Thu, Sept 27 – Vancouver: return of the truck camper

This morning we took a long and very scenic tour of Vancouver on our way to Fraserway where we had to return the car at 11.00 hrs. latest. Drove thru Stanley Park – on December 22nd a severe storm hit the park and caused a lot of damage. Trees that were hundreds of years old - and some might even had been as high as that - fell like little sticks. Clean-up is still underway. The area comprises about 4 square kilometers (a little larger than the English Garden in Munich) and is Vancouver’s green lung and outdoor playground. There are beaches, trails and the seawall. The latter usually circles the park about 9 km but is partly closed due to the fallen trees. Vancouverites use Stanley Park to bike, jogg, walk or bring their kayaks and kites. In general, everyone in the city seems to be very active and on the run. You'll see lots and lots of people carrying their coffees to go, mostly Starbucks or Blenz. This reminds me: Thanks Josie for answering the question on how to manage a coffee to go without burning your mouth. Use a straw! The scenic drive led us thru very nice neighborhoods such as Kitsilano (birthplace of Greenpeace in the 1960ies) and up to Spanish Banks and the University of British Columbia.
After returning the truck camper we took the Fraserway shuttle to The Georgian Court Hotel, a nice boutique hotel opposite BC Place Stadium. www.georgiancourt.com. What a treat to have a large room and bed after having spent 15 days in the camper (apart from the two nights at Clearwater Lake Lodge). Weather was okay (only drizzle for a while) so we took the Aquabus (little water ferry) crossing False Creek to Granville Island (5,- CAD p.p. for the long ride). The station “Plaza of Nations”, although not included on the city map, was just around the corner of BC Place Stadium. It’s a very nice way to see parts of the city from the water. We really liked Granville Island (a small peninsula in southwestern downtown) with its public market. Fruits, meats, spices, flowers, herbs, breads and different flavors from BC and around the world, local pottery and mushrooms. They also have a food court where you can chose from Indian, French, Mexican, Fish and lots of other dishes, take your plates and sit anywhere you like. Granville Island also showcases some artisan shops and boutiques as well as some artisan studios.
On the Aquabus we ran into a group of people who obviously where on a team building mission doing sort of a scavenger hunt (Schnitzeljagd). It turned out that they work for an agency that produces the BC Escapes and the regional guides for Tourism BC. What a small world! They recognized the BC logo on the rucksack. Vancouver boasts so many fabulous restaurants, Sandbar on Granville Island is just one of it. Wonderful and fresh seafood. We only went there to have a beer and enjoy the atmosphere. It is very spacious, three decks which feature pub-stlye area, finer dining and very comfortable leather chairs. The terrace is still in use with gas heaters and cozy blankets. Althoug we were determined to try out as many restaurants as possible, we were getting tired and decided to have in-room dinner. We bought tasty cheese, chorizo, olives and bagles at the market and had a delicious meal.

As in Whistler and along Highway 99, there is a lot of construction going on in Vancouver right now due to the Winter Olympics 2010. Just opposite BC Place the East False Creek area is to become Vancouver’s Olympic Village.