Just some thoughts – Page 23 – Just An East Coast Girl

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 11 July 20~ Vancouver Day 2…CHOICES

1st thing…Sleep in!!! I’m tired. All this sightseeing is hard work lol. Haha after all we are staying a couple of nights in the Granville Street district, the entertainment district in the heart of downtown which means no one is really up to early.

CHOICES!! Life is all about Choices, what to do?

We are just a short walk from the ferry terminal that goes to Granville Island so we thought it would be fun to check out the famous market. In the early 1900s, Granville Island was home to factories, plants and sawmills. Technically a sandspit and not really island, the neighbourhood sits just south of the downtown peninsula, right under the Granville Bridge. The Granville Island Public Market acts as a hub of activity, but it’s also one of the city’s most important cultural districts with theatres, artisan workshops and craft studios.

Yaletown was once the Western terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway, but the area’s more recent reinvention dates back to 1986 when the waterfront along the north of False Creek was host to many of the venues when Vancouver hosted the World’s Fair. Since then that land, along with the warehouse district adjoining it have been transformed into one of the city’s chicest neighbourhoods, filled with residential loft spaces, sidewalk cafes, cool restaurants, unique shopping, and leafy parks. Sitting along the south side of the downtown Vancouver peninsula

Screen Shot 2016-07-20 at 4.56.51 PM

Chinatown of course I wanted to go to China town! Established back in the 1890s, Vancouver’s Chinatown has been humming busily for more than a century with vivid colours, exotic cuisine and a vibrant culture. Vancouver’s Chinese population originally made the journey to work in local mines and build the Trans-Canada railway. Rich in history and architecture, this area east of downtown boasts North America’s third-largest Chinatown after New York and San Francisco. Although we learned that especially these days the greater Chinese population live in Richmond. Authentic Chinese for lunch today!!

A really cool thing about Vancouver is that usually there is a movie or series being filmed. It just so happened that they were filming The Flash today. So cool!

Well…Van city…it’s been wonderful!

Screen Shot 2016-07-20 at 5.28.56 PM

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 10 July 19 ~ Vancouver bound

What a wonderful couple days celebrating us. We slept in just a little this morning and then to Calgary Airport to return our rental and fly to Vancouver. I was quite excited to fly to Van. I had an overnight stopover here on my way to China last Fall and loved that Vancouver Airport and Vancouver has so many Chinese people. The signs in the airport are actually in 3 languages ( English, French and Chinese). I was really looking forward to spending some time exploring. We even saw Gerald in the Airport as we were leaving.

So…Two days to explore Vancouver City, what to do?

TOP of my LIST for Vancouver…Stanley Park

Vancouver’s Stanley Park is larger than New York’s Central Park. with 100 acres in the heart of the city. With beaches and gardens and an 8.8km seawall path circling the park, it’s a great place to come and relax or get a little exercise. It also has some of the most fantastic views of the city.

One of the other cool things at Stanley Park are the Totem Poles. First Nations culture is an important part of the history of both Stanley Park and Vancouver. Parts of the park were the former site of a First Nations village. The totems and gateways at were carved in the late 1880s and replaced with lookalike versions in the 1980s to keep the originals preserved. I just had to see them!

By the time we got done exploring the park, it was time to check in to our hotel and get some dinner.

Tonight we headed to Gas Town, along the north of the downtown Vancouver peninsula. Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, Gastown grew from a single tavern founded by John ‘Gassy Jack’ Deighton back in 1867. The district retains its historic charm and independent spirit. Victorian architecture, boutiques, one-of-a-kind galleries and some of the best culinary fare in Vancouver. It’s the place to go for dinner. So…we strolled along Water Street, saw the Steam Clock, and vintage lampposts, and at the end of Water Street saw the statue of the man who started it all, Gassy Jack Deighton. Then we had dinner at a great spot on the patio. 131Water Kitchen & Bar.

What a great first night in Vancouver.

PS. We are on the West Coast!!!!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 9 🍁A Canadian Love Story ~July 18 is our day!

I am a Canadian girl at heart! I love my country, I love my home. Yes, I love Tim Horton’s coffee ( and their maple donuts) I love the beach and seafood ( lobster and solomon gundy) I love dressing up and city life and I love to get dirty…afterall I’m still a country girl.

And even though I LOVE LOVE to travel all over the world, there is no place like home. And I am happy to share with people about Canada and tell them they MUST visit! I feel truly blessed and thankful to live in a country such as Canada, especially when so many parts of the world are in such turmoil these days. And now even more so after spending the last couple days in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. This is my country, this is home!!

Today my wonderful husband and I are celebrating 30 years of marriage. We dated for two years and then got married so I have actually known him for 32 years. Whoa! That’s a long time!! We wanted to make this Anniversary memorable, very special, since it is a milestone. What to do? Our 25th Anniversary was in Hong Kong, and 26th in Brazil…and then 27th and 28th in China and so how to top that, for a special 30th? We thought of Europe…Paris maybe ( the city of LOVE) that would be awesome!

2bfed181f733ec66406d02a492b8f92e

BUT… then we decided we would celebrate our 30th for 3 weeks! Yes, 3 weeks of travel across our beautiful country. Yes, Road Trip Adventure!!

Today, July 18, we are on Day 9 of our 30th Anniversary Across Canada Adventure and we spent the day in Banff & Jasper National Parks in the very heart ❤ of the Canadian Rockies, actually we spent some time walking on a Glacier…that’s VERY Canadian, right? The drive there and back was AMAZING!!! Pictures can not describe the beauty of this place.

And then a VERY Special gift…a new diamond…a Canadian diamond!! ( Diamond is the Modern suggestion for 30th Anniversary instead of the traditional Pearl) Most likely from the Diavik Diamond Mine. My diamond actually has a lasered Maple Leaf and number on it that shows exactly where it is from. How cool is that?

WE had such a wonderful day together driving up from Banff to the Columbia Ice fields where we took a bus, a really cool bus out to a glacier. We tasted fresh glacier water, went on the Sky Walk that overlooks that glacier and David gave me a beautiful new diamond set and I gave him a new wedding band. ❤

After just a wonderful day laughing and sharing special moments in such an awesome part of our country, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Iron Goat in Canmore with an awesome view of the mountains. And then a nice fire in the fireplace in our room. I call it our Fire & Ice Anniversary…for so many reasons…

It’s hard to believe it’s been 32 years since we started dating and 30 years since we said, I do! We love doing life together whether it’s in far away places like China or right here at home in Canada.

thumb_IMG_3611_1024

wedding-1986

Before we came on this road trip I dug out a few old pics…

My wedding gift to David 30 years ago...time sure flies! — My wedding gift to David 30 years ago…time sure flies!

Our 15th Anniversary…halfway to today!

15 years 15Anniversary

And of course 30 years…Seems a life time ago…we were just kids!

And believe it or not…I still have a few pieces of cake saved from our reception…anyone want some? lolHappy 30th Anniversary Sweetheart ❤

TODAY…It was truly a memorable celebration of you & me!! Here are a few pics…

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 8 July 17~ Me & You in the Mountains

Today was awesome! We spent the day surrounded by beautiful mountains!

Destination— Canmore and Banff

Today we took a leisurely drive to Banff via Canmore.

Both places are absolutely breathtaking. The Mountains the views, they take your breathe away…

We are so happy we chose this area as the destination for our Anniversary,

We stopped in Canmore for a picnic lunch. We didn’t stay there too long because we will be back there tomorrow night to spend the night.

Then it was on the Banff. Banff Avenue is so beautiful. We walked the streets browsing the shops and enjoyed a beavertail.

We checked in to the Buffalo Mountain Lodge nestled in the mountains

We decided to do a suppertime hike to Sulfur Mountain. It was a 5.5km hike but I found it brutal. I guess I need to get in better shape. We made it to the top and the view is so amazing. Well worth the walk up! The gondola ride was the best way down after the hike.

13735337_1054024891333901_1632323577_n 13695114_1054025218000535_2113558930_n

We quickly got dressed for dinner ( a late dinner) and went to Saltlik. The food was so delicious and just perfect after the hike.

It was after 10 by the time we got back to our hotel in the mountains so we went for a quick relax in the hot tub ( had it all to ourselves) and then back to our room for a cozy fire before bed.

13713390_1054024714667252_131431522_n

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 7 July 16~ Badlands & Hoodoos and Pearls & A Pirate Ship

This morning we left Calgary and headed for the Badlands! Drumheller and the Hoodoo trail to be exact. This is such a cool area just an hour and a half outside of Calgary. What is really cool is the way the landscape gradually changes as you get closer to the badlands. We went from flat land with roads that you can see for miles lined with beautiful green and yellow. The canola crop is in full bloom and it’s amazing. As you get closer it gets a little hilly and then all of a sudden you are in the Badlands!

Badlands are dramatic landforms that develop an intricate network of deeply incised, narrow, winding gullies and occasional fantastically shaped hoodoos. Steep, often precipitous and densely rilled slopes almost devoid of vegetation are striking evidence of the forces of erosion.

Hoodoos (aka fairy chimneys and earth pyramids) are tall rock pillars created from soft sedimentary rock (sandstone) topped with a harder rock which is more resistant to time and the elements like wind and rain. Over time the weather creates 4 to 7 metre tall red rock pillars shaped like mushrooms. The hoodoos are easily identified. These hoodoos are a symbol of the Canadian Badlands in Alberta, Canada. Aboriginals in the 18th century used “hoodoo” ( not voodoo) to communicate with evil and supernatural forces. They believed the hoodoos were evil giant gods turned to stone by the Great Spirit. It was really cool to see this!

After a quick lunch at a picnic spot along the way…

it was on to Edmonton. To West Edmonton Mall. We just HAD to go back! I wanted to see what changed in the last 29 years. There’s a huge pirate ship, the Santa Maria ( an exact replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship for his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492). And it is here at this spot, One of the special memories I have of our visit to West Edmonton Mall in July 1987 was choosing an oyster and inside was a beautiful pearl…a bluish one. David had the pearl put in to a ring as a 1st year Anniversary gift for me. I still have it BUT I don’t wear it often because the ring part has worn a little bit over the years.

My pearl ring from West Edmonton Mall 1987

I think that started my love for pearls and I am so fortunate to have many beautiful strands from China. Maybe I should have done this again for our 30th Anniversary, after all it’s the suggested gift 😛

Screen Shot 2016-05-30 at 4.37.31 PM

There’s a skating rink, an amusement park, mini golf, a Fantasyland hotel, a wave pool…all these things I remember. It was fun to go back!

There are also shops and many stores at West Edmonton Mall BUT really…who goes to shop?

On the way home we stopped very quickly to see our niece Rachel, Gerald & baby Kiet in Airdrie.

and the outlet mall, Cross Iron Mills.

To end another wonderful day we had a great visit with a very dear friend ( she’s like family) Amber. She used to baby sit our kids and is very close to our family. She know lives in Crossfield so she came to visit at our hotel and I totally forgot to get a picture…

Another great day but I need to get to bed and rested. Tomorrow starts our “romantic two days” that are celebrating our Anniversary.

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 6 July 15~ Home of the Stampede

We were up and at it early this morning!!

And flying to Calgary. We actually arrived in Calgary at 9am!!!! Ya, early! So it was breakfast on the airplane and a little nap. This is a great way to bypass the awful drive in Northern Ontario.

After we picked up our rental, a black charger…

we had a whole day to explore this city that is so well known as the Home of Canada’s Calgary Stampede. It is actually Stampede Days while we are here but with only so much time, that is not priority on our list. ( I know, I know…it should be) BUT, with only 3 weeks, it’s pick and choose and this is one of those times. So…NO stampede. Besides TODAY is TORRENTIAL rains and thunderstorms…just like Exhibition Week at home.

There’s lots to do in Calgary! First, a quick overview. Calgary Tower.

This was fun and we got some good pictures without bright sun and before it fogged in too much and down poured. And guess what? Guess who else was in Calgary for the Stampede today?

That’s right! Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We actually saw all the streets blocked with police security while we were up in the Calgary Tower. We knew someone important was in town! He looks so great in a Stetson.

There’s a lot to see in Calgary that really doesn’t cost a lot. Lots of cool and interesting things. Like the Wonderland statue in front of the Bow Building, a walk along Stephen Avenue ( I would have loved this in nice weather) and a quick pic under the Galleria trees. The Canada Pacific building and other high-rises in the downtown. Calgary is an interesting spot during Stampede. Cowboys and Cowgirls, not necessarily authentic, could be locals, could be tourists…you see them everywhere. We felt a little under dressed but it’s not our style.

It’s hard to know what to do when it rains…

We ducked in to A&W on Stephen Avenue for a couple burgers at lunch. I guess burgers are a thing to have…or beef BECAUSE…

A “MUST DO” on the list for Calgary… Peter’s Drive-In. A very famous burgers and milkshake joint! Not a great day but we went anyway. So glad we did…very very good burgers!

Our Calgary hotel is so nice for two days here, a King Studio with a kitchen. It’s great for getting picnic lunches together for the next couple days and just an early relax evening on this cool rainy day.

Have a great night!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 5 July 14~ Toronto

No stop in Ontario is complete without a bit of time in Toronto. When our kids were little we would often come to Ontario and do Toronto activities. However, the last few years, our Toronto stop was usually just at the airport for a few hours lay, waiting for connecting flights to either Brazil or China. How much fun is that? Trust me, it gets old quick!

So today we said farewell to our family and went in to the city for the day.

We wanted to do something different in Toronto that we haven’t done before so we went to the Harbour front and took a ferry to Toronto Island. It’s a great view of the Toronto Skyline and famous CN tower. We got lots of pics and had a delicious lunch with this awesome view!

A beautiful getaway from the hustle and bustle in downtown Toronto, $7.25 roundtrip and a short ferry ride brings you to the many beaches and parks here in the Islands. There are 3 different ferries you can take from the terminal to get to different points on the Islands: Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island.

Once on the island, you are surrounded by Lake Ontario with a view of Toronto’s skyline. On a nice day, the sight can steal your breath away. The best view is right off the docks on Hanlan’s Island.( BUT it’s here where the nude beach is so we opted to stay at Centre Island lol)We didn’t have a lot of time so we enjoyed the Far Enough Farm and a nice stroll after lunch and then it was back to downtown.

The next thing I REALLY wanted to do was checkout was Toronto’s Chinatown! The boundaries of the area are Spadina Ave between College and Queen and East and West of Spadina Ave on Dundas. So we did a fair bit of walking to get there. BUT I got lots more interesting pictures. This Chinatown is the biggest Chinatown in the city. The first Chinatown was between Elizabeth Street and extended to Queen around 1910 when the number of Chinese Torontonians grew to over 1,000 residents. Next to the Streetcar tracks there are two red poles in the form of a dragon on the top of them, which I think is a staple art sculpture in the area. We had fun browsing, it felt so familiar, comfortable really. We enjoyed some authentic dumplings ( so delicious) picked up some fruit, and took the red street car back to our parking.

Then it was time to get back on the highway and head to the airport hotel to get rested for our early flight in the morning.

What a fun day!!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 4 July 13~ Family & Falls

We have been in Niagara Falls! We are spending a few days with Martin & Rebecca, seeing their new home, enjoying Rebecca’s delicious cooking… and enjoying the beautiful Falls and sights that bring tourists from all over the world to their city.

Niagara Falls area is touristy! It’s beautiful though! Quite amazing really! We have been there many times, but in between visiting and quality time we had to pop down to see them…in the day…and at night!

Screen Shot 2016-07-13 at 11.46.54 PM

Screen Shot 2016-07-13 at 11.42.13 PM

Niagara Falls…it’s been so wonderful but it’s time to move on…

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 3 July 12~ Niagara On The Lake

About 30 km from Niagara Falls is a beautiful town, Niagara On The Lake. Tourists often describe it as “the prettiest town in Ontario” It’s where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario and it is Ontario’s wine region with vineyard after vineyard. There are also markets and fresh fruits. There’s a lot of History and Historical places to see at Niagara on The Lake, however, knowing my husband’s “love” for history…we don’t tend to focus on that aspect, but there’s lots to see and learn.

Niagara on the Lake is my favourite place in this area. We always visit when we are at Martin & Rebecca’s. It’s a place that I can keep going back to, just to wander the streets and shops, peek in the art galleries, have a coffee, maybe a bite to eat and a glass of wine, watch the sights, watch people. It’s my idea of a relaxing few hours of my vacation. What a wonderful ( very HOT 35 degrees) day!

Here are some pictures of our lovely day…

Screen Shot 2016-07-12 at 6.40.49 PM

Screen Shot 2016-07-12 at 6.45.50 PM Screen Shot 2016-07-12 at 6.49.32 PM

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 2 July 11~ Hello Mr. Prime Minister

Today is another travel day with a quick stop for bagels. Bagels in Quebec, especially Montreal Bagels are the BEST in the world. It’s all in the way they are prepared and baked. Oven roasted…YUMMOS!

And then on to Canada’s capital. It was a quick stop.Ok it was more of a pause and drive by… When the kids were younger and in school, we spend some time here exploring and learning first hand about Canada’s capital and city, Ottawa. Today we stopped for a few pics and to wave Hello to “Justin & Sophie” 😀 and have a picnic along the beautiful Ottawa River.

Every summer, artist John-Felice Ceprano, does some amazing work with rocks. Ceprano lifts stones and slabs to create “rock balance art.” Every summer he expands the collection of sculptures at Remic Rapids adding to his creations using only materials found on-site. Such a cool spot along our travels.

A quick diversion to my old home city of Port Perry. A few pics of my Uncle & Auntie’s farm. A few pics of our Manchester home. I lived there in the early 70’s before my parents moved to Nova Scotia in 1975. And since we were in Port Perry…dinner was at Haugen’s Restaurant where Mom ( & my cousin Peggy) used to work. And look who joined us? It was so wonderful that Peggy & Brian drove down from Lindsay to have dinner with us.

Driving down the busy 401…are we having fun? Just a wee bit tired!!!

And then it was on to David’s twin brother’s home…Martin & Rebecca live in Niagara Falls. We took advantage of the fact that we were a little late arriving to get a few night shots of the falls…

We just enjoyed their company at our home in Nova Scotia, and now they are back home. And it is here that we will spend a few days visiting, checking out their new place ( they moved last Fall when Rebecca & I were in China) and seeing a couple of our favourite spots before we move on to the next part of our travels.

It’s late…time for sleep in Niagara Falls Ontario.