Day 2 - Vancouver

After a refreshing night's sleep, we were ready for a trip to Stanley Park, which is a sea-bordering park filled with hiking, museums, cafes, etc. and even larger than New York's Central Park. We took the car, which was rather decadent, but actually helpful because the park was huge and this way we could see the entire thing. We started at Prospect Point, which had an amazing view down a steep cliff to the ocean and the city on the other side, plus the Lion's Gate Bridge which almost looked like a mini-Golden Gate. We wanted to get to the famous sea wall, which takes you right along the water for a total of 10 kilometers, and after running into an intrepid older Australian couple on a path, we figured out how to get down there. (We actually ran into a number of Australians vacationing in Canada, and I found it amusing that David didn't seem to notice they were Australian and vice-versa until I pointed it out. Or perhaps Australians just don't point out things like that :)). The walk was incredible, with stops at little beaches along the way, and the occasional (since it was a weekday) skater or biker passing us on the wide path. We saw families playing in a giant salt-water swimming pool right near the beach, and ended up walking a couple miles towards the west end of Vancouver. We headed back to the car eventually, feeling lunchish, and ended up in a café where the food was only so-so but the view was amazing. Afterwards, we drove around the park's central road, seeing the totem poles (also a big thing in British Columbia as a symbol of First Nations cultural impact) and a few other vistas.

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Because we were in the car, we headed to the other side of Vancouver and under the major bridge to an area called Granville Island, which used to be a site of warehouses and is now a rather chic market place with lots of little nooks and cafes and a college of photography and design. They have a big Public Market there with every kind of food imaginable (too bad we'd just eaten) and singers performing out on the docks. During our stroll, we discovered that Granville Island is the headquarters of the annual Fringe Festival, a Vancouver institution in which dozens of international performers put on not-yet-vetted plays of an hour or less in dozens of makeshift venues on and around Granville Island. The best part is that each play is only $9, so you can see as many as you want to. We found the office and purchased tickets to two consecutive shows the following night, which was opening night. Feeling pleased with ourselves, we drove to Kitsilano, asomewhat funky beachside neighborhood outside of downtown Vancouver but not far from Granville Island, and we parked and then walked many blocks seeing the main strip. There would have been a lot of shopping but at this point most things were closed, particularly since when we pulled up at the beach parking, we were suddenly so exhausted that we fell asleep in the car for a half hour. :) But we walked for some time and ended up having dinner at a vegetarian Indian place called Anapurna. It was very affordable, but we weren't that impressed, actually. The naan wasn't fluffy, and the curries didn't seem to have enough flavor. Also, the server kind of bullied us into ordering more than we wanted, which was kind of bizaare, and then of course we couldn't finish half of it. ;) Exhausted, we made our way back to the car and didn't get back to the hotel until nearly 10:00.

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We had an unexpected treat when we got back to the hotel; our feet were aching from our many walks that day and we decided to check out the hotel spa. Well, not only were we the only ones there, which made it very romantic, but the pool and spa were in a glass atrium on a roof deck so you could see the city all around you while you simmered in the Jacuzzi. It felt so good!

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