Pre-Games Glow With 3 days to go before the cauldron is lit and the 21st Winter Games open in Vancouver, we're so excited, we can hardly wait for the Games to begin! Excitement is finally in the air, not just in our heads. Red mitten clad Vancouverites are jumping on the Olympic bandwagon as the Olympic Torch Relay winds its way around Metro Vancouver. The Travelling Canucks, all aglow, have been busy getting a head start on the 17-day long party since it will be over before we know it. Here's what we've been up to: Ice Lights Vancouver City Hall's new permanent outdoor light installation titled Ice Lights, designed by German artist Gunda Förster, features large LED strips throwing an icy glow onto each of the Art Deco building’s four terraces. Since the lights cascade ... read more

Not in a Hurry to Visit Surrey? Maybe You Should Be! On Thursday, January 21st, the Olympic Torch crossed the BC border after 8,500 torchbearers carried the torch across Canada. 3,500 torchbearers will carry the torch in 200 communities across British Columbia over the remaining 22 days on its final leg towards Vancouver's BC Place Stadium where the Olympic Cauldron will be lit. Vancouver, 2010 Winter Games’ Host City, and Whistler, the Host Mountain Resort, have partnered with venue cities. Richmond is home to the Richmond Olympic Oval where long track speed skating competitions will be held and West Vancouver's Cypress Mountain will host Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding events. It was not until the Travelling Canucks started Olympic Pin Trading did we discover that Surrey was also a venue city. It turns out that Surrey is ... read more

It was 35 years ago that Papa Canuck worked in a placer mine outside of Dawson City in the Yukon. He cherishes the memories of traveling the Alaska Highway to the Yukon with his family, when windshields and tires were routinely replaced along the route. Sadly, Mama Canuck has never travelled to Canada's North; perhaps, we will travel North one day before economic growth and the effects of climate change, change the North irreversibly. The Travelling Canucks do share wonderful memories of visiting the Northwest Territories and Yukon Pavilions at EXPO 86, so we were excited to learn that Canada's Northern Territories would be hosting the world during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Every Canadian province and the federal government will stage pavilions during the Games to promote tourism and business opportunities, but Canada's Northern House ... read more

It's Finally 2010! Vancouver, our hometown, will be welcoming the world when the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are held from February 12th to 28th. The 2010 Winter Paralympic Games will be held from March 12th to 21st. With excitement in the air and national pride building across Canada as the Olympic Torch crosses Canada in the grips of winter, we start our series of Winter Olympic blogs covering venues, sites, and landmarks that will play a prominent role in the host city and its partner municipalities of Whistler, Richmond, and West Vancouver. We hope Olympic visitors and enthusiasts, friends and TravelBlog readers will find this blog informative and inspire those living and traveling to Vancouver to get the most out of their Olympic experience. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to live in a host city, ... read more

Hanging Out on the Mountainside Looking for exciting moments in life, feelings of well-being, wonder and awe? Home of Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Seymour Mountain, the North Shore offers skiing 30 minutes from Downtown Vancouver over the winter months. Some of Mama and Papa Canuck's peak experiences are those skiing on Grouse Mountain and Whistler/Blackcomb mountains. It's the overwhelming beauty of nature when trees are snow capped and the sense of freedom and escape when skiing that brings those feelings of joy. Early spring skiing when it’s cool and clear just can't be beat! Sadly, our busy lives have meant that we have not skied for years! With record snowfalls in November and an early opening, this year's ski season should be exceptional. Even better, West Vancouver's Cypress Mountain will be hosting the Freestyle Skiing ... read more