With a quick stopover back in Seattle we arrived in Canada to the bright lights of Vancouver. It had been 4 years since I left Vancouver, having lived in Canada for 2 years, and it was so good to be back. This city holds a very special place in my heart and I'll tell anyone that asks that I'd move back to Vancouver tomorrow if life would allow it. VanCity is constantly among the top 5 most expensive cities in the world to live in and by the sounds of it nothing has changed since I left. But instead of thinking of the money you get mountains that meet the sea, access to snow sports & water sports on your doorstep and a general laid back vibe from the locals that allowed me fit in very well and make some of the most amazing friends a girl could ask for. I was excited to take Caleb to the country I used to call home and meet some of the people in my life that made my time there so special.
As luck and a little planning would have it I was spending my birthday in my favourite city. I rallied some of the old troops and organised a night out on the town with 4 great friends to celebrate getting another year older. There was so much joy seeing them after all these years we started chatting and drinking like no time had passed at all. We hit up an old stomping ground in Gastown & the boys happily worked on adding to their Untappd beer app. Before long we were all conspiring to organise a few sickies on Monday so we could hang out at some local breweries in Olympic Village. This is why I love them. We had a fantastic night that ended up at our friends apartment with a glass of Moet and belly hurting laughs. 
It took me the next day to recover from the antics of the night before. Unsurprisingly the hangovers get worse as the years roll on. In the hunt for hangover food Caleb found his new favorite dish - Poutine. Once he'd tried it for the first time it was his meal of choice for the rest of our time in Canada. Seriously. We walked down to Canada Place, where the cruise ships come into port, and had a gorgeous view of Stanley Park as we walked further down the pier to FlyOver Canada. This is an absolute must do when in the city and as I had done it before I knew I had to take Caleb to have a look. Lucky for me they have added a new USA feature so I got something new as well. FlyOver Canada is a 4D experience flying over the country with a birds eye view. You're strapped into the chair and as the lights go dark you're moved forward and when the lights come back on you are dangling over the edge with a curved screen in front of you that gives the illusion you are in the sky. As the footage takes you over the provinces of Canada you get a little water in the face as you fly by Niagara Falls and some wind in your hair as we zoomed through the Rocky Mountains. It is such an awesome experience and a great way to get a taste of the country. To my delight the experience was replicated as we flew over the USA including the islands of Hawaii.
We hopped on a bus that took us over the Lion Gates bridge which gave us amazing views of West Vancouver and downtown on the return trip. Within minutes we arrived at Capilano Suspension bridge. Located 70m above the valley, the swing bridge is a popular place to visit. It began snowing of course which made the whole experience that much better. As you walk across (or crawl as some did) and get to the other side there are a few trails you can take that are wooden boardwalks through the tree tops. The scenery here is breathtaking and well worth the trip. The bus transfer is free from Canada place which is an added bonus. 
Our last night in town was spent with another good friend of mine. Like everyone I had caught up with in the city, Aarti was one of the best. We started our Starbucks journey at the same time and had stores around the corner from each other. After some wine, laughs, a look around their new house & meeting their 2 kiddos we headed out to dinner for some good food and great company. We were off to Quebec the next day so we called it a night but not before planning to meet up again in a few months in Vegas once we return to the US from Europe. With a happy heart we said goodbye to my second home eager to explore the east.
Arriving into -22 degree weather was a bit of a shock to the system but we found it funny that even our Uber driver was complaining about the cold. If a local tells you that you know it's true. Snow was still feet deep around the city and we enjoyed an average of -15 degree days. We stayed just outside Old Town right next to the Parliament building. During our stay we walked into Old Quebec City and visited the famed Chateau Frontenac, a 130 year old Grand Railway Hotel, built on a cliff overlooking the St Lawrence river. We boarded a half day city tour that showed us around the city and at one river side stop we saw how the locals had transformed a park into their own cross country ski area. We ventured around Old Town at night and experienced the beauty of the city lit up in lights.
We decided to rail from Quebec City to Toronto and our first stop on the way was Montreal. We arrived in Montreal to moderate snow fall making our walk to the hotel a tricky one. Once we finally arrived we enjoyed a corner suite view of the city and the unrelenting snow fall. The city is gorgeous and full of history. As we spent our time out and about in Montreal we ventured into Old Town which is home to the stunning Notre-Dame Basilica, old town squares & historical statues. Olympic Park, where the 1976 Olympics were held, was worth the visit and a must do is the city lookout to view the vast span of the city and it's surrounding suburbs.
Back on the train we railed south west towards Canada's capital. Ottawa is very much a government city but the buildings on Wellington Street are worth the stop. The city isn't that big and is concentrated on one main street. We walked into town past another iconic Fairmont hotel and a frozen river that separates Quebec and Ontario. We arrived at the Canadian Federal Parliament which has the Centennial Flame alight in the centre of the square. The National War Memorial is across the road and has a very beautiful tribute to the fallen soldiers from the World Wars. We enjoyed dinner at a local brewery before packing up for our next journey the following day.
Toronto was our final stop on our train journey and it was just as I remembered it to be. Once again playing the tour guide I took Caleb to the CN tower to get a birds eye view of this lake side city. With 360 degree views and a glass floor it was a sight to behold. We walked to the Distillery District, an original distillery dating back to 1837 right on the Toronto waterfront. The company, Gooderham & Worts, went bankrupt in 1990 just as the distillery compound was made a historical site. We did an hour long segway history tour through the pedestrian only facility which now houses art, micro breweries and small craft houses. We found a couple of funky breweries for Caleb to add to his uptappd app, saw the Hockey Hall of Fame and walked through St Lawrence market which could easily be described as a collectors dream market. Dating back to 1803 there were so many rare finds and cheap deals we could have spent a small fortune in there.
As our time in Canada was quickly coming to an end we got a transfer down to Niagara Falls. We stayed on the Canadian side as in my opinion this is the best side to stay for the views and for entertainment. We stayed right near the border crossing next to the indoor waterpark and casino with a balcony view over the falls. The falls were still partially frozen and the river completely frozen over under the border bridge meant that the boat that would normally take you to the base of the horseshoe falls was not running. So we decided to walk the promenade and head towards the tunnels that are dug in behind the horeshoe falls. Some of the openings were completely frozen over but it was still a hell of an experience.As all good things must come to an end so must our time in North America. Niagara Falls marked the end of a glorious 3 month stint covering different states and territories and now it was time to head east to London just in time for the dreaded Brexit.
Travelers Tip - The train was a very inexpensive way to travel plus we got the added bonus of seeing the countryside as we went. No journey was more than 4 hours which would be about the same time spent at the airport.
Follow us on Instagram!
No comments:
Post a Comment