Last Day in Canada

 7th October 2022

It is our last day in Canada and it seems a bit unfamiliar not being out loading up the car for another days adventure. We had a casual breakfast at our hotel and planned to go for a morning walk before we got too serious about packing etc. We have our two rooms until 1 pm and then 1 room till 9.30pm tonight.

Once again the weather gods are with us and we set out on our morning walk in sunshine, with the temperature in the mid to high teens. We decided to walk along the seashore towards Stanley Park and then branch off to take a short cut across the park towards Coal Harbour. There is no wind and the water in the harbour off English Beach is like glass.

Third beach

After quite a walk along the shore line, we headed inland at the Teahouse at Third Beach and set out on the Tatlow Trail towards Lost Lagoon.

The deck at Third Beach

Stanley Park Map

The trail winds its way through old growth Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar Forests, with some amazingly large trees.

This is one of the bigger trees along the path

The roots of this fallen giant have become the perfect environment for ferns to thrive

The trail ends at Lost Lagoon

Back into civilisation as we exit the park, we walk down to the harbour where there are large marinas filled with boats.

Many of the harbour cruises leave from here

Some of the boats have canvas boatsheds to keep them from the weather

Within half an hour we are back at our hotel, and before 1 pm John and Sharon relocate their gear into our room which we have until 9.30pm. Once settled, we went for a wander down the street to get lunch. It is now after 1pm, and after a bit of searching, we found a great little Vietnamese restaurant where we had a very good lunch.

An hour or so of after lunch strolling, a cup of coffee (and cake for some), and we were back at the hotel by a bit after 3.30pm. Now it is just a matter of filling in time, a bit of final packing, have something to eat and head out to the airport to catch our 11.15pm flight home.

I went for a final walk around the area in the late afternoon before heading home for a shower and to get ready for the flight.

The crowd is gathering on English Beach which looks a lot more attractive at high tide

A Sunny Day in Vancouver

 6th October 2022

Very relaxed after a long nights sleep last night, and no dinner, we were all ready for a hearty breakfast, and it appears we came to the right place. Breakfast included in our rate is a la carte with a good selection of dishes.

Sharon's Poached eggs with hash was a bit of a standout.

The eggs benedict was also great, mine with crab cakes was very special.

Johns omelette was also very good

Clearly, breakfast without potatoes in Canada is almost impossible, but it doesn't mean you have to eat them all.

Before we go anywhere the girls are concerned that our flight does not leave until close to midnight tomorrow, so a late checkout would be helpful. Of course a very late checkout on a Friday is pretty unlikely and the best offer is for a 1 pm checkout. In the end we agree to take one room, effectively for another night so we have somewhere to get fresh before leaving for the airport at around 9.30pm.

Fully sustained from our breakfast we plan to walk around the shoreline to catch the ferry to Granville Island. The walk takes us along English Beach and around into False Creek.

There is a building facing English Beach with incredulously has a mature tree growing on the top of the building. Obviously it is well anchored in case of strong winds.

Only a crow on duty today at English Beach

English Beach, with a great collection of driftwood in the foreground

Inukshuk Sculpture by the Sea (An Inuit Symbol)

We round the corner to leave the beach and head into False Creek, the home of Granville Island, an old industrial area redeveloped into a vibrant community and tourist destination.

We caught one of these cute little ferries which run every 5 minutes across to Granville Island for a return fee of $4.

Burrard Street Bridge looking from Granville Island with ferry in foreground

The island has lots of specialty shops selling touristy stuff, and many galleries representing artists from all disciplines. The are also a few buskers trying their hardest.

We wandered around the perimeter of the main area of activity checking out a number of the stores, but the real attraction here is the markets.

The Granville Public Market is a huge attraction and it is where all of the activity is. The display of produce and food items of all types is impressive, as good as you would see anywhere.

The patisseries attracted special interest from coupe of the team

This precooked French fare was also a bit irresistible

However we resisted many of the temptations and sat down to fresh bagels with Smoked Sockeye Salmon,  onions , capers and cream cheese, which I washed down with a very acceptable local draft IPA.

On the way out of the market I couldn't resist buying some smoked salmon "nuggets", marinated in maple syrup as the perfect accompaniment  for a nice cool pre dinner drink. It turned out to be a great choice.

On our way back from the Island we came across a local sculpture that looked to be a photographers favourite. They are big on sculptures here, but this one had some character and no deep message about saving the planet.

The geese were out again, oblivious to the busy crowds around them, clearly just focused on getting a feed before they need to cope with winter.

On the way back to the hotel, we made a booking at a nearby restaurant, Hook, for dinner. They have a good menu of seafood and other meat dishes.

It is still only mid afternoon, so after a brief rest back at the hotel, John headed off to get a haircut and beard trim and I went for a walk to Coal Harbour on the other side of the peninsula we are on.

This impressive apartment building is almost complete with harbour views

Vancouver has a lot more adventurous architecture than we saw in the East.

Coal Harbour is packed with leisure craft and not surprisingly so, as Vancouver must be the best harbour in Canada for recreational boating.

Dinner at Hook restaurant was pleasant after some pre dinner drinks and a snack at our hotel, which is only 5 minutes walk away. We enjoyed our maple syrup infused smoked salmon with our pre dinner drink.

Tomorrow is our last day in Canada, but we have a full day as our flight doesn't depart until 11.15 pm.

Fly to Vancouver

 5th October 2022

Today's flight to Vancouver leaves at 12 noon, so there is no hurry to leave early. We have breakfast at the hotel, and depart at around 9.20 am. We are not sure what airport congestion is like now, so we err on the side of caution.

It is only about a 40 minute drive to the airport, including a stop to fill the fuel tank before we return it to the rental company. Our total driving distance was just over 5,100 km, and the  faithfull Toyota did a good job. The space in the back for all of our luggage was great.

Check in, and baggage drop was quick, as the airport was really not very crowded. Once through security, we still had an hour to fill in before boarding.

It was a full flight and none of us were seated together, but it went quickly and we were in Vancouver 5 hours later.

No food is supplied on Air Canada Economy (there is a limited selection to purchase), so when we arrived at our Hotel, Best Western Sands, at around 3pm, we were hungry. Fortunately they have a pub/bistro on the ground floor and we quickly gravitated down there for a late lunch/early dinner.

A series of promotions were available on Wednesdays including 2 appetisers for $17, and discounted craft beer. We quickly settled in, taking advantage of some of the deals and ordering what turned out to be a feast.

John went for the butter chicken poutine and 3 sliders, utilising the 2 for one appetiser deal

Carole had chicken wings and baked cauliflower using the same promotion

And Sharon and I had the salmon burger and caesar salad

It was a pretty good sized meal for all of us, and very well cooked. Even the poutine managed to get some praise from John.

After sitting on a plane for so long, and then having a big meal, we decided we needed a bit of exercise. So headed off for a walk in the direction of the water. We are located only a short distance from the water and the district is absolutely packed with take away food outlets and restaurants. The weather is nice and warm with locals out sunbathing on the "beach" and some even having a swim.

The beach

A walkway follows the coastline around for several km, but we gave up after a km or so and there were plenty of people out for a stroll or just sitting soaking up the sun.

This gaggle of wild geese were also enjoying the conditions

Eventually, we turned back towards the hotel, this time walking along the street rather than the waterline to familiarise ourselves with the surroundings.

The are lots of restaurants, so we are unlikely to struggle to find somewhere to eat over the next few days.

This hotel is slowly being taken over by a vine

Streets lined with eateries

Everyone is pretty tired and when we arrive back at the hotel at 5.30pm, arrangements for dinner are pretty loose. No-one is really hungry and a few of us said we might step out at around 7pm to have something light. Carole and I ventured out, but the little Spanish bar we had our eye on for maybe a plate or two of Tapas was packed. There was nothing else that offered a light meal so we went back to the hotel and had some cheese and biscuits, determined to get a good nights sleep for plenty of sightseeing tomorrow.
 

Toronto for a Short Stop Over

 4th October 2022

It is a bit overcast this morning, but nevertheless, the surise over the falls is stunning.

The drive to Toronto this morning is only around 1.5 hrs, so there is no hurry and we will just aim to park our car at the hotel, and check in when rooms are available. 

Breakfast was once again very good, with the omelette lady getting a good workout. By the time we had checked out, loaded the car and we on our way it was about 9.45am. The cloud has burnt off and it is another sunny day as we leave Niagara Falls on a great freeway to Toronto.

Unlike the last time we came into Toronto, the traffic and roadwork seems to be less of an issue, or perhaps the location of our hotel this time is more accessible. We are right in the middle of the Financial district at the Hilton Downtown, within walking distance of the waterfront.

Far too early to check in, we talked to the staff at the desk and they organised for our baggage to be stored until rooms were available, and for car parking for us.

With all of that out off the way, we had a few hours to fill in on foot exploring Toronto, or at least the vicinity in which we are placed.

The next few hours were spent exploring on foot, and of course having lunch.

Downtown Toronto

We eventually gravitated towards the waterfront, to Queens Quay and the Harbourside centre. Clearly the tourist season is over as there were many cruise vessels tied up alongside with no bookings, and only a few small boats taking customers out for a harbour cruise.

Lonely cruise ships

The tall ship did eventually go out

John and I checking out the waterfront

There are surprisingly few people around

We decided to have lunch at The Goodman Pub and Kitchen at Queens Quay. The food was great and the weather nice enough to sit outside. As usual, the craft beer was excellent.

After lunch we continued down the waterfront to find a small marina with a mix of yachts and powerboats, right at the city edge.

Back at the hotel by 3pm, we could check in to very comfortable rooms with great views of the city. We are only here for tonight before flying out to Vancouver tomorrow where we will spend 2 nights before flying home to Sydney.

View from our hotel room, over the Law Courts

Dinner plans are a bit loose to night, so we agreed to meet in the lobby at around 6 pm and discuss. The restaurant at the Hilton does not get a very good wrap, but there is a local restaurant 250 metres away that gets good ratings, so we thought we would try it out. 

When we arrived, the place was packed, and it is a big restaurant. They manage to get us in without a reservation, on a small round table with 4 chairs around it. The place is humming, probably because it is in the middle of the Financial district and at least half of the patrons are in suits either drinking or dining. It is pretty noisy, but we suspect this will die down when the drinkers leave.

Despite the frantic activity, and a few hiccups, like shortage of wine glasses, we settled in for a great meal. Even better, Tuesday night is half price wine bottle night, which explains why there was a shortage of wine glasses. John and I had a half rack of ribs and they were great. All of the meals were good.

The drinkers did leave and the noise levels dropped resulting in a most enjoyable meal, even though table space was a bit tight.