Crossing the border

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Geo: 49.2605, -123.114

An early start as our Amtrak train left Seattle at 07:45 from King Street Station. The station must only be used for long distant traffic because the station showed no sign of wear and tear. In fact it was clean and spacious. The décor was lovely. It has the glamour of train journeys of a by-gone age.

We got business class seats. Sounds a bit OTT, but it was a long journey and it was a bargain compared to a similar distance train ride in the UK. It certainly was spacious and the seats were very comfy. Priority boarding and disembarkation were a bonus. The slight fly in the ointment was that they were really strict with the weight of checked in luggage; 50lbs, 23kg and not discussion. Both of our cases were a little over and we had to get things out to bring the weights down. Luckily, we could just move a few items into our carry-on bags.

The scenery northwards was pretty at the beginning, but then we rode passed various ports and they weren't so picturesque. The railway was practically on the beach not far out of Seattle. The Sound looked calm enough, but I'm sure they have storms here, too. It wouldn't take much to overwhelm the lines.

The hotel was a short taxi ride from the station in Vancouver. We are on the 29th floor with a balcony and superb views of the mountains and downtown. This hotel only have studios or suites. Again, not as grand as it sounds but our suite is very roomy. It's nice to have a separate sitting area rather than perch on the bed, especially after a hard day of sight seeing. It also has an award winning spa. We were given a $20 voucher, which equates to 15 - 20% off. It's rather tempting to have a massage.

We met up with a local friend who kindly drove is around and gave us a whistle stop of some famous sites. Glanville Island was nice and warrants a longer visit - needs more time to graze in the market. Stanley Park is a must for any visitors. We drove around but a walk or hike, round the whole park in fair weather will be a fantastic way of spending a few hours. A cycle ride will be an ideal way to see the park. The views across the water is breath-taking.

The WiFi at the hotel room is a bit patchy. I'll load the photos when the signals get better.

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Photos

King Street Station
Beautiful interior

Cascade 510
All aboard!

railway
Really close to the shore.

scenery
Nice view and calm sea.

Breakfast bagel
The egg was fine, but not sure what the grey pattyof neat was.... I didn't eat it.

another hotel room
Roomier than most.

suit
Like the French doors

even a kitchen!
Pity I won't be doing much cooking here.

from the balcony
Now that's a view!

Whistle stop tour
First stop- Granville Island

From Granville Island
Nice view of skyline tFalse Creek

Prospect Point
Looking towards North Vancouver and Lions Gate Bridge.

From Stanley Park
Looking out onto the Gulf of Georgia.

Comments

[Franiel]

Have that massage... :) I'm glad you're having a great time in Vancouver. Send my love to my Jear Jear. x

[Tim & Phil]

Glad you are having a good trip. If I had realised you were going to Vancouver you could have met up with my sister. I was there last August for a family reunion great city. Too cold for wreck beach! Lots of love Tim, Phil , Kornel.

[Cheryl Overington]

....the only way to do Stanley Park is on roller blades! You really must try it before you come home! OK, a tandem's good too! i'll be asking questions when we next meet. Are the raccoons still there? Enjoy!