In the late afternoon, after enjoying a walk around Victoria city, we drove a little further out to see a beautiful, hidden beach. I have forgotten the name of this area - it was inside a national park, not far from the city. We found lots of Canadian geese swimming along and many locals just sitting on the sand, enjoying the sunshine.
Photos: A lovely sandbar beach, just outside of Victoria.
After taking the ferry back to the mainland, my parents and I headed to the university, where I would attend four days of lectures regarding my graduate studies. The institution was located in the midst of farmland, far from much of anything. From 8:30 am to 4 pm, those four days consisted of studying, reading, and listening to talks. Truly blase, so not a photo was taken.
After completing those study sessions, our threesome headed over to Vancouver. After much deliberation, and a discussion with a waitress at a local, countryside diner, we decided to ditch our rental car for the day, and take the Skytrain into the city. The Skytrain is a great way to travel not only in Vancouver, but outside the city as well. It travels mainly above ground, and connects to the airport.
Due to my parents being older, our walking tour would be compacted into three areas: the harbor front, Gastown, and Yaletown.
The harbor area of Downtown Vancouver is the starting point for Alaskan cruises. It's also the former home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. I had heard the city had kept the torch from those games in this area; I really wanted to see it.
Photos: Cruise port / Cutenekko & the torch!
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| Yay! I got to see the torch!! |
From the waterfront, we walked due east, towards Gastown. This is an older, very historic area of Vancouver. It is famous for small shops, and a steam powered clock. We arrived just at noon to hear the "toot-toot" of the steam whistles. It was quite something to see.
Photos: A&W advertisement for a maple-flavored burger(!!) / Gastown shops
The steam clock / Skytrain map.
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| That leaf is hiding people's faces....Privacy is important! |
My favorite area was actually Yaletown. It's quite easy to get to ...just follow the money. This is arguably, the most expensive area in Vancouver. There are yachts, ocean front condos, even celebrities! I saw Zoe Saldana (Star Trek/ Guardians of the Galaxy) riding a bike in this area. The boardwalk is very nice and an excellent place to take a stroll. My parents and I did just that....
Photos: Yaletown kayaks / boardwalk / "Here you begin Live like new"
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| I think this message was for me. |
Photos: My happy feet in Vancouver! / Onward to the next destination -- Granville Island Market
I pushed my parents to walk a little more and visit a popular market on a small island. I'll show you photos of that, next time.
Enjoy Canada! ^_^
Information:
Vancouver is a large city located on the west coast of Canada, in British Columbia. It is famous for smoked salmon, cruises to Alaska and Chinatown. It has been repeatedly named as one of the "best places to live in the world". It is also very, very expensive (housing-wise).
Hotels in the city are $150+ / Outside the city, we stayed in a Super 8, it cost $100!! For a Super 8!!
Food prices range from cheap to very expensive, depending on where you eat. We recommend: White Spot -- local diner (chain) found all over BC. WHITE SPOT LINK
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