Vancouver

We left a little before 9am in the morning, avoiding the congested morning roads that plague Seattle. It took us about 2 hours to reach Vancouver, and the drive from the border reminded me a bit of going to Montreal (from Vermont). We cruised down 99 through Southern Vancouver and both of us commented on how well-kept all houses looked. I had made reservations online at the Cambie hostel in Gastown a couple of days prior and we had no problem finding it, although parking was a little more elusive. After we checked in and got our room, we immediately hoped back in the car and made our way over to Stanley Park. We spent a good deal of the afternoon walking along the waterfront on the eastern side of Stanley Park, taking in the water and scenery.

Eventually we headed into the woods, went past Beaver Lake and ended up at the rose garden where the cherry trees were in full bloom. Some flowers were blooming; however a majority of the roses were not. By then, we were starving and we went back into the center of the city to grab a bite to eat. Lo and behold, one of the first restaurants we saw after parking was a sushi joint, so we went in and enjoyed a cheap but delicious lunch. The quality of the Nigiri was excellent and the total bill would have been well priced even in American dollars. We went back to Stanley Park, but this time, went to the western side of the park to sit on the beach, read and watch the sunset.

Brothers restaurant in Gastown was where we ended up dining that night and afterwards we went out to a couple of bars before ending up at the Cambie for a final pint. After sleeping in the next morning, we wandered up to Chinatown and found a restaurant to eat lunch. The world`s thinnest building is located somewhere in Chinatown and I had intended to get a picture of it, but it completely slipped my mind until we were almost back at the hostel. I also heard after we came back, that Chinatown houses one of the most impressive gardens outside of the Orient, one more reason to go back...

We took a nice fiesta back at the hostel and then made our way up to Robson street to do some window shopping and then we went back down to the waterfront. The sun came out and we laid down in the park to enjoy the warm rays. After the sun went behind a big building, we made our way along the waterfront to the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, where they had numerous historical facts printed on the railings along the water. The vignettes were very interesting and I highly recommend reading them if you would like to learn a little about Vancouver's history.

That night, we grabbed a couple slices of pizza for dinner, did some reading in the hostel and retired early. The next morning we checked out at 8:30am since I had to move my car by 9am, grabbed some breakfast at a dinner and had a final walk along the waterfront admiring the beautiful waterfront before heading back to Seattle.

Overall it was a nice couple of days. Vancouver has a feeling you just can't get in American cities - relaxed. Even driving around, I noticed how motorist continually stopped for pedestrians and I rarely heard a car horn go off. The parks are bueatiful and there are a lot of activities to do right outside the city. I think renting a bike and riding along the waterfront and around Stanley Park would be a great way to spend the day. I am looking forward to visiting Vancouver again and venturing out to some other areas around BC.