MONDAY & TUESDAY, JULY 28 & 29

MONDAY & TUESDAY, JULY 28 & 29:

     The overriding theme of these two days was that it’s NOT the journey – it’s the destination!  Both days were stellar, once we got to our destination.   But getting there – oh man, what an ordeal (both days). 

      The first day was due to us missing the exit for the bridge we wanted (the iconic Lions Gate Bridge), and when we did exit, we had no idea where we were.  Ended up spending at least an  hour going thru congested traffic from one end of Vancouver proper to the other (east to west), including going right through the heart of downtown.  If you don’t think that’s fun in a dually diesel pick-up, with kayaks on top and a bike rack on the front,  trying to negotiate  narrow city street lanes, with cars all around you cutting in, making quick turns, and pedestrians darting out seemingly regardless of the traffic light . . . well, you just don’t know a  good time when you see one!

     The second day we made the bridge exit fine – were just congratulating ourselves when we realized there was a huge line of traffic waiting to cross over the bridge, moving excruciatingly slowly.  Then, as we approached further, we saw that the bridge was closed due to a serious accident (we learned later), and the police were turning everyone around.  Of course, we had no idea of where to go as an alternate (were determined that we weren’t going to repeat yesterday’s ordeal no matter what).  So we meandered around for an hour or so, again in North Vancouver, until we made our way back towards the bridge, figuring that it had probably re-opened by now.   Thank God that Bill is so calm and unflappable in high stress situations like these.  Otherwise, we’d probably be heading home by now (not to mention calling a divorce attorney.  ONLY KIDDING )!  And thanks to God for His angels being on overtime to protect us every time we navigate these city streets.
       

Our destination on Monday was Stanley Park, the 1,000 acre park (100 acres larger than NYC’s Central Park) at the northwest peninsula of Vancouver proper.  This is a gorgeous oasis of forest, gardens, beaches, and other attractions in the midst of the frenetic city.  It was named after Lord Stanley, Canada’s Governor General at the time the Vancouver city fathers created the park (the same Lord Stanley in honor of whom professional hockey named its Stanley cup).  Some people consider it the best urban park in the world; it’s certainly in North America’s top three, no matter whom you’d ask.  

     One of its premier attractions is its 13+ mile Sea Wall loop path around the perimeter of the park (which is surrounded by water).  The path is divided between walkers and cyclists/roller bladers, and most of the path is one-way only for cyclists. It was an absolutely perfect day to ride this path, as attested to by the number of folk out there today.  But virtually everyone is considerate and follows the rules; otherwise, it would be mayhem.  We made several stops along the Sea Wall, usually just to sit on a bench and take in the stunning views, including those of beautiful iconic Lions Gate Bridge (which has often been compared to the Golden Gate) and the Vancouver skyline.   No wonder this is Vancouver’s most popular recreational facility/activity!

                                                             

                                                      

                                                           

                                                            Fountain at Lost Lagoon

              
             About ¾ of the way through the path, we saw a sign for Stanley’s Park Bar & Grill.  We were getting hungry (it was about 5:00 now), and the menu looked good.  The restaurant is in a charming setting, with gardens and of course classic Northwest trees – Western cedar, hemlock, and fir.  
                                                                     

    
  

The food matched the ambience . . . Bill got a tuna dish, prepared very rare, just the way he loves it.  I just got the fish ‘n’ chips – a smaller “senior” portion than the regular size, for a smaller price. ( I was so miffed – the waitress just nodded and didn’t even have the decency to say, “No way, you don’t qualify as a Senior!” )  The most delicious part of my meal was the Sangria I ordered.  We had gotten pretty warm over the course of the afternoon, and the chilled white wine Sangria sounded too refreshing to pass up.  It tasted all that and more . . . so much so that I had a second!  Yummmmm

     Continued on our way
                                                                              

 

til we reached our starting point, the Totem Poles.  So picturesque in the dimming sunlight.

 

       On Tuesday, our destination was Granville Island.  Karen had recommended this as a must-see, fun place, and it kept popping up in our tour guides  Granville Island is a tiny “island” just south of Vancouver proper, which, surprisingly, used to be Vancouver’s industrial hub until half a century ago, when it was left deserted.  Some wise civic-minded people decided it would be a great idea to re-populate the island with waterfront restaurants, cafes, galleries, shops, studios, live theatres and, its flagship attraction, a great public market.  It’s been thriving as a peaceful, yet vibrant, haven from the city ever since. 

      Because of the Lions Gate bridge disaster, we got there a few hours later than we’d intended, but it worked out fine.   We actually parked about a mile or two away; once again, having crossed over the Granville Bridge, we couldn’t figure out where we were, nor where the island itself was, but for our sanity needed to stop driving, park, and try to figure it out. We soon did (with the help of a really nice parking patrol officer), and serendipity – we could ride our bikes to the island.  A really pleasant pedal through a city commercial/shopping area, down under an overpass, a few more blocks, and Voila – Welcome to Granville Island!  It’s situated directly under the bridge!

                                                          

 

 

           We strolled around a little, but then were getting hungry, so went into the Public Market to select from the huge array of vendors.

                                                                             

            Ended up with a couple of slices of delicious fresh pizza.  Took our repast outside, where street musicians played for us.  We stayed for a long time there, going back for gelato for dessert, just enjoying the sun, the music, the views, the people, and the seagulls.  

                                                               

                                          

       Then made our way through some of the other little streets and alleyways, poking into shops & galleries which attracted our attention.  Ran into two guys who were working outside of their studio on a 40-foot sculpture which a sign said was going to be installed in Fairbanks, AK.  We asked exactly where – so that if we ever returned there, we’d have this great story of connection!

     We were getting ready to get our bikes and leave when we passed a restaurant which caught our eyes had a posted menu with mainly seafood, at reasonable prices.  So decided on the spur of the moment to eat there.  We ordered a Sandbarge (name of the restaurant is The Sandbar) platter to split, which served up cold jumbo prawns, oysters, clams, & crab legs.  Our first real seafood here in the Northwest!  Was delicious.  Topped it off with a lemon tart.  Also scrumptious.  This restaurant was a fun place, with of course a nautical theme, and situated directly under the bridge.  You could look up outside a window and see it right above your head!

     So then  got our bikes and rode back to the parking lot.  About 8:00 now, and cooler.  Was mostly uphill getting back, so we didn’t mind.

     Over the Granville Bridge, through the part of Vancouver proper we needed to follow (we were obsessive about looking for the right highway signs), over the Lions Gate Bridge ( no wrong turns or exits!), and up to Hwy 99/Canada 1 which would lead us to the Sea to Sky Hwy and  home.  Felt like quite a day’s journey. 

     At the end of the day, we can say that the stresses of the JOURNEY were far outweighed by the marvelous enjoyable times we had at the DESTINATIONS.  In fact, it truly did seem that within just a few minutes of arriving where we wanted to be, the stress was washed away by the excitement and stimulation of our next imminent adventure.

      And, in truth, there were even some memorable moments in the journeys, most notably driving through some neighborhoods – the aforementioned luxurious West Vancouver enclaves, and more middle/working class neighborhoods of North Vancouver.  One sight hard to miss while driving through these areas is the abundance of hydrangeas – they were everywhere - in an array of colors.  I’ll always associate these showy flowers now with Vancouver.

                                                                   

                                                              

 

And of course we got to see downtown up close and personal.