The journey to Vancouver with my mum came at the perfect time in the quarter to revive me for finals, start thinking about going home and enjoy the last few days I have in Isla Vista. We set off early on Wednesday morning after mum journeyed across the Pacific and I took the airbus down the PCH to meet at LAX. It was quite a surreal experience at 6am to be travelling down the California coast, heading to meet my mum somewhere so far from home. It was amazing to be able to go on this adventure with her though as we haven't had time like this is years, away from the day to day grind, a true holiday.
The flight up through California was spectacular, with amazing views of mountain ranges, the change in landscape through Oregon and Washington and then over the islands heading into Vancouver. Some of my favourite things about travel is seeing the change in topography and environment and how that alters lifestyle and people.
Once we arrived at the airport we managed to navigate our way to our accommodation near Main Street near the heart of Vancouver. Before giving in to the jetlag we explored downtown in search of a local favourite Greek restaurant called Taki's. The food was delicious and the views were stunning. Vancouver itself is a beautiful, clean, interesting mix of modern and historic, natural and man-made all in one.
For our first day in the city we embarked on the Sea Walk, down through Olympic Village to Granville Island. The island itself is a picturesque spot for families, galleries, stores and an amazing open food market. We walked around the market for hours trying to decide what we could possibly eat from the delicious spread on offer. After lunch we then used the Seabus to get across the harbour to downtown for some shopping and exploring. Our wandering delivered us to the area of Gastown where there are a number of cool shops and restaurants.
We indulged in some delicious food and watched ice-hockey, as true Canadians would.
The second day of our trip was my birthday so I got to call the shots on adventures for the day. To start off with we had some breakfast at the room and then set out on the bus heading to the UBC campus. The University of British Columbia is beautiful and even more green, crisp and picture perfect than you can imagine. In the first half an hour we managed to nearly crash a graduation ceremony and find ourselves in a forest right next to the museum we wanted to go to. The Anthropology Museum is a highlight in Vancouver and was pretty spectacular. The exhibits included totem poles and artefacts from the First People of the lands, including a house that was constructed under specifications found in historical records.
After exploring the museum we then stumbled upon Koerner's, the university bar. In true Canadian fashion the bar was alternative and hipster in a way only the Canadians could pull off. The food was also incredible along with our celebratory cocktails.
For the evening I had purchased tickets to go and see City and Colour and Half Moon Run perform at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby (15mins out from downtown). Although we arrived a little late and nearly penniless it was an amazing night. Both acts were amazing live and the venue was incredible. Vancouver pulled out all the stops and gave us a picture perfect afternoon for an outdoor concert in a beautiful botanic park.
Still humming along to the music from the night before, we set off on another day of exploring on Saturday. As the weather began to turn we set off to Stanley Park to explore the totem poles and botanic gardens. Stanley Park is incredibly beautiful and set on an isle that looks out to snow capped mountains, the Vancouver harbour and the ocean. The grounds are a ridiculous shade of green and the flora incredibly diverse. We explored the south-west portion of the park and stopped for lunch alongside an amphitheatre. To our surprise the theatre was hosting Haim that night and our lunch was set to a backing track of their sound check.
Our afternoon plans had been made for us! We set off back downtown to go and watch the Grand Budapest Hotel, before a quick ride to the park to listen to Haim whilst picnicking. It was an awesome surprise and fantastic way to spend a Saturday night.
Our final day in Vancouver was unfortunately pretty miserable outside, but we made the most of it by continuing our adventures and looking for some activities. During our wandering we found a beautiful arts and craft market near the Olympic Village. The market was so similar to some of the markets I have worked at home and was fit with delicious treats and some amazing handmade goodies.
Our small taste of Vancouver was great in so many ways and I'm sure we will be back soon.
Nina
No comments:
Post a Comment