Lord Stanley, namer of Canadian things

Yesterday, we remembered our goals and ordered something for breakfast that required Maple Syrup.  No regrets.  It was amazing.  I ate more syrup on my French toast than I think I have ever eaten before.  Hooray, Canada!

When we left our bed and breakfast, we headed down to the waterfront to find the hop-on-hop-off tour bus.  It’s a highly efficient way to travel the noteworthy things in a city without too much worry.  We hopped on with a driver who was a non-native English speaker, and he recommended that we wear our complimentary headphones and plug them into channel two.  Not the most charismatic fellow. We left his bus in Stanley park.  

Stanley Park is named after the same Lord Stanley as the hockey Stanley Cup.  Popular guy for naming things.  His park is pretty spectacular. We got there and almost immediately got on a horse-drawn carriage tour.  The two horses pulling us were brothers from an Amish farm in Iowa, and they were named Tom and Tony.  Tom was highly distractible, while Tony was just a little bit lazy, and happy to let his brother do the work.  What a pair.  

Anyhow, after we parted ways with Tom and Tony, Cas and I walked through the park for a while, taking the opportunity to travel along several trails.  

We finally got back on the on-again-off-again bus, and somehow, we ended up with the same unenthused driver.  We got off again a few stops later and waited around (in a bar with good sangria) for a different driver.  Mission accomplinshed.  We got the very best driver that time around.  He turned off the tourist track that piped through the other driver’s headphones and told us about the city.  He was friendly, engaging and full of just enough local knowledge to make the trip very interesting.  We didn’t want to hop back off until his route was complete, so we didn’t. 

He took us to the spot at the waterfront where we started the adventure, and that left us just a little distance from the site of our dinner cruise.  We asked our friendly bus driver if he thought we could make the walk in the 30 minutes we had remaining, and he said we could definitely do that.  We failed to mention that we needed to factor in a bathroom break.  We just made it in time, but the pace was a bit rushed.  The supremely frustrating part, though, was that after the mad dash to arrive in time to board, the crew delayed boarding an extra 15 minutes.  We didn’t need to rush- we could have strolled along the sea wall.  Either way, we made it.  We boarded the Brittania, which I halfway thought could have been called the Lord Stanley. 

The dinner cruise folks must have picked up on something when they booked our tickets- maybe Cas and I give off a honeymooner vibe two years into marriage- because they stuck us at a table for two at the end of a row.  Kind of perfect, actually.  We pulled one chair around to the side and sat together, looking out the window at the city.We also took a few different trips up to the open air deck above the dining space.  

The meal was very good, the drinks were nice and the entertainment was fitting for the place.  They had an acoustic duo singing mellow music.  

Our whole wish was to see a pretty sunset out on the water.  Nailed it:

We’re just getting up for our last day in Vancouver now.  We’ll have our breakfast and head out to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge before moving on after dinner to the train station.  The Via Rail system is the name of Canada’s passenger train company, and they have a rather famous one that goes on an east-west track.  It heads through the Canadian Rockies and probably well past our final departure in Toronto.  The funny thing is that everyone here has heard of it, but nobody seems to know the name of the train.  Our booking information said it is called “The Canadian.”  Doesn’t get more straightforward than that.  Kind of a missed opportunity for old Lord Stanley, if you ask me. 

Anyhow, it’s time for some pancakes, I believe, and maybe a little syrup.  

Chinatown

When we left off, I was about to fall over, and the light in the room was still on, much to Cas’ dismay.  It was time to go to sleep.  Now that we’ve slept and the sunburn has had a real chance to make itself at home on our faces, necks and arms, I can offer another reason why we were so wiped out.  We have had our reminder to reapply sunblock.  Thanks, Grouse Mountain!  

Lest you think a little thing like having pink faces will stop us- we have big plans today.  Of course.  But let me finish up where I left off last night before we collapsed onto our pillows.  

The shuttle from Grouse Mountain dropped us off in the waterfront area, which is pretty much where we have been focusing our activities.  Cas had looked at a few maps (of course) and decided that we really couldn’t miss Chinatown.  Vancouver has a very large Asian population, and folks from many different cultures and traditions have made this part of the city their home.  Chinatown is just a handy shorthand, I suppose.  

We walked around a few streets until we found the rather low-key entrance to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.  We somehow walked in and bought our admission tickets right as a tour was starting.  A young man guided a group of visitors through the different parts of the garden, talking about the symbolism of yin and yang, the importance of serene gardens to aincient Chinese scholars and the architectural purpose of some of the building features.  

Sadly, we in the crowd weren’t very good students.  He would as a question about Taoism, for example, and you could hear the water flowing over the rocks with perfect clarity, because nobody answered a thing.  I think people eventually started volunteering guesses about halfway through the tour because it was kind of sad to watch him stand there and wait.  

It was a very pretty garden.  Cas has already posed our photos, I’m sure, but here’s one I particularly liked: 

I think that gives you the general idea.  

Following that, we walked past a few of the more interesting Vancover residents and found a place that claimed to specialize in Chinese dumplings.  Cas was pretty happy.  I am not near the dumpling aficionado he is, but I was game to try.  No regrets- it was an extremely delicious meal.  

While we had our dumplings for dinner, I shared my plan for the rest of the evening.  I wanted to find a botttle of wine and head back to the place where we’re staying.  It was a long day, and the kind of night that would be perfect for sitting on the porch with a bottle of wine.  And that’s just what we did.  Mission accomplished.  

Today, we have plans to go so Stanley Park, I believe, and take a hop-on-hop-off tour bus around the city.  We’re also looking into the possibility of taking a harbor dinner cruise and catching a British Columbia sunset.  It should be a pretty great day- but for now, it’s just about time to have some pancakes or some French toast or something.  Pretty much anything would do if it could deliver maple syrup to my plate.  We’ll come back here later on and let you know how it went.  

Don’t look directly at the grouse

For starters, here is a link to Cas’ photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MyfqUt8bbqJLQinD8

Enjoy.

Anyhow, Cas and I went to Grouse Mountain today.  I have been led to believe that a grouse is a bird. Beyond that, I have learned something about the grouse today.  It’s their mating season at this time, and there is a particularly territorial male grouse whose prime spot to scope out the ladies was in our tourist-path today.  It was the best sign I have seen in a while: 

When Cas and I woke up this morning, we had the breakfast that was promised in our bed and breakfast booking.  After we both sat down with fruit and eggs of some kind, it occurred to us that we missed the opportunity to order something that required real Canadian maple syrup.  Drat!  Tomorrow...  We eat all the syrup tomorrow.  

After our delicious but un-Canadian breakfast, we headed to Grouse Mountain.  I desperately wanted to see their lumberjack show, and it did not disappoint.  It was athletic, silly, corny and highly entertaining.  I needed to see it, though, because this is the sort of thing that simply does not happen in Dallas: 

After that show, we took a stroll past a pair of grizzly bears in a habitat at the top of the mountain.  Apparently, both bears were rescued from certain death somehow, and this place was their home.  They went into the tourism business.  Here’s one of them taking a bath: 

We took a chairlift to the tippy top of the mountain after we saw the bears, then we had a leisurely lunch.  Maybe we should have eaten faster or slower, because when we left the table, the line for the gondola back down the mountain was extremely long.  

Instead of waiting in the line, we elected to catch the first part of the bird show.  We saw Hercules, the bald eagle and a pair of hawks named Slightly and Lulu and a turkey vulture named Judge Dredd.  

It was a very entertaining show, and it wrapped up our mountain top time nicely.  When we got back down, we took the complimentary shuttle downtown and nearly fell asleep on the way.  There was plenty of sun at the top of Grouse Mountain, and the bus driver had to contend with plenty of rush hour traffic.  We were happy to sit and wait while all of that happened.  

We got off the bus downtown, and Cas had plans for a garden stroll and dinner.  I am pretty tired, now, so I will tell you al about the Chinese Garden and the really good dumplings when I get up in the morning.  It’s been a very long but wonderful day in Vancouver, and I may just nod off while typing if I stay up much longer.  

Until the morning, then!  

Homework

I am a student right now.  I am taking a series of graduate level classes, at the end of which, I will be able to work as a school librarian.   I actually woke  up this morning and checked in on my group project for the class I am currently taking.  

Cas and I really debated my decision to enroll in summer school.  Many of my cohorts are taking two or three summer classes.  I was debating between none and one.  I knew I wanted to be free to enjoy this trip.  Seems like I am all good- Cas slept away while I did my homework.  

Normally, homework has no place in a blog about a trip, but the place we’re staying names its rooms rather than numbering them, and strictly by coincidence, we were booked in one they call The Library.  Huh.  Maybe it’s a sign.  

Or maybe it has to do with this bookshelf:

This is my first try at a bed and breakfast.  I think I will wait for Cas to be clean and ready before I explore the breakfast part of it.  Then, it’s on to Grouse Mountain.  As always, there will be more later.  

Admiral, there be whales here

In the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, our old buddy James T. Kirk is an admiral in Starfleet, and they are plagued by a strange, alien entity who communicates through a series of odd sounds.  The closest approximation anyone has for the sounds is the song of the humpback whale.  The big problem is that, by this time in the future, the humpback whale has gone extinct.

And so, the plan is hatched.  The crew of the Enterprise will travel back in time to retrieve two humpback whales.  The whales will communicate with the alien entity, and after that, they can breed and bring back the humpback whale population.  Not too give too much away, but when Scotty beams the whales onto the ship, he utters the otherwise nonsensical line, “Admiral, there be whales here.”  

I told you that to tell you this: Cas and I had cause to repeat that same line, though there were no admirals present with us today.  We got on the train from our bed and breakfast and headed down to the water.  We stopped off at a tourism enter to ask questions, then we went to a nice casual restaurant for lunch.  When you are literally looking at the ocean, you’re pretty much obliged to order fish.  It was amazing, and they had plenty of local beer and cider on tap.  

From there, we went to the Prince of Whales boat for our tour.  We saw a pair of humpback whales.  It was pretty great.  

We also saw some sea lions, a bunch of harbor seals and a pair of bald eagles.  It was a pretty boat ride.  

When that ended, it was actually dinner time.  The woman at the tourism office recommended a place, and we went there.  We had some of the best shrimp dumplings I have ever had, along with a very nice piece of salmon that we shared.  We finished offf the night watching sunset from the tall, circular observation deck high above the city.  

We have big plans tomorrow- hopefully, we can watch a lumberjack show and meet the locally famous pair of grizzly bears.  For now, we’re completely wiped out.  We got up at 4am in Dallas, which is 2am here.  It’s now 10:30 here, so after midnight at home.  I think we’re both running on pure adrenaline from the spectacular day we just had, but that feels like it’s just about run its course.  

Cas is creating a photo album, and I am sure he will have a link to post tomorrow.  Until then, sleep well, and know that there be whales here.  

Checking in

Cas and I have arrived in Vancouver.  We got off the airplane, hopped onto their public transportation and made it to the city hall train stop.  From there, it was just a few blocks to our bed and breakfast spot, a lovely, little home called Windsor House.  We went ahead and took a selfie out front.  Enjoy:

Anyhow, that’s all you get for now.  We have a lot of exploring to do, and we’ve got a booking for a whale watching cruise later on.  There will be plenty to report at that time, but for now, I have to get a move on.  It’s time to play.  

Maple syrup and poutine

I've only tried poutine one time.  It was at a Canadian themed diner in Dallas.  It's just French fries, cheese curds and brown gravy.  Maybe I'll like it more when I travel to the source.

In about a week, we're back at it again.  Cas and I will take our now annual July trip, starting with a flight to Vancouver, British Columbia.  We'll be there for a few nights, then we'll get on the fancy train.  We'll get off the train in Jasper, Alberta for a few nights at a national park.  After that, it's back on the train to Toronto, Ontario.  We stay there for just one night, then we're on to Niagara Falls.  We've got a very fancy hotel booked for the night of our second anniversary, then we're staying somewhere a little more reasonable for a few nights. 

After all of that, we head back home.  Cas has looked up the average temperatures in all the various spots we plan to visit during July in years past, and the most excellent news is that the highs range from 75-85 degrees.  We may have chosen the precise right time to leave Dallas.  I'll be keeping everyone up to date as our adventure progresses, and I'll be on the lookout for good beer, maple syrup and gourmet poutine.