The year's summer trip sees the family head out to British Columbia, with the driving force being the World Cup match between Australia and Turkey on Friday. Obviously there are many other things to do and see, so the net 12 days should be fun.
We arrived at our Airbnb late last night, but got up early for a long day's touristing. We want to get as accustomed to the time change as soon as possible for the 9pm (12am our time) game on Saturday. It started with a walk over to Granville Street to have breakfast at The Templeton, a classic old school diner. The perfect start to a vacation.
We walked south over the Granville Bridge to Granville Island. Here we wandered the shops, stalls and food halls, and of course stumbled across a World Cup watch party. The Island and the Brewery have an outdoor area where you can watch World Cup games on the big screen, in a family friendly atmosphere. we got a spot to watch the first half of Mexico (very well represented in the crowd) and South Africa, as it was important for the boys to the see the kick off for the first game. The atmosphere here was fun and while the Mexicans and Canadians dominated the crowd, there was barely a country not represented in the crowd. Every other person had their country's gear on and were having a great time.
Granville Island World Cup Watch Party, Vancouver, BC
We all got something from a different place in the food hall and sat outside, by False Creek, to eat lunch. I got a meat and potato pie. It's so good to be back in a place that has some Aussie food. I will make the most of that.
From Granville Island we caught the Aquabus over to Hornby Street and then walked along the seawall all the way around to English Bay. This vibrant part of town has people everywhere, with Canadians enjoying the "beach" (says the snobby Aussie), and Denham Road leading north to Vancouver Harbour filled with retail and restaurants. We walked all the way to Yes Bike Rentals, where we picked up bikes to make the ride around Stanley Park. A & I did this last time we were here (19 years ago - gulp!), but this time it was a little warmer (and of course I'm a lot older). The boys enjoyed the ride as we stopped at a few places along the way of the 6.5 mile ride around the edge of the park. An absolute must-do in Vancouver.
B&D, Inukshuk, Vancouver, BC
Vancouver, BC from Stanley Park
DML&B, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC
We zig-zagged our way through the West End and Davie Village neighborhoods on the way back to the apartment. It is so nice to see so many people out walking, riding bikes and just generally enjoying a city. I am really pumped to be here and hope the others enjoying the rest of the trip as much as I have today.
Dinner was only a few blocks away at The Banana Leaf. This Malaysian restaurant was recommended to A and we went in spite of not actually ever been to a Malaysian restaurant before. The food was excellent. I had a red curry chicken, and everyone was impressed with how good this place was. After dinner we headed back to where the day started. Granville Street. The city has made the street a pedestrian only walkway during the World Cup, and it is party central here. There are so many people around (for a Thursday night), and everyone has World Cup fever. Bars and restaurants have extra outdoor seating for all to watch games, there's a FIFA store on the street (that closed at 7pm - WTF?), and the vibe is just upbeat. Vancouver could prove to be a very wise choice as a World Cup host city.
Sunset here doesn't happen until after 10.15pm, so even though were back (exhausted) home at a decent hour, it still looks like the middle of the day. After a 22,000 step, 9.6 mile walking day, on top of the 6.5 mile bike ride, that didn't stop any of us getting a great night's sleep.
