Vancouver, Canada - Day 3

Sunday, August 30

We set off early for the Fairmont Hotel where we were picked up at 8am for our day trip to Vancouver Island. It was a 45 minute drive to the ferry, and as we got a good run there we drove onto the 9am ferry instead of the 10am one, giving us an extra hour in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. The ferry trip was 1.5 hours, and the scenery as we passed small islands was lovely - and we even had sunshine for a change!

Enjoying a coffee on the ferry

Our arrival point on Vancouver Island (VI) was about 25 minutes from Victoria, but Devon, our driver and tour guide, made the time pass quickly with her informative narrative about VI, being a local of the island. We had 4 hours in Victoria, and there was plenty to see and do, especially as the sunshine made it lovely exploring the shops, markets, little streets and the Harbour.

The narrowest commercial street in the world

Sculpture at Bastion Street market

We were told to try the fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf, so to get there we caught one of the quaint little water taxis, and it was a fun experience.

Being a Sunday lunchtime there was a long queue to place our order, and then another 20 minute wait to pick them up. However, the wait was worth it, as the cod and halibut were delicious - also we shared a table with a young local family who told us about the town and island.

Barb's Fish and Chips at Victoria Harbour

To complete our healthy lunch we all enjoyed an icecream from the Soda Shoppe in the sun, before setting off to explore some more and walk our lunch off a bit!

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, so the Legislative Building is right on the Harbour, and it's an impressive building. Unfortunately on a Sunday the only way to get inside is on a public tour, but unfortunately we left our run a bit late so we missed out.

The Legislative building

Also on the Harbour is the Fairmont Empress hotel, and this is also an imposing building with a great history, and helps make a wander around Victoria a visual feast. There are flowers in hanging baskets in all the streets and surrounding most of the shops and buildings.

The Fairmont Empress hotel

 

It was now time for our next stop, the world famous Butchart Gardens, and probably the main reason most people come to VI. These gardens were originally a limestone quarry, and rather than just leave a big hole as a legacy, Jennie Butchart decided to turn them into gardens. She and her husband had the vision, and with the aid of garden designers, lots of gardeners over the years, and of course time, we are able to enjoy a magnificent display of the most amazing variety of flowers, shrubs, trees and floral arrangements around the gardens.

In the beginning - a disused quarry!

The Sunken Garden now (note the old chimney stack in the top right hand corner)

The Rose Garden

In the Japanese Garden

 

After another 30 minute drive to the ferry terminal and a bit of a wait to get on board the 8pm ferry, we headed for the buffet to have dinner. This was a great choice, as there was a terrific selection of hot and cold foods as well as yummy desserts to fill us up. We arrived back on the mainland about 9:30pm and then drove into Vancouver. By the time we reached our apartment it was 10:30pm! So much for an early night before an even earlier start tomorrow morning for our day trip to Whistler.

 

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Vancouver, Canada - Day 2

Saturday, August 29

Tony certainly warned us! Angie has the reputation of taking bad weather with her whenever she goes on holidays and it appears that she is living up to her reputation on this holiday! Vancouver has just had its sunniest summer on record but, with our arrival, the heavens have opened and it has rained and rained and the wind has been really strong causing a lot of damage around the city. Thankfully it has not been cold but the rain has made it unpleasant to get around. We eagerly watched the TV tonight for the forecast for the next 7 days and sadly, it's more of today! Oh well, we won't let it dampen our spirits.

Making a new Canadian friend

We set off mid morning after a good sleep-in and eating brunch overlooking a misty grey vista. We made our way down to Canada Place to see where our cruise will be departing from and one of the Princess cruise ships was berthed there so we walked over to have a better look at what we will be on in a few day's time. We then found the Visitor Info Centre and spent quite some time there because Tony (a Yorkshireman), befriended one of the guides - a fellow from Manchester - and the banter between the two was very funny. We booked a tour for tomorrow to Victoria Island and Butchart Gardens and are looking forward to that, despite the early starting time!

Al acquainting himself with "Gassy Jack"

The Gastown Steam Clock

We stopped for a coffee then headed to Gastown where Vancouver was born. The story goes that in 1867 John "Gassy Jack" Deighton wandered through the wilderness armed with only a barrel of whiskey and a penchant for long-winded tales and set up a saloon on the southern shores of Burrard Inlet. This attracted loggers and mill workers who named the area Gastown to honour Jack for his generous pours. As the area grew, it became the commercial and shipping hub and many of the buildings and warehouses built back then still stand today. It's a tourist hotspot now with boutiques, great eateries, stunning design studios, art galleries, etc. all lining streets festooned with overflowing hanging baskets of flowers suspended from old fashioned street lamps. One of the attractions is a steam clock that we arrived in time to see doing it's thing - a steamy rendition of the Westminster chimes - with steam gushing from the top as it draws it's power from the city's underground steam-heat system.

Lunch at Pub 131

After browsing in shops and generally nosing around reading the heritage signs, seeing the memorial to Gassy Jack and taking up all the photo opps, we stopped for a very late lunch at Pub 131. The food was excellent and it was hard to move on from there but more sights beckoned so we headed off. Small spots quickly developed into heavy rain and even Goretex jackets and umbrellas couldn't keep us dry. Our original plan was to walk to Granville Island but the rain changed that and we decided to stop in at our apartment for a cuppa and see whether the rain would ease. It did but by then we had decided to give the long walk to Granville Is away and head for the 1000 acre Stanley Park instead. We passed a fishing charter that had just returned and two lucky seals thought they had died and gone to heaven with the huge pieces of fish they were being fed by the charter operator. We hadn't gone much further before the sky was looking ominous and the heavens opened again. We pressed on in driving rain to see the native totem poles the Park is famous for and by the time we got there, the rain had stopped and it was looking much brighter.

Two very lucky seals

 

Stanley Park Totem Poles and ???

Vancouver at dusk

Not wanting to push our luck too far, we headed back home and the weather seemed to be clearing and we saw the sun for the first time. Vancouver is a lovely city and we hope to see it bathed in sunshine before we leave. The four of us felt it reminded us a lot of Melbourne (and not just for its weather).

Some sun - at last!

 

 

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Melbourne - Auckland - Vancouver

Friday, August 28

After a lovely buffet meal at Ciloms Airport Hotel where we were staying on Thursday night, we had an early night, knowing that on Friday night we would be sleeping (or trying to) on a plane!

Ready to depart Melbourne

 

The Air New Zealand flight from Melbourne to Auckland went smoothly on a nice new Boeing 777, and the lunch service was very nice. After a 2 hour wait we started boarding another Boeing 777, but unfortunately our seats were in row 46, right under the emergency escape hatch. This seemed to be the coldest row on the plane - jackets were kept on, and eventually the blankets were draped over us while all the other passengers were in t-shirts and light tops.

After a couple of movies and a nice dinner we were ready to settle down and sleep, so the blankets were wrapped tightly around us to stop us from freezing. If I had had my beanie with me I would have worn it, so I resorted to putting the plastic bag from my headset over my head to keep the Arctic blast off my head! It was quite a look but I didn't care, at least I got some sleep that way.

We arrived in grey, cloudy Vancouver, missing the sunshine our friends Brian and Jeanette had when they were here last week. However, our mode of transport from the airport brightened our day, as with 4 of us it meant a stretch limo was about the same price as a cab!

 

We are very happy with our accommodation, a 2 bedroom apartment down near the harbour, and the views this afternoon have been spectacular! Dining at "home" on the 29th floor was a treat, as we watched numerous float planes landing on the harbour after a sightseeing trip around the city.

 

We were all feeling the effects of a long day travelling so after dinner we watched the lights of the city come on and they lulled us to sleep, all in preparation for a busy weekend!

 

 

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Canada/Alaska & Pacific Islands - The Beginning

Thursday, August 27

Well the day has finally arrived to start our 8 week Canada/Alaska adventure - courtesy of Gwen & Roy. This whole trip came about because Gwennie (Noelle's mum) always wanted to visit Canada but ill health prohibited this. Noelle used to joke with her that she would go in her mum's place. After Gwen passed away, Noelle continued this banter with her dad telling him she would have to wait for him to "pop his clogs" and if there was any inheritance she would then visit Canada. He used to chuckle about this and when Noelle suggested it would be great to take our dear friends, Tony & Angie with us, Roy said he would really like that to happen. Tony & Angie were so good to Gwen & Roy, who thought of them as part of the family so we are calling this "The Gwen & Roy Memorial Trip".

We left home around 2.00 pm with friend, Steve Mazey (thanks Steve), driving us to Tullamarine via Government House where we picked up Tony when he finished work at 3.00 pm. Tony had arranged for us to be able to drive in and also have a quick look at the Ballroom that had been set up for a function tomorrow. What a way to start a holiday!

We then headed off, in pouring rain, to Tullamarine where we are staying in an airport hotel overnight in readiness for our flight to Vancouver tomorrow. The traffic was quite heavy but we didn't have a care in the world. We are now getting ready for dinner in the Bistro and an early night. It has been a hectic week for all of us so a good night's sleep should have us feeling relaxed and ready to go tomorrow morning.

 

The Guv's Seat

Noelle & Angie in the Drawing Room

 

 

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Amended Posts from Asian Trip

We finally got around to amending the posts from the first 2 weeks of our Asian cruise in April this year by adding the pictures that didn't load while we were travelling to Hong Kong. The new posts follow the original itinerary but have " (2) " at the end of the title for that day's post. If you get a chance have a quick look as there are some classic pics, as well as beautiful shots of the people and their countryside.

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