Trip to Vancouver, Part 4

After Capilano Suspension Bridge, we headed for the nearby Cleveland Dam... Ernest Cleveland, the first Chief Commissioner of the Greater Water District. The Cleveland Dam holds back the Capilano Reservoir.  Very few people were here, it was serene, and beautiful.  Afterwards we did a jog around the Seawall, which lines Vancouver's waterfront. Approximately 6 miles distance, I rate it as one of my top scenic runs of all time. You start with the harbor filled with boats, and the landscape changes dramatically as you go, with the cityscape, forests, rock formations, and beaches with people taking in the sun. We enjoyed it immensely and revisited the Seawall again during our trip.

Trip to Vancouver, Part 3

On our first full day in Vancouver, we woke up, mapped out our destinations, and headed to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. This park has a variety of bridges, the main bridge suspends above Capilano River, more than 200 feet above it. It was built in 1889 and it swings like crazy. The photos don't do it justice. The kids were pretty fearless across it, especially Sam. Steve and I were white-knuckling it.  You have no choice, you have to go across this main bridge in order to enjoy Treetops Adventure, which are walkways attached from tree to tree, and Cliffwalk. For the Cliffwalk bridges, you can see the hardware bolted to the rock, not much of an assurance as to how sturdy it is, as you walk along the skinny metal path. It all adds to the thrill of the attractions.  I recommend Capilano Suspension Bridge Park for the whole family!

Trip to Vancouver, Part 2

We arrived at our hotel, the L'Hermitage, in the late afternoon. We reserved a suite which had a separate living room with "fireplace" and bedroom. Our accommodations had a nice amount of space and a balcony. We walked to nearby Gastown, which is a newer, hip neighborhood with shops and restaurants. We had a delicious dinner at The Flying Pig. I had poutine for the first time, I think of them as fancy fries. After dinner we enjoyed a swim in the hotel lap pool and a soak in the jacuzzi.

Trip to Vancouver, Part 1

Our big trip this summer was a four night stay in Vancouver. I've always wanted to travel to Canada, a "foreign-enough" country where we could use our passports and still get by with our language. We flew into Seattle and rented a car. We stopped at Pike Place Market and had a wonderful lunch (Steve and I - shawarma, Arabic plate of food; kids - smoothies and bacon donuts among other tasty treats) in a coveted booth. Pike Place is so vibrant and alive with the sights and colors. We then drove our car across the border. So pretty, the flower flag welcoming us into Canada.