Eat, Walk, Shop

Three days in Vancouver and I really did very little other than eat, walk and shop. On one day alone I walked 24,077 steps, or 15.72 kilometers. This is according to my Fit Bit. I walked from downtown to the West End, to Gas Town and Chinatown. Glorious walking weather with the warmth of the sun and the slight coolness of the air joining to create a perfect temperature.  

Along the walks were street performers, artists and a "Gumhead" which is a seven foot high head created by Douglas Coupland as an art instalation outside the art gallery. It is an interactive piece of art where people have been sticking their chewed chewing gum all summer.  The result is Gumhead. 

Another walk took me past the apartment building I lived in in 1968/69. It looks a little worn but is still standing. It holds many wonderful memories. 

Every trip to Vancouver involves several restaurants. This one was no exception. There was Japanese food at Osaka Sushi, Malaysian food at the Banana Leaf, Thai food at Sala Thai, and Ukrainian food at the Ukrainian  Village. 

Dale and I discovered a new restaurant on Main Street called The Wallflower that serves delicious tofu dishes for breakfast and Chill Winston did not disappoint with its food or its wonderful patio. 

 

No visit to Vancouver would be complete without having something to eat from one of the many food carts. My choice this time was Mr. Shawarma, that served a very delicious Middle Eastern wrap. 

I love eating from food carts and although Vancouver has some good carts it cannot rival Portland, which has been dubbed the best place to have street food, with hundreds of carts throughout the city. 

I tried a few in Portland last year but it would take several,trips there to make a dent in their selection. 

My next trip will be to Peru in a month's time so stay tuned.........

Salt Spring Island

It was a relaxing three hour ferry ride from Tsawwassen to Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island.  We stopped at Galiano, Mayne and Pender islands before disembarking on Salt Spring.  The day started out with rain but the clouds parted and the sun shone and it was nice to be on the outside decks with the ocean's gentle breeze and the warm sun, marvelling at some of the majestic homes along the way. 

We checked into the Salt Spring Inn, which is on the list of historic buildings, having been built in the early part of the 20th century.  The Inn has only seven rooms and we had one of only two rooms with a private bath. On our first night we were awakened at midnight by a fire alarm and proceeded outside to escape a possible inferno. It turned out to be some smoke in the kitchen that was easily explained away, but I cannot recall the details of the explanation. 

The major reason for my visit here was to visit Gwen and she accompanied us as we explored the island and was an excellent tour guide. The island has many artists and artisans and eclectic shops with names like 'Stuff and Nonsense'.  We ate seafood at Vesuvius Bay and clam chowder at Fulford Harbour. We visited the Saltspring Island Cheese Company where the tasting room provided one with enough samples to call it a lunch.  We watched the boats come and go in Ganges Harbour and made sure we didn't hit any of the many deer that roam the island. 

Yesterday we walked along an enchanted trail in search of a faerie village. We wandered through a tropical paradise with trees too tall to let the sun in, where moss covered everything and it was so quiet that not even a bird was heard. We walked past doorways, garden doors and interesting mossy creatures and finally came upon the faerie village. 

We continued to walk until we ended up at a little pebbly beach at the edge of Ruckle Park. It is secluded as it is only accessed by hiking or boating. 

My favorite photo from Salt Spring is the one with the fog over Ganges Harbour.

Next stop Vancouver. 

The long and winding road

I am en route to the coast to cross another destination off of my bucket list, that destination being  Saltspring Island. Gwen, how many years ago did you move to Saltspring?  It would be about that many that I have told you that I was going to visit.  Well, the time is now. I am currently in a hotel in Tsawwassen and will be catching the ferry tomorrow morning. 

Today was a beautiful autumn day to be driving and with Charlotte as my traveling companion we headed out on the Crows Nest Highway, more familiarly referred to as the Hope Princeton Highway.  It is a slower, more scenic route and we stopped along the way at Olalla, Keremeos and Hedley. The trees are beginning to turn color, and even though they are not in full color, the fruit stands in Keremeos displayed their autumnal pumpkins and gourds. 

I love stopping in Hedley. It is quaint and charming......well, sort of, and maybe just a little weird, but that only adds to its allure.  It has a gold mining history so I could add it to the gold trails and ghost towns I have been to this year. 

No drive along this route would be complete without a stop in Hope at The Blue Moose.  They have delicious soups, scones and sandwiches and they brew a great cup of coffee.  That is a lot of customer satisfaction. 

We arrived at our destination in Tsawwassen and imagine my surprise when i walked into the lobby of the hotel and saw my name on a board declaring me the special guest of the day. This meant that I got a goodie bag and was upgraded to a suite. Woo Hoo. 

A great first day of a new road trip and Charlotte, if you read this, you have been a great traveling  companion. Don't let it go to your head though, we have a few days left together.  😉