Tag: Canada

From sea to sky

6 May 2017

Our brief stop at Porteau Cove had showed me beauty beyond my wildest dreams. Now we all agreed it was time for lunch. Jen and Kevin knew just the place, The Howe Sound Brewing Company in Squamish, a one time hop Farm turned micro brewery. The rustic atmosphere ticked all the right boxes and the food was perfect. According to Commando, so was the beer, although it took him a while to choose. Replete and happy we found our way back onto Highway 99 and headed from the sea to the sky. Pretty soon we were looking up at the Sea to Sky Gondola and, behind the low wooden building, the tumbling water of Shannon Falls, the third highest waterfall in British Columbia. I had the feeling my dreams were going to get a lot wilder before the day was out.

Continue reading From sea to sky

Porteau Cove

6 May 2017

Today we were very excited to be going up into the mountains we’d been staring at since we arrived in Vancouver, courtesy of our wonderful tour guides, Jen and Kevin. The plan was to head towards Whistler on Highway 99, otherwise known as the Sea to Sky Highway, for obvious reasons. The highway crosses the causeway that cut the Lost Lagoon off from Vancouver Harbour and runs all the way to the United States border. It is two hundred and fifty four miles long and was listed in the Guardian newspaper as the fifth best road trip in the world. We would, of course, only be exploring a small part of it.  Continue reading Porteau Cove

Collecting the marathon pack

5 May 2017

All our miles of walking yesterday didn’t end with the Lost Lagoon. In the evening Jen wanted to take us out for a bite to eat at one of her favourite restaurants. We went in her car but, on the way, we stopped off at one of her favourite beaches, Spanish Banks, named in commemoration of the June 1792 meeting of the English under George Vancouver and the Spanish under Galiano and Valdés. This was the shoreline we’d been looking out at from English Beach earlier in the day.  Continue reading Collecting the marathon pack

The Lost lagoon

4 May 2017

Back where we started, at the beginning of the Cathedral trail, we turned towards the Lost Lagoon. The name alone made it worth a look. It conjured images of desert islands and palm trees, although I was fairly sure this wasn’t what we would find. Somewhere off the trail we could hear the thrum of a woodpecker pecking at a tree. We stopped and peered into the forest but saw nothing but a few tell tale holes in trunks. Continue reading The Lost lagoon

Stanley Park an ancient forest in a modern city

4 May 2017

While we were sitting on our bench by the sea discussing whether to carry on along the sea wall path or find a way into Stanley Park an elderly gentleman came and sat beside us. Pretty soon he struck up a conversation about where we were from and what we were doing. When we told him we couldn’t decide between park and sea he said, “There’s nothing very exciting along the sea wall here but there’s a path up into the park not far off.” And so our decision was made.  Continue reading Stanley Park an ancient forest in a modern city

A boat trip and a stroll on the beach

4 May 2017

Today was supposed to be the warmest, sunniest day of our stay in Vancouver, not that I always believe the weather forecast you understand. There was sun outside our hotel window when we got up this morning though and, when we walked down West Broadway in search of breakfast, it was warm even though it was still before eight. Over coffee, croissants and parfaits we both agreed it was the perfect day for a walk on the beach.

Continue reading A boat trip and a stroll on the beach

Granville island, Downtown, rain and a free concert

3 May 2017

We’d been warned Vancouver wasn’t called Rain City, Raincouver or the Wet Coast for nothing so, when we woke to a decidedly wet world this morning, we weren’t exactly surprised. After breakfast we popped on the wet weather gear we’d sensibly packed and headed towards Granville Island where we’d had a lovely birthday meal with Jen and Kevin the night before. At least it wasn’t cold and, as we’d previously had Jen as a guide we knew more or less where we were going. Continue reading Granville island, Downtown, rain and a free concert

Time, graves and a cool beer

2 May 2017

We found the clock and watch shop at the exact moment we were about to give up and turn back. Every inch of the walls was filled with clocks, from huge and ornate wooden monsters to quirky plastic film themed timepieces. The sound of their combined ticking added to the illusion of being in some kind of bizarre dream where night was day and day was night. Other than the clocks the shop was silent.
“If they all chime at the same time,” I whispered, “it will sound just like the beginning of Pink Floyd’s Time.”
After ten surreal minutes, during which nothing chimed and the ticking threatened to send me to sleep we left, a few unfamiliar plastic notes lighter with a working Garmin.  Continue reading Time, graves and a cool beer

Birthday number two, a pleasure dome, an ancient forest and a garden

2 May 2017

My real birthday began at two in the morning Vancouver time when I woke starving and sure it must be far later in the day. My Garmin chose this moment to inform me the battery was running low. Not the best of timing but I always had the feeling it would choose the worst possible moment. Commando was still sleeping soundly so I tried, with limited success, to ignore my grumbling stomach and go back to sleep. The morning began again at five with a Happy Birthday and a present from Commando. The time difference leant a strange dreamlike feeling to everything.  In a daze we wandered down West Broadway to Starbucks where we beat the morning rush and had breakfast.  Continue reading Birthday number two, a pleasure dome, an ancient forest and a garden

Canada, different but mostly in a good way

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After I left America I wrote about the differences I noticed between the States and England. In Canada, I expected to find something a little more like home, Canada is a commonwealth country after all, so you’d think it would be a lot more like England, right? They have our Queen as their head of state and her head on their money, even if they do drive on the wrong side of the road and measure everything in kilometres and centimetres. As it turns out, not so much but it isn’t like America either. So what were the differences I noticed between Canada and England? Continue reading Canada, different but mostly in a good way