Vancouver BC
About a month ago we went to Vancouver BC. It's our once a year trip where we spend too much money on expensive touristy shit that lasts a whole week. So, here is my trip in written format. I have one more part to write up then I will share some wonder photos of the city. Lets hope I never take a break this long ever again.
I woke up just after 5am later than I wanted. We had to be out the door for the 6am ferry, but we all ran behind. I got the kids up and getting dressed when Gerald ran outside to load our things into the van. We packed a cooler full of fresh foods, and waters. Plus a few cans of coke for us adults when we felt tired or the urge to have a pick-me-up. It was cool outside for 5am. I fed the girls a banana each and said it will have to do until we get to the ferry and we’ll eat there.
We left late, we had to be on the road by 6am but it was well after 6am by the time we headed out. The drive takes about 40 minutes from our house to get to the ferries. So glad the traffic was light because we could zip past and get there quickly, but apparently not quick enough, the 7 am sailing was nearly full and the ticket booth lady said “not sure if you’ll make the 7am” we all waited in the car because the ferry traffic was already loading on the first ferry of the day. Lane by lane they drove on. But we missed the 7am by 10 full cars.
There would be a 1hr wait until the 8am ferry was ready to leave. That’s when we got out and walked to the terminal café, which isn’t much to sneeze at. This was our moment to get coffee for us adults, and fresh juice drinks for the girls. We reminded the girls that they should use the washrooms before we had to wait for the ferry to load us on. By about 7:40 they announced that the ferry was loading to get back to our car and ready to load. As they don’t wait for passengers to get back to their cars if they’re not ready to drive onto the ferry, they will ask the others to go around the abandoned car because the ferry has to be on time. It did in fact leave a few minutes late.
We drove onto the new ferry called Costal Celebration. It’s been in service for about 4 months now. We found the cafeteria and lined up; some people would leave the line because they found it took too long. But we moved up bit by bit only to bump into Jocelyn’s first grade teacher who actually had to think back to when Jocelyn was only 5 years old. Has it been 6 years since we’ve seen her? I guess so. She actually thought Jocelyn was already in middle school and that she was entering the 7th grade. And like a lot of other people, she really thought she was older than 11 years old. Poor Jocelyn has been cursed with long legs and being tall. She’s always asked “are 13 years old?” and then asked “so what is middle school like?” She laughs because it’s funny to hear this now that she will be in middle school. Her old teacher couldn’t believe how old Maddie is now, the last time she saw her was a new born. Not kidding you I had her in a matter of hours at the hospital and the next day we were sent home. If you and your baby have a clean bill of health you can leave. The next day we walked to school like it never happened. They were all shocked to see me with a new born easily walking like I never pushed her out.
We ordered our breakfast and sat down to eat, Maddie loves fruit so she had a fruit bowl and some chocolate milk (what a treat she never gets milk) Jocelyn packed away Belgian waffles and Gerald and I had a traditional breakfast with coffee. Terrible coffee, but it was needed
The trip on the ferry takes 1hr 35 minutes. We decided to go up on deck to search for whales. They always seem to swim along side the ferries and they are not scared of them. But no such luck on either trip. It is traditional for us to wave at the passing by ferries. This ferry was headed back to Vancouver Island. The whistle blows which Maddie covers here ears and said that it was so loud. But that was soon forgotten while we watched the beautiful scenery pass by. Vancouver Island is the largest island off the coast of BC. It’s not part of the Gulf Islands. The body of water we pass through is called, Strait of Juan De Fuca, which provides part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada.
We found a play place for Maddie, and I sat to watch her play and interact with other kids hear age, or older. She is an alpha female: she knows how to lead and start games, fun games, where others can follow along and really get into playing a game. She actually pulled two timid older girls into the game, and said “Ok, I am Maddie, I am 4 years old, and I love sing and dance. What’s your name?” she asked the two girls. They seemed a bit timid by her extrovert behaviour. The mother there then said, “That’s Clara and Mel” the girls looked at them with confused eyes. Maddie didn’t let them stop her. “Ok, -- so you there, that girl Clara, come with me lets play a game” she took her hand and started a game of princesses and searching for their handsome prince. The girls then grew into the roles and had a lot of fun with Maddie. Now, get this she’s only 4 years old, and she was the leader to much older girls.
Jocelyn roamed the ship on her own, came back when they announced it was time to go to the cars and get ready because they were docking the ferry. It takes about 14 minutes to get the ferry docked and then the cars roll on out of there.
We welcomed freedom; the smell of the sea air was very pungent. We welcomed it; it felt like back at home. But as soon as we started down the highway the intense heat struck us hard. It was humid and hot. Now, I’m used to humid days but this was well beyond what we get on the island.
We got to travel through a tunnel which goes under the Fraser River. It’s not that long takes about a minute to drive through. Now we were going at a fast pace, you have to keep up with the traffic especially through a tunnel. No one drives at a normal speed on the mainland. We seriously are not used to the fast pace but Gerald was able to keep up with the flow of traffic.
As it was barely 9:40 am we decided to check out the UBC botanical gardens and did the forest walk through the canopies. As we had a few minutes to spare before the 10am tour started we decided to explore a little bit on our own. I had fun photographing the floral and nature walk.
It only costs 36 dollars for the family plan. It’s well worth it because you have the whole day to explore and to learn everything about nature. There is a kid’s tour, just follow the stop sign and read them out to the kids. This is highly recommended for little ones if they are afraid of heights and the canopy suspension bridge tour takes you up about 65feet through the trees.
Each tree tour takes about an hour long. You need a guide and he will tell you the history of the trees in that surrounding area. How old the oldest trees are etc. The suspension bridges are about 4feet wide and they’re only held on with really thick cable wires and rope. It’s rather ingenious on how they built them. I got lost while I walked behind the family to take photos along the way of the beautiful flowers and nature trails. I basically went around in circles, and missed them, but finally caught up to them the tour had just started and they waited for me to quickly join them.
The two ladies behind me were about to bulk on the tour, but they saw little Maddie who is only 4 years old bravely walk along the canopies. Because of her they went, and had a great time on the tour. Maddie held her dad’s hand the whole way because her arms were not long enough to reach across the width of the ropes to hold her steady. The tour guide said she was the youngest so far that he’s ever had the pleasure teaching and showing us how trees grow.
He explained that Hemlock trees new growth needles can be eaten if you’re stranded. It will suppress your appetite so you feel less hungry while you’re lost in the wilderness. But the Hemlock tree roots are not strong, and in the winter of 2006 we had a really bad wind storm which knocked a few Hemlock trees over and they are left there to become nurse trees to help nourish the ground and eventually new growth will be found in the stumps. He pointed out to one hemlock stump that had three ash trees growing out of it.
We climbed 65 feet in the air. We got to hear a bald eagle calling out and flying above our heads. I would have taken a photo but he was a speck in the sky. Did you know that bald eagles can spot their food a mile away and dive down into the water within seconds and sometimes the fish is so small it falls out of its talons? Pretty interesting facts, we also got to see a robins next up close no birds in the nest, apparently they’ve been watching it for two years and it’s the same robin that comes back to there. I didn’t take a photo because we were in the middle of the canopy bridge and you need both hands to walk along to keep yourself steady. It can bounce and bobble a lot while you walk on it.
After the tour ended we walked along the foot paths and took our time learning about the flowers and different type of flowers that come from all around the world. I am sad that we never got to the Japanese gardens because Maddie was so tired from the trip through the trees that we ended it quickly and decided to find a washroom then head towards our hotel.
Our hotel was directly downtown - so it was easy to find. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel which is a great place to stay. We got out of the van only to be greeted by another hot blast of humid air. It’s bad enough that we were sweating from our trek through the forest and even with the windows rolled down, air conditioning on full blast it wasn’t good enough to keep us cool. But the second we walked inside the lobby of the hotel we quickly felt the cool air wash over us. Ah, bless your chubby little soul, you have air conditioning!
We got check in quickly and efficiently. We did pay extra for under ground parking. It was worth the 10 dollars a night to keep the car from being broken into as it’s not the best part of town to be located in. We quickly parked the car into the first stall we saw and were blasted again with warm sticky air. We took our time to unload the van, and once we got up to our floor and room, we were once again welcomed well conditioned air in our room. The room had a mini kitchen in it, not something we expected but it rocked because we could run across the street to the local market and purchase some food if we needed too. But we both decided against it and chose to eat at the White Spot (which is also located on Vancouver Island) so we know what to expect with their service and quality of food. It’s above average with both.
The girl was giggling with joy, they got a double bed to share and Maddie started to jump up and down like a little rabbit. I said (but was too late) “careful, there Maddie, do not fall.” But soon s the words were out of my mouth she took a header, and hurt her arm. After I calmed her down and showed that her arm was just a bit bruised we all decided to shower/bath and change our clothing before we headed down to the restaurant for a quick bite of lunch.
We ate discussing the next event after the gardens tour, thinking that we would just end up in Granville Island. (Not a real Island) as it was man made. At first Gerald thought it would be nice to walk across Granville St Bridge, to Granville but he said it would be best to drive as the city was in a heat wave (so was Vancouver Island) so we braced ourselves for the warmth again and headed out the door.
It actually took longer to find parking at Granville Island than to drive there. Granville Parking is so unconventionally done. If you find a spot, take it because the next person behind you will steal it right from under you. It’s also hard to find public free parking in Vancouver. Once we circled looking for a fee spot we gave up and went to a paid parking lot and paid for a spot. It’s sucks 5 dollars to park for a few hours.
Right away we ended up at the Crystal Ark, where we always collect some kind of rock or gem from the shop. Gerald bought a beautiful 10lb amethyst rock. It’s glorious, and we now have it sitting on our TV. (For now) but the girls were given 5 dollar little gem bags, and they can fill it up with polished gems and rocks. Jocelyn is into earth science and she will go through each rock and learn about them. I bought a crystal from there, infused with hematite, so it looks orange.
There is an area that we can sit and feed the geese, ducks, and other bird that come there to - well, to be fed. They're huge, and not afraid of us. They would call out to each other when newbies (like us) would sit down and start throwing pieces of popcorn at them. This goose walked right up to me and started to nibble food from my fingers. Surreal. I don't see that kind of thing where I am from, no, what we get is gulls, they like to crap on you while flying over head and it lands in your just freshly made expresso. YUMMY!
As the humidity grew I could feel a storm brewing. Every now and then I would glance up to see clouds moving in slowly. Jocelyn, my wee little scientist looked up at the same time and said “there will be a thunder storm tonight, the clouds are thick with anger.” She isn't wrong, the smell of rain was pungent in the air.
Gerald bought some cheese at the local market, but one of them went moldy, which sucks because it cost us 10 dollars to purchase only to not eat and throw away. He’s always had issues with this one deli cheese shop, a lot of their cheese goes bad quickly. I forget the name of it but if I do remember I will warn you to avoid it because of their problems with some of their produce. I bought some candy for the kids this is the once a year treat. I also bought some fresh produce, it’s a bit more expensive than in Victoria, but I think they up the prices because of the tourists.
The Public Market is always busy. They have everything you could ask for from: fresh butchers, to vegetable and fruit stands, freshly made ice creams, organic foods, organic cheeses, regular foods, hot foods, merchants selling their handmade items, such as Chinese silk wallets, purses, and much more.
They always have acts going on in Granville Island, some are funny and some are plainly silly, but yet oddly entertaining. I swear, if Canada had Got Talent, they would audition and probably not make it past the semi finales. LOL There was this one guy (have seen him in Victoria) that is like a human pretzel, he squeezes his whole entire body through a squash racket, while he tells corny and rude jokes throughout. REALLY not that funny, but the tourists like him.
After we watched the act, we wondered about and it started to drizzle out, not a big deal, heck it’s not called Raincouver for nothing right? We end up at the Grandville Island brewery, we missed the last tour, but we’ve seen it before so we just wondered around the store trying to decide what to buy, Gerald bought a huge bloody beer stein, it holds up to two full pints and a half. We also bought a six pack of beer to fill that stein, Ah to enjoy a nice frosty one while rested in the hotel. What better way to parent children who are hyped up on sugar - buzz buzz!
After we checked out the scenery we headed back home, the rain started to fall a bit more steadily, we didn’t bring umbrellas - go figure, the day we leave them locked up in the closet, it decides to rain outside.
I woke up just after 5am later than I wanted. We had to be out the door for the 6am ferry, but we all ran behind. I got the kids up and getting dressed when Gerald ran outside to load our things into the van. We packed a cooler full of fresh foods, and waters. Plus a few cans of coke for us adults when we felt tired or the urge to have a pick-me-up. It was cool outside for 5am. I fed the girls a banana each and said it will have to do until we get to the ferry and we’ll eat there.
We left late, we had to be on the road by 6am but it was well after 6am by the time we headed out. The drive takes about 40 minutes from our house to get to the ferries. So glad the traffic was light because we could zip past and get there quickly, but apparently not quick enough, the 7 am sailing was nearly full and the ticket booth lady said “not sure if you’ll make the 7am” we all waited in the car because the ferry traffic was already loading on the first ferry of the day. Lane by lane they drove on. But we missed the 7am by 10 full cars.
There would be a 1hr wait until the 8am ferry was ready to leave. That’s when we got out and walked to the terminal café, which isn’t much to sneeze at. This was our moment to get coffee for us adults, and fresh juice drinks for the girls. We reminded the girls that they should use the washrooms before we had to wait for the ferry to load us on. By about 7:40 they announced that the ferry was loading to get back to our car and ready to load. As they don’t wait for passengers to get back to their cars if they’re not ready to drive onto the ferry, they will ask the others to go around the abandoned car because the ferry has to be on time. It did in fact leave a few minutes late.
We drove onto the new ferry called Costal Celebration. It’s been in service for about 4 months now. We found the cafeteria and lined up; some people would leave the line because they found it took too long. But we moved up bit by bit only to bump into Jocelyn’s first grade teacher who actually had to think back to when Jocelyn was only 5 years old. Has it been 6 years since we’ve seen her? I guess so. She actually thought Jocelyn was already in middle school and that she was entering the 7th grade. And like a lot of other people, she really thought she was older than 11 years old. Poor Jocelyn has been cursed with long legs and being tall. She’s always asked “are 13 years old?” and then asked “so what is middle school like?” She laughs because it’s funny to hear this now that she will be in middle school. Her old teacher couldn’t believe how old Maddie is now, the last time she saw her was a new born. Not kidding you I had her in a matter of hours at the hospital and the next day we were sent home. If you and your baby have a clean bill of health you can leave. The next day we walked to school like it never happened. They were all shocked to see me with a new born easily walking like I never pushed her out.
We ordered our breakfast and sat down to eat, Maddie loves fruit so she had a fruit bowl and some chocolate milk (what a treat she never gets milk) Jocelyn packed away Belgian waffles and Gerald and I had a traditional breakfast with coffee. Terrible coffee, but it was needed
The trip on the ferry takes 1hr 35 minutes. We decided to go up on deck to search for whales. They always seem to swim along side the ferries and they are not scared of them. But no such luck on either trip. It is traditional for us to wave at the passing by ferries. This ferry was headed back to Vancouver Island. The whistle blows which Maddie covers here ears and said that it was so loud. But that was soon forgotten while we watched the beautiful scenery pass by. Vancouver Island is the largest island off the coast of BC. It’s not part of the Gulf Islands. The body of water we pass through is called, Strait of Juan De Fuca, which provides part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada.
We found a play place for Maddie, and I sat to watch her play and interact with other kids hear age, or older. She is an alpha female: she knows how to lead and start games, fun games, where others can follow along and really get into playing a game. She actually pulled two timid older girls into the game, and said “Ok, I am Maddie, I am 4 years old, and I love sing and dance. What’s your name?” she asked the two girls. They seemed a bit timid by her extrovert behaviour. The mother there then said, “That’s Clara and Mel” the girls looked at them with confused eyes. Maddie didn’t let them stop her. “Ok, -- so you there, that girl Clara, come with me lets play a game” she took her hand and started a game of princesses and searching for their handsome prince. The girls then grew into the roles and had a lot of fun with Maddie. Now, get this she’s only 4 years old, and she was the leader to much older girls.
Jocelyn roamed the ship on her own, came back when they announced it was time to go to the cars and get ready because they were docking the ferry. It takes about 14 minutes to get the ferry docked and then the cars roll on out of there.
We welcomed freedom; the smell of the sea air was very pungent. We welcomed it; it felt like back at home. But as soon as we started down the highway the intense heat struck us hard. It was humid and hot. Now, I’m used to humid days but this was well beyond what we get on the island.
We got to travel through a tunnel which goes under the Fraser River. It’s not that long takes about a minute to drive through. Now we were going at a fast pace, you have to keep up with the traffic especially through a tunnel. No one drives at a normal speed on the mainland. We seriously are not used to the fast pace but Gerald was able to keep up with the flow of traffic.
As it was barely 9:40 am we decided to check out the UBC botanical gardens and did the forest walk through the canopies. As we had a few minutes to spare before the 10am tour started we decided to explore a little bit on our own. I had fun photographing the floral and nature walk.
It only costs 36 dollars for the family plan. It’s well worth it because you have the whole day to explore and to learn everything about nature. There is a kid’s tour, just follow the stop sign and read them out to the kids. This is highly recommended for little ones if they are afraid of heights and the canopy suspension bridge tour takes you up about 65feet through the trees.
Each tree tour takes about an hour long. You need a guide and he will tell you the history of the trees in that surrounding area. How old the oldest trees are etc. The suspension bridges are about 4feet wide and they’re only held on with really thick cable wires and rope. It’s rather ingenious on how they built them. I got lost while I walked behind the family to take photos along the way of the beautiful flowers and nature trails. I basically went around in circles, and missed them, but finally caught up to them the tour had just started and they waited for me to quickly join them.
The two ladies behind me were about to bulk on the tour, but they saw little Maddie who is only 4 years old bravely walk along the canopies. Because of her they went, and had a great time on the tour. Maddie held her dad’s hand the whole way because her arms were not long enough to reach across the width of the ropes to hold her steady. The tour guide said she was the youngest so far that he’s ever had the pleasure teaching and showing us how trees grow.
He explained that Hemlock trees new growth needles can be eaten if you’re stranded. It will suppress your appetite so you feel less hungry while you’re lost in the wilderness. But the Hemlock tree roots are not strong, and in the winter of 2006 we had a really bad wind storm which knocked a few Hemlock trees over and they are left there to become nurse trees to help nourish the ground and eventually new growth will be found in the stumps. He pointed out to one hemlock stump that had three ash trees growing out of it.
We climbed 65 feet in the air. We got to hear a bald eagle calling out and flying above our heads. I would have taken a photo but he was a speck in the sky. Did you know that bald eagles can spot their food a mile away and dive down into the water within seconds and sometimes the fish is so small it falls out of its talons? Pretty interesting facts, we also got to see a robins next up close no birds in the nest, apparently they’ve been watching it for two years and it’s the same robin that comes back to there. I didn’t take a photo because we were in the middle of the canopy bridge and you need both hands to walk along to keep yourself steady. It can bounce and bobble a lot while you walk on it.
After the tour ended we walked along the foot paths and took our time learning about the flowers and different type of flowers that come from all around the world. I am sad that we never got to the Japanese gardens because Maddie was so tired from the trip through the trees that we ended it quickly and decided to find a washroom then head towards our hotel.
Our hotel was directly downtown - so it was easy to find. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel which is a great place to stay. We got out of the van only to be greeted by another hot blast of humid air. It’s bad enough that we were sweating from our trek through the forest and even with the windows rolled down, air conditioning on full blast it wasn’t good enough to keep us cool. But the second we walked inside the lobby of the hotel we quickly felt the cool air wash over us. Ah, bless your chubby little soul, you have air conditioning!
We got check in quickly and efficiently. We did pay extra for under ground parking. It was worth the 10 dollars a night to keep the car from being broken into as it’s not the best part of town to be located in. We quickly parked the car into the first stall we saw and were blasted again with warm sticky air. We took our time to unload the van, and once we got up to our floor and room, we were once again welcomed well conditioned air in our room. The room had a mini kitchen in it, not something we expected but it rocked because we could run across the street to the local market and purchase some food if we needed too. But we both decided against it and chose to eat at the White Spot (which is also located on Vancouver Island) so we know what to expect with their service and quality of food. It’s above average with both.
The girl was giggling with joy, they got a double bed to share and Maddie started to jump up and down like a little rabbit. I said (but was too late) “careful, there Maddie, do not fall.” But soon s the words were out of my mouth she took a header, and hurt her arm. After I calmed her down and showed that her arm was just a bit bruised we all decided to shower/bath and change our clothing before we headed down to the restaurant for a quick bite of lunch.
We ate discussing the next event after the gardens tour, thinking that we would just end up in Granville Island. (Not a real Island) as it was man made. At first Gerald thought it would be nice to walk across Granville St Bridge, to Granville but he said it would be best to drive as the city was in a heat wave (so was Vancouver Island) so we braced ourselves for the warmth again and headed out the door.
It actually took longer to find parking at Granville Island than to drive there. Granville Parking is so unconventionally done. If you find a spot, take it because the next person behind you will steal it right from under you. It’s also hard to find public free parking in Vancouver. Once we circled looking for a fee spot we gave up and went to a paid parking lot and paid for a spot. It’s sucks 5 dollars to park for a few hours.
Right away we ended up at the Crystal Ark, where we always collect some kind of rock or gem from the shop. Gerald bought a beautiful 10lb amethyst rock. It’s glorious, and we now have it sitting on our TV. (For now) but the girls were given 5 dollar little gem bags, and they can fill it up with polished gems and rocks. Jocelyn is into earth science and she will go through each rock and learn about them. I bought a crystal from there, infused with hematite, so it looks orange.
There is an area that we can sit and feed the geese, ducks, and other bird that come there to - well, to be fed. They're huge, and not afraid of us. They would call out to each other when newbies (like us) would sit down and start throwing pieces of popcorn at them. This goose walked right up to me and started to nibble food from my fingers. Surreal. I don't see that kind of thing where I am from, no, what we get is gulls, they like to crap on you while flying over head and it lands in your just freshly made expresso. YUMMY!
As the humidity grew I could feel a storm brewing. Every now and then I would glance up to see clouds moving in slowly. Jocelyn, my wee little scientist looked up at the same time and said “there will be a thunder storm tonight, the clouds are thick with anger.” She isn't wrong, the smell of rain was pungent in the air.
Gerald bought some cheese at the local market, but one of them went moldy, which sucks because it cost us 10 dollars to purchase only to not eat and throw away. He’s always had issues with this one deli cheese shop, a lot of their cheese goes bad quickly. I forget the name of it but if I do remember I will warn you to avoid it because of their problems with some of their produce. I bought some candy for the kids this is the once a year treat. I also bought some fresh produce, it’s a bit more expensive than in Victoria, but I think they up the prices because of the tourists.
The Public Market is always busy. They have everything you could ask for from: fresh butchers, to vegetable and fruit stands, freshly made ice creams, organic foods, organic cheeses, regular foods, hot foods, merchants selling their handmade items, such as Chinese silk wallets, purses, and much more.
They always have acts going on in Granville Island, some are funny and some are plainly silly, but yet oddly entertaining. I swear, if Canada had Got Talent, they would audition and probably not make it past the semi finales. LOL There was this one guy (have seen him in Victoria) that is like a human pretzel, he squeezes his whole entire body through a squash racket, while he tells corny and rude jokes throughout. REALLY not that funny, but the tourists like him.
After we watched the act, we wondered about and it started to drizzle out, not a big deal, heck it’s not called Raincouver for nothing right? We end up at the Grandville Island brewery, we missed the last tour, but we’ve seen it before so we just wondered around the store trying to decide what to buy, Gerald bought a huge bloody beer stein, it holds up to two full pints and a half. We also bought a six pack of beer to fill that stein, Ah to enjoy a nice frosty one while rested in the hotel. What better way to parent children who are hyped up on sugar - buzz buzz!
After we checked out the scenery we headed back home, the rain started to fall a bit more steadily, we didn’t bring umbrellas - go figure, the day we leave them locked up in the closet, it decides to rain outside.