DAY 12 - CANADA

VANCOUVER - Day 12  

Something different for breakfast……we assemble in the hotel Pinnacle foyer at 7;00am and are split into 3 equal groups of 15. We need our wet weather gear as it is raining steadily for the past few hours.  Three guides from a foodies tour group then take us on a tour of the food places of the City.  We have a bubbly young Joyce who takes us firstly to a unique coffee shop that brews its own many coffee brands.  From there we head to one of the upmarket supermarket stores of very select lines for Egg benedict.   The store has upmarket fresh produce at reasonably high prices.   There are a number of these stores in town.   In addition to the Eggs Benedict we sample salmon pate, a Dutch award winning cheese and chocolate.

From there we walk to another outlet to have a fresh “cold” croissant.  We say farewell to Joyce our Guide, and then it is back on the bus to visit Stanley Park’s totem section and their gift shop.

Back on the bus to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge in the rain-forest.  Two first nation guides explain the history of the park development and the meaning of the totems plus the plants in the plants in the park.  Geronimo conducted the plants in the park tour.  It predominantly relates to the trees in the park, and was only partaken once we had crossed a very large suspension bridge, some 21+metres above the valley floor, which had many people crossing in both directions at the same time.  This caused it to sway substantially, which was not good for Dot’s knees.

We saw the giant Western red Cedars and Douglas Fir, the latter having a unique survival factor in exploding resin to clear surrounding trees via fire to ensure space for new seedlings.  Fallen trees become nursery logs for new growth.    After Geronimo’s tour we get the opportunity to do a tree tops walk some 20+ metres in the tree to gain a squirrel’s eye view.  It is then back to negotiate the suspension bridge return with the volumes of Tourists coming in.  We spend over 2 hours at this special place and then back to Stanley Park for a different view of Vancouver and surrounding bayside areas.

It is back on the bus to visit Granville Island, an old industrialised area which has been revitalised with food markets via a boating harbour.   We all head off to buy lunch….too many choices across the range of stalls.  Each couple settles on a Clam Chowder in a pastry topped pot to share; then we go searching for a sweet pastry for dessert……very difficult as so many choices.   Helen goes to the fresh fruit market and gets a mixed punnet of luscious strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries.   We also take the opportunity to pick up some “bubbles” to take onto the ship tomorrow.

We do some more touring around the City on the bus before returning to our Hotel around 3:45pm.

Dot, Helen and Michael visit the Imax theatre for a thrilling and breath taking “Fly over Canada” film, which Ian chooses to sit out.   From there we do a quick walk circuit of the city looking for some gifts as well as some drugs to fight off our coughing / sneezing.

We join the others on the top floor – (20^TH) for a farewell to Canada dinner and receive instructions on the Cruise ship which we will be commencing tomorrow.  Spectacular harbour views of the setting sun were seen.