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So it was bound to happen eventually, after eight months of successful flights, it all managed to catch up with us... eventually after one delayed flight, one missed connection, an overnight stay in Dallas airport and a lost passport, we arrived in the beautiful city of Vancouver!! Firstly, about the city I have just got to say I LOVE IT!! I really wasn't expecting it to be how it is, it feels unlike any other city I have ever visited in the world. Despite arriving when it was overcast and only 12 degrees, which after months of 25 degrees plus was a major shock, I couldn't believe I was in a city at all. The mixture of sea, mountains, city life and forests makes you feel like you are anywhere but a major city. We stayed about twenty minutes outside of Downtown Vancouver, in the gorgeous neighbourhood of Kitslano. Our massive hostel of 280 beds was right on the beach overlooking the sailing club! Initially our plan was to only stay a week but within days we decided to extend our time here.
As a result, we had enough time to explore the city properly, as we also had voted for
a week in one place which was also novel! Our first few days were spent in Kits, which used to be the area where hippies and "fun loving people" used to hang out, nowadays the whole place has a much more organic, yoga esque feel to it. There are numerous boutique shops, places for your children to express their artistic talents and more importantly de-licious cafes with lots of yummy treats!
The following day bought my quarter of a century celebrations.. which meant an abundance of birthday delights. We had managed to get tickets to see KT Tunstall at the Commodore in the city centre. The Commodore is an Art Deco ballroom and had to be one of the best places I have ever been to for a gig. It has a lovely dance floor surrounded by lots of tables and chairs for much needed celebratory refreshments! KT was actually very good as well! During the day we ventured around Downtown, to experience the various joys of; shopping in Robson street, to checking out the city's biggest Cathedral to having cocktails in the Fairmont hotel!! All in all a very lovely birthday.
Unfortunately the weather did get the better of
us for a couple of days, though we still managed to walk along some of Vancouver's beaches and visit Granville Island. Granville has turned its old industrial centre into an Arts and Craft haven. There is everything from the Emily Carr Institute of Art to the Public market, which houses every sort of food item you wish was either in your kitchen cupboard or being served to you at a dinner party!
The end of the week bought the neighbourhoods of Gastown, West End and Stanley Park. The former being cobbled streets lined with trees, where we randomly ended up in a police museum where you could visit the morgue and autopsy room where Errol Flynn was bought after his death! A little random to say the least! West End was a little disappointing but there can be no better west End than that of London! Stanley Park is Vancouver's largest and oldest park and is situated at a pinnacle overlooking northern Vancouver and Downtown. It is a lovely place to spend the day, wandering in the forest, visiting lakes and trying to avoid being run over by either a cyclist or rollerblader! Our last few days have been spent
Police Museum
I reckon I pull the look off....on the beach trying to prepare ourselves for the next week. This city break has been just what the doctor ordered, Vancouver is definitely a place to eat well, relax and try your very hardest to find Celine!
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