the 10 years or so since our last trip. It`s bigger and more expensive is the answer! We all stayed in the Rosedale on Robson a comfortable hotel that was perfectly situated just off Robson Street. We`d booked through Canadian Affair who we`d used for previous trips and offer great value. The shame this time was that they use Airtransat , a budget long haul airline, rather than Air Canada. The differences were narrower seats (17 inches wide but good leg room) and lots of things you had to buy such as headphones for entertainment system and the odd drink. Overall not too bad. Worst thing was getting to and through the airports. Manchester was a nightmare with motorway delays, security lines that took nigh on 2 hours and then an even longer line to get through Vancouver. Made the nigh on 10 hour flight seem a breeze!
Once there it was a different story. The hotel room gave us a nice bedroom, sitting room and kitchen area  with full cooking facilities and a breakfast that seemed great - until we sampled the cruise delights that raised our expectations!
Vancouver was so much bigger, built up and modern than we remembered from all those years ago making it hard to recognise where we were. The city was clean and busy but friendly and welcoming with passers by often stopping to guide us if we looked lost.

Old and new

Canada Place and the Sky Tower

The Library

Art Gallery 

We managed to hit on some great food - although I must admit early samplings made me wonder if food was deliberately served luke warm on cold plates as a technique. One thing for sure. Vancouver is a very expensive place to live in and visit. Meals that seem at the dearer end for home soon took on whole new proportions when tips were added. hit the wrong button on the card machine and you`d pay a tip of 15,25 or 30% as they were the 3 tip grades on offer. Evidently people in industries where tipping is allowed in Canada are automatically taxed an extra 8% on the assumption of tips received so tip less than 8 and it`s costing them money to serve you!
We went to the usual haunts of Gastown, Granville Island, Stanley Park and Capillano Suspension Bridge which were largely as remembered although the Suspension bridge area had had some great attractions added and great reductions if you could show you were in the AA or RAC. I managed to blag it through our Toyota cover (AA supplied) despite not having a card, not being able to describe an AA card and just saying with a smile that they promise to fix us if we ever break down.

Gastown

Gastown Steam Clock

Flat Iron building with rooftop trees

Canada Place and the waterfront above







Vancouver is one of the main film making cities in the world. On a walk one day we happened upon them filming Supergirl the TV series which I don`t think we`ve had here but is big in USA and Canada. This shoot featured her main sidekick fighting the baddies. It seemed to take 35 minutes plus to film a 10 second fight scene over and over again. They had closed off the street to cars but we could walk through but had to stop whilst filming. I was asked to stop taking photos but tested out street rules there by asking " Is it illegal or are you just asking?" to get the response just asking. So I took a couple more and then stopped and we went on our way.

Stanley park is a huge city park. having been around it a lot last time we stuck to a walk and a carriage ride this time. Beautiful place , well worth the visit.

Great old trees here

Totems as ever to see - or story and family poles as the First nation people call them here

Their own version of the Little Mermaid - Girl in a Wetsuit

The autumn colours were starting to come through when we visited. One of the old buildings we visited was the Marine Building which was a fabulous art deco building well worth seeing.

Granville island is a lovely place to go with it`s vibrant food market. We managed to get a great meal at the culinary arts school where students also run a high end cafe and restaurant. Superb meal and quite the best value meal we had.

From the river taxi stop

Market stalls

Loved these crafted bird homes

We joined the hipsters for lunch in a craft beer tasting flight

The waiter wasn`t surprised when I declared the English Ale the best!

It was Fringe week and this woman played the saw - we didn`t manage to catch her show!

On the river taxi ;-)

Samples from our meal at the 101 Bistro at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts

Then it was time for our night ride back across the harbour to our hotel.
Vancouver is a vibrant city with a very young population it seemed to me. Lots of nice bars , restaurants and we even managed to get into a Pop Up Gin festival with food and a drink for $7 whilst we were waiting for our table to become available at a nearby restaurant. Gin hasn`t quite taken off their yet 0- Canada seems to be a few years behind! A lad from Dudley in the west Midlands had set the gin promotion up hoping to launch his new business.

Capilano Bridge had been improved no end since our last visit. The suspension bridge was the same but there more more tree top walkways and a brilliant new cliff edge walkway that were great fun to walk.

 More story / family poles to be seen of course and we had to sample the poutine again. This is basically chips, cheese and gravy - what`s not to like? ;-)

The suspension bridge is a little scary!

Tree top walkways

The nearest we got to a bear!

The highlight of the Vancouver element of the trip for us was to be Victoria on Vancouver Island. Last time we went we hadn`t had time to get there  and as it was no "60 on my 64 things to do before I`m 64" list along with the Alaskan Cruise we just had to go. A longer trip than we thought with the hour long ferry crossing. Really odd to have your state capital (British Columbia) an hours boat ride from your biggest city! This is all set to change in the next few years when they move it all to Vancouver and make that the sensible capital of BC.

En route to Vancouver Island

Chinatown in Victoria

 Kind of weird to put that on your bike!

A welcoming bear!

He`s behind you!

Sea otters

These gardens were fabulous

Our motto!

One of the last places I made a solo walk to was to Chinatown in Vancouver with a visit to the  Dr Sun Yat-Sen gardens. Unlike last time when we went there first night of our trip I`m not sure I`d wander some of these streets late at night. Even in the daytime drug use was rampant - needles not smoking and it was the only time on the trip that I felt I needed to be on my guard. The gardens were lovely however.

 When they built the private garden it was a bye-law that you had to build a public garden giving free access at the same time somewhere in the city. They chose to build it next door in the same style and you get the best shots of the  charged for garden with the high rise modern city behind it from the free garden.

Murals in Chinatown, Vancouver











All in all a great time in Vancouver re-discovering old sights and seeing new ones we`d missed last time. It is expensive there but well worth the trip and if you are short of cash you can always eat in the very cheap Tim Hortons - so much better fast food than McDonald`s! Wine too is very expensive and sold only in liquor stores. Snappily titled at times!