A Trip to West Canada (Vancouver)

After 6.5 years in Canada, after numerous plans to go and visit West Coast, the trip became a reality a month prior my relocation from Toronto. Naturally, Montreal, was, is and always will be my favorite Canadian city, but Vancouver, Victoria and Calgary deserved some attention :)

So, I took the plane to Vancouver and with an incredible luck, my camera stopped working during the flight so my first stop in Vancouver (after the hotel) was FutureShop where I bought a new one.

From this point on, I was able to follow my plan. First stop - Capilano bridge (free shuttle from downtown), after that - Grouse mountain from where you have a great view of Vancouver and area (if you are lucky and the weather permits). Well, after the unfortunate beginning of the trip, the weather was not typical for Vancouver (meaning, no rain!) and the view was quite good (although I expected much greater view).

Once I saw those 2 attractions, I headed downtown Vancouver by public transit (incl sea bus). Next came Canada place, Gas town (and the clock there) and the option of China town. Although, the area around China town was not that friendly and welcoming at 5pm so the Look-out tower became attractive. Hint: if you are tired and not sure how cost-effective the entrance fee would be, you can visit the restaurant for coffee or drink and you'll have the same nice view - 2 in 1 :) !

Undoubtedly, the Stanley park and the Vancouver Aquarium were scheduled for day 2. The Aquarium was full with kids; the park with joggers, kids and tourists; the view to Vancouver - with tall residential buildings.

China town was quite a disappointment considering that 40% of the Van population is Asian - the Toronto one is much more attractive and bigger (something good for TO yes! :) ). Yaletown and a few other neighborhoods were nice but the huge tall buildings look quite similar and you can get bored walking around. A friend who lives there showed me around as well and I saw some other parts of the city (Thanks Loïc!).

At last, I can say that Vancouver wins my choice for West Canada city (a lot of nature, not that much fun and party)

After that came the next leg of the race and Victoria...