We woke extra early for us on holiday - 7.45am. Breakfast was by the coffee shop outside the hotel, where a very sarcastic waiter served us two poached eggs in a bowl. Must be a Vancouver thing?
We walked to the bike shop, which seemed further away than it looked on the map. Two young men in their 20s were inside, the owner and our guide for the day. I was give a mint green bike, just like Lucy. We cycled through the West End from the shop - the right turning traffic and general giveways took some time to get used to.
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| My bike |
Our first stop was by a frozen pond in Stanley Park. Our guide was super informative explaining about the city. We then went around the seawall, which was shut off after a certain point for no real reason. We saw the naval base, city across the water and some story totem poles.
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| Stanley Park |
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| Vancouver City |
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| Totem Story Poles |
Our feet were freezing and only warmed up when we went inside to use the bathroom! Next was more views of the mountains around the side of the park, "girl in a wetsuit", tall trees and lots of snow and ice on the track. Apparently this cold weather was uncommon for the city. We saw a beaver den and precautions to stop them damming the lake - a 'beaver buffer'.
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| Girl in a Wetsuit |
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| Our Vancouver Bike Tour |
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| Beaver Buffer |
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| Redwoods |
We popped up by some creatively named beaches "1, 2 & 3", and got a ferry to Granville Island. Not really an island so I don't know why it's called that! It was filled with ex-factories now theatres and art studios. We ate at a market - so warm inside! I had french onion soup pot pie. Delicious!
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| Beach 1, 2 or 3 |
I looked around the market - it was mainly veges and meat, but I also saw this amazing jewellery. I got some brass earrings casted from cedar branches. Mum got a bee necklace.
The next part of the tour was more urban. We biked around the waterfront, olympic village, science museum, Chinatown (which was full of interesting history), Gastown and then home. Gastown or Gassy Jack's Town was the original home of Vancouver. The dark brick buildings contrasted against the glassy apartments of the CBD.
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| Olympic Village |
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| Chinatown, Vancouver |
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| Chinatown, Vancouver |
We were freezing after our tour and got a hot chocolate to warm up. After some relaxing time we went for dinner at the Italian Kitchen again because it was so good! I had duck confit gnocchi - feeling stuffed again!
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