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.