Vancouver, BC

White top mountains, sun, sea and sand

If ever you are planning a trip from Calgary to vancouver, i recommend you booking a flight. A 15 hour coach journey is something you don't want to endure, especially when there is the likely hood of a traffic jam on the Trans Canada highway! For some reason this 15 hour journey seemed to take forever. Although i happily sat through the 15hour coach journey from Toronto to New York, for some reason this time is was painful.

Bridge to Granville Island

Maybe my excitement was the reason for my agitation. Before i even arrived in Canada countless amounts of people had repeated the words "make sure you go to Vancouver". And so the time had come for me to see what the fuss was about. Walking out of the train station in vancouver was something great! Welcomed by 30C degree weather was a bonus! Luckily the sun decided to bless Vancouver with it's lethal rays for the entire time we were there!...not complaining! I thought maybe this would be my chance to jump into the sea...it's not a lake but its good enough for me. Unfortunately the Pacific's water was cold enough to make your legs go numb in a couple of minutes. The swimming shorts went back into the backpack once again. 

A visit to vancouver is not complete without a wonder around Stanley Park, located in the north west of Vancouver. Whether you choose to explore the park on foot, roller blades or bikes you will definitely it! We chose to bike it around the park! Located in the Park was Vancouver Aquarium! We ventured in towards what was called Beaver lake. Didn't see any Beavers. We eventually pulled up at third beach to enjoy the weather and to mess around in the sand and the sea! It was nice to chill in the sun instead of worrying about how to save exposed skin from the harsh weather. Although i can't really complain as we've had plenty of sunshine and heat!

Kayaking

The following day we made our way to Granville island where we enjoyed the Market's sweet and savoury foods! Once we settled our stomachs we made our way to rent Kayaks! Im gutted i didn't take any pictures while kayaking, but it meant taking a brand new camera into the wavy waters. It was great getting into the water and paddling along the coastline of Vancouver and trying to dodge any boats that were making their way into the harbour. It was a great way to look out onto the city, i definitely recommend it. The rest of the time was spent relaxing on the sand and enjoying the last moments of exchange, but also dreading the thought of it ending.

A great part of Vancouver's history is towards the north of city, the Capilano suspension bridge. After paying a quick entry we were greeted by a 20 minute history tour which revealed the scottish heritage. We made our way across the bridge, some with enthusiasm and others with fright. I do not recommend trying to scare your friends by jumping up and down on the bridge...haha B wasn't that bad! There isn't just the suspension bridge but also quick talks on the wild life and walkways in the trees. Definitely worth a visit. And so my final thoughts on Vancouver. I would definitely agree with everyone that Vancouver is a city you must visit! The view of snow top mountains in the background whilst sitting on the beach in the sun is definitely rare and beautiful. The weather definitely added to the fun! Vancouver is known to be a rainy city so I'm guessing we were really lucky! But I definitely agree that Vancouver is really nice and different from any other city I've been to in Canada. The people are friendly, the city is clean and safe! So yes! You have to visit Vancouver, preferably when the weather is hot!

View from the bridge