We had some breakfast at home this morning and then drove the Fox to downtown Vancouver. We found a day use parking garage in the Robson district and dropped the Fox off for the day.
We grabbed a few hot drinks from Starbucks and made a few calls from the payphone to my friends in Vancouver. We did some window shopping and Kam tried unsuccessfully to make an appointment for a haircut but the places were all booked for the day or outrageously expensive. Don’t they know we live in a trailer? Geeeesh!
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We followed the tourism map’s directions and soon found ourselves crossing a long bridge to the south of down town over to Granville Island. The Island isn’t really an island at all but more of an isthmus want to be. The Island is home to an eclectic mix of art studious, theatres, retail stores, restaurants and even its won brewery. Here’s a map of the ‘Island’
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We took a spin through the hopping Public Market which overlooks False Creek. There are all sorts of vendors, hawking a broad assortment of wares. We found a German bakery/bistro and ordered some lunch to go. We found a nice spot with views of the city and Burrard Bridge. It was really a pleasant day and I even saw a sea otter at play below us in the creek.
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After a bit more window shopping we stopped in the Granville Brewery to try sampler of the local ale. They had a nice hefeweizen and a peculiar ginger beer that neither of us cared for. Their Pale Ale was excellent and it looked like they had a nice menu had we not just eaten.
A short ride across False Creek via the water taxi, dropped us off at Sunset Beach. The city has a well maintained pedestrian walkway and bike path that stretches from the Beach to Stanely Park. We strolled along the water and soaked up the sunshine. It was a bit cool for us to take full advantage of the weather but it didn’t stop some brave sun worshipers from finding spots out of the wind to catch the first rays of the spring sun on their winter pale.
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There were lines of tankers off shore which we assumed were waiting for the tide to come in so that they could navigate their way to the many warfs in the Burrard Inlet. We continued our stroll up to Stanely Park and through the beautiful Rhododendron Garden. Through a small thicket we spied the Lost Lagoon and eventually found a nice bench to rest on beneath a Willow tree. The lagoon was teaming with migratory geese and ducks returning for the spring and it was fun to watch the chaos of so many weary travelers returning to their summer homes.
At nearby Devonian Harbor we stopped in at a dinner cruise outfit to get some info in case we had time to tour the city by boat. Hitching a ride at the bus stop on the corner we rested our weary feet and allowed the driver to chauffer us to the Gastown district of the city. While this area has a sense of character and old time charm, it is also a very busy panhandler area and home to a wild assortment of people.
Having worked up an appetite after our city trek we decided to grab an early dinner at the, much advertised, Old Spaghetti Factory. With reasonable prices and a huge menu we could understand why this place was a hit with the tourists.
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We took a seat on the streat side patio and had a great time watching Gastown’s denizens go about their afternoon routines. We even met the official greeter of Vancouver. This old fellow was a hoot, with his big smile and his homemade business cards. We had a delicious meal and then caught a bus back to our car. Unfortunately not before seeing a young lady vomit in the middle of the side walk. Yikes welcome to Gastown.
Anyhow by the time we got home we were exhausted and since we had eaten dinner only a short while ago we decided to take a quick soak in the hot tub, have a small bowl of soup and then go to bed.