Vancouver, British Columbia

After the debacle of getting in and out of Seattle we were relieved to find a Walmart within five miles of downtown Vancouver. We settled in right next to the "No Overnight Parking" signs of the adjacent mall and hoped for the best. We had read several online reviews that reported it was fine to stay there and towing was not enforced (often).

We made three trips into Vancouver in total. The first two days we cycled in over the bridge from our base in North Vancouver. The long bridge over the river was arched and it felt like a never-ending incline to its apex, but once at the top you were rewarded with amazing views, and then downhill the other side.

Already sweaty and knackered after the bridge, we picked up a beautiful one-way waterfront trail around Stanley Park, which sits between the main and northern parts of the city. This led us past many small sandy beaches, an open air swimming pool and onto English bay, which is full of bars and restaurants.

We chained up the bikes and stopped for lunch at a waterfront restaurant and had some lovely food and a few drinks before continuing along the waterfront trail over another bridge with views of a beautiful marina and onto yet another outdoor pool which is acclaimed to be one of the largest outdoor salt water pools. With all this waterside activity and the hot sunny weather we wished we had our swimming gear with us. We vowed to return the next day more prepared to join in the fun. We cycled the 10 miles back around the other side of the park headland relieved to find Winnie where we left her!

The next day we did what we had planned the day before and cycled back to the pool to enjoy an afternoon picnic and sunbathing by the pool. This was followed by a long walk to the downtown shopping area for a mooch around and ended with a few evening drinks sat outside the cheapest bar we could find. Then back to our bikes for another long, slow and slightly alcohol-fuelled ride home. By now we knew the way so it went a bit quicker, but the bridge still managed to nearly kill us!

The third day we decided to visit an area of the city called Gastown, Vancouver's historic district. With tired legs after 2 days of heavy cycling and walking we fancied a more leisurely day so after some research we found that we could get a ferry straight across to Gastown from a terminal a few miles away. So we drove Winnie and parked her in a residential area and caught the ferry.  One of the first sights when we arrived was an old steam-powered clock drawing a crowd as it chimes the hour and squirts steam out the top.

The buildings were charming with several art galleries, boutiques, tourist shops as well as plenty of places to eat and drink. We decided upon a place to eat, the cheapest we could find because we do find eating and drinking out in Canada very expensive. We sat out the back of a lovely restaurant and not long after we were seated we were entertained by a scruffy looking guy just around the corner swearing loudly and talking to himself as he tried to arrange the panniers on his bike.  He seemed oblivious to the world around him as he cursed his bike aloud...but he soon disappeared and left us to our lunch.

We continued to explore down the Main Street and headed for a pretty square with a few interesting looking buildings and a statue.  Adam was accosted by a beggar reeling off the full history of the square and the area as I tried to stay out of his way and take a few photographs.  Adam did inform the chap as soon as he started speaking that he didn't have any money to give him which indeed was true because I usually carry all our cash and cards.  Undeterred, he persisted in finishing his spiel regardless as we tried to walk away. In our hurry we wandered towards what appeared at first to be a street market, but as we approached the atmosphere changed and the people that now surrounded us looked less like tourists.

The first thing I noticed was the wild look in their eyes, a distinct lack of teeth and some unkempt hair. As I looked more closely at what we had thought was a market, it appeared that everyone had brought all their old clothes, brick-a-black and rubbish out in bin liners and emptied it onto the street, so evidently this is where the city's homeless and/or junkies like to congregate.  We kept walking and Adam held me close trying to avoid eye contact as some people staggered towards us with indecipherable speech possibly offering or asking us for drugs and money. Thankfully we walked around in a big square and made our way back to the threshold of the sanctuary of the main street again. We were staggered at how one street over could feel and look so different. I stood out like a sore thumb having dressed up for a change in my white lacy dress. Unharmed and a little saddened we returned to the ferry and back to Winnie.

Overall we both really liked the feel of Vancouver minus that one street in Gastown. The miles of waterfront trail and park really were really stunning, and we really liked English bay with its abundance of cheap places to eat. I could have happily spent another couple of days there at the pools or on the beaches, or exploring the shopping area of downtown. It was clean and beautiful with a holiday feel.