Day 35 Vancouver, Canada

Today we explored Granville Island and the Yaletown area.  Both places simply solidified our ever growing love of Vancouver.  We had to catch the ferry to Granville Island that is only a short walk from the Douglas Hotel.  I took a photo of the hotel as we were leaving this morning.  It is very much a boutique hotel that is really quite lovely with its heavy use of timber.

 The ferries run every 15 minutes so we only waited a short time to board for the 20 minute ride to Granville Island with three stops in between.  It was around 10 when we arrived and we hadn't had anything to eat so we found a restaurant where we ordered bagels and coffees that were surprisingly good. Can't say that the coffee we have had since leaving Australia has been great, but then again us Aussies are very particular about our coffee.

After breakfast we explored the markets that are a foodies delight.  It is laid out like our Rusty's market in Cairns but on a much grander scale.  You won't hear the food vendors calling out here but the locals seem to know exactly where to go for the best deals.  We were definitely not in the know because we paid $9 for a very large punnet of mixed berries, only to find them a dollar cheaper at a stall further along!  Mind you I would have paid double because these berries were superior to anything I have ever eaten before.  In amongst the berries were grapes and as soon as Philip and I tasted them we both had a walk down memory lane.  They tasted like the grapes that we remembered from our childhood.  Why can't we buy these in Australia instead of those bags of tasteless grapes! Also, this is the first time I have ever tasted Cape Gooseberries that are delicious albeit very tart.

Cape Gooseberries

We found a young girl standing on the pier talking about the Raptor.  They area really quite a magnificent bird.

Walking further along we came to another food area that concentrated on pastries and artisan breads.  The two girls that were selling the French Canaleś were handing out samples and we tried them (of course we did!).  OMG.  They were so delicious so we bought two that were topped with Lemon Curd.  We found a comfortable seat outside on the wharf and devoured them.  It is hard to explain what they are but they are certainly donut-like but they have been dipped in a toffee that hardens slightly on the outside.  Of course they are sweet, but you would expect nothing less from the French!

After we had our fill of Granville Island we again boarded the ferry and alighted at the stop that would take us to Yaletown.  This is a very trendy area that has many many restaurants interspersed with some great boutiques.  The streets are lined with greenery and the ferry driver told us that apartments in this area start around the $8 million mark.  I can understand why as the area borders False Creek that is a truly lovely area. The yachts that are moored in this area are mega yachts that only the very rich could afford.

Yaletown started as a rail centre and we passed a building that housed one of the original trains that had been beautifully restored by a group of passionate people.  

We continued our walk through the area and eventually found a terrific place for lunch.  Once again we were lucky enough to strike happy hour for food and beverages that makes it a very cheap meal indeed.  Our choice of finger food was perfect - Crispy Salt n Pepper Chicken Wings, Avocado, Tomato, Pesto, Buratta Bruschetta and Waffle Fries, and so delicious.  

It is not a long walk back to our Hotel, that also borders the Yaletown area, but we took our time to walk off our lunch.  While we waited at a pedestrian crossing we spotted this cyclist with his dog in the side-car.  Notice the glasses on the dog......

It was another glorious day with the sun shining brightly and we finally have been able to put our jackets and scarves away.  Mind you, I think when we head to Whistler next week we will need to pull them out again.

We check out of the Douglas Hotel tomorrow and move over to the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel and this will also mark the beginning of our 15 day APT tour.  Check-out time is midday but we can't check in to the Fairmont until 4pm so we will have to find something to do for those few hours.  I dare say it won't be a problem.