Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

We got off the Zaandam about 5lb heavier each, so we decided that whatever we did in British Columbia we'd be active about it: walking, hiking, bicycling, whatever. On each day we walked several miles, first in Victoria, and subsequently Vancouver (Victoria was the next-to-last port of call for the cruise, Vancouver was the disembarkation point).

Vancouver  is practically(?) surrounded by water. The Sydney of North America you could say. The photo at left is the view from our hotel window, at the lovely Westin Bayshore, which Kathy scored for $65 US$ per night. The weather was as good as it gets, with temperatures in the mid-60s F, mostly sunny. We lucked out in this department.

When we first arrived, Vincent and partner Peter  (new-found friends from the cruise shown at right on the ship with us) gave us a complete car-tour of Vancouver, then dropped us off at our hotel. They'd been away for a month too, and had some matters they needed to take care of, but we met up with them again our last evening, saw their wonderful apartment and chatted into the evening. They are good friends and gracious hosts and we hope to see them again soon.

We spent a lot of our time just wandering and taking in the beautiful scenery. We toured the waterfront, took the Skytrain completely around its route, and spend most of a day in Stanley Park at the Aquarium. It's a great aquarium, representing regional sea life. A highlight was to see big, white beluga whales only a few feet away. We've both seen whales in Boston harbor cruises, but nothing quite so "up close and personal". We ate ethnic food (Malaysian, the first night, Japanese another). With the value of the Canadian dollar at about US$.60, everything was a bargain.

Scott's been looking into an interesting place to enroll in a Culinary Arts school. Vancouver has a couple of good choices, Dubrulle and Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. At Dubrulle we met Admissions Director Bob Sung. We liked Dubrulle (and Bob) a lot. We seem to have a similar thoughts and passion about food and travel. Hope to see him again, whether I (Scott) end up at Dubrelle or elsewhere.

Selected photos (click on any image for full-sized version)

Victoria Parliament house Victoria Empress hotel Park in S. Victoria   Victoria waterfront Victoria waterfront Two of our table-mates Vancouver seaside Yes, there. THERE! "You think there's a family resemblance?" Eyes in the back of his head Hockey reigns here Vancouver Chinatown Narrowest building in the world, we're told Happy Ferry Driver Other people's kids are so cute! Beach picnic Hotel with a view Beluga whale @ aquarium Stanley Park totems