Woke up today with some light rain so we decided to hang around the city. We headed over to this little Dutch breakfast placed called De Dutch and had Pannekoeks (pãn-ne-kõõk). It’s the Dutch version of pancakes and are a little thicker than crepes. I had one with fresh berries and whipped cream on the side. Taste great! The Pannekoek covers the entire plate. Seems like a lot of food, but it is quite lite. (The following image is not my image).
The Vancouver Aquarium is nestled in the park and is recognized for its displays and interpretations which were very impressive. Here’s just a few shots.
Once we were done going through the Aquarium, we walked around Stanley Park and then drove over to Granville Island. Granville Island is considered to be a part of downtown Vancouver, even though it’s an island. It is physically connected to the city by a causeway from the south. Quite an interesting place to see. It contains a huge Public Market that offers the widest array of fresh produce, pastries, meat markets and a variety of cooked foods to try. The island also has a variety artists' studios and workshops, performing arts, art education, art galleries and dining.As the day progressed, the rain subsides and the sun decides to come out, we took to drive over to Grouse Mountain. Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains overlooking Vancouver rising 4,100 feet and 15 minutes from downtown. There’s a Gondola which takes you up to the summit and is pretty much a straight up ride. We arrive and take the Gondola. It was literally straight up, steep and very scary – to me anyway. While looking down at the tops of the trees, Ray and I joked about having to hike up this steep mountain. Having to deal with bears and psycho killers and more bears and maybe another psycho killer and no one could see us down there, we’d be stuck fending for ourselves! You know how that can be. LOL
Anyway, back to our adventure. We arrived at the top; I turned around and saw this breathtaking panoramic view of Vancouver.
There was a café where we can sit outside, enjoy the view and relax with a cold beer.
Then, out of nowhere, this crazy guy in a paragliding getup soars by! Which means he started at 4,100 feet above Vancouver! I instantly felt my stomach fill with butterflies as I watch him glide by. I always have those “what ifs” thoughts when people do crazy stuff like this!
Even these Ravens had to stop and check him out. At least I’m not the only one who thinks he’s crazy!
As we walked around, we ran into an area where 2 Grizzly Bears were kept in a nice pinned section. Pretty darn big ones too. Several people were trying to get their attention and they just kept ignoring them. I made a deep grunting sound and one decided to see what the noise was. Yeah, papa bear, you know what I said! Wanna make somethin’ of it?
I think I spent about 15 minutes there trying to get as many shots as I could. Just in case I didn’t see any bears in Alaska!
We took a ski lift up to the top and found this sign. I swear, they ARE nuts!
I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine doing anything like this. I won’t jump out of a plane, I won’t ride in a helicopter, I won’t ride in those tiny planes either. Especially those little tourist ones that crash all the time. Anyway, enough of that! Thought we’d take a hike and then we ran into THIS sign:
Do not "approach or feed"!? Darn.
There were great log carvings placed around the area that were carved by the lumberjacks.
While back at the bar, I noticed people coming out of a rocky forested area. I asked one of the guys sitting next to the table after he yelled down to one of the hikers “Hey, you finally made it! It’s about time!”
I asked “Where are they coming from?” He said “From the Grouse Grind, it’s a steep hike up Grouse Mountain.” After Ray and I talked with them for a bit, we learned that it's a steep climb from the parking lot below where we catch the Gondola. We were told that the well-fit average 20-something year old can do it in about 40 minutes. And he continued to say “You two look pretty fit, you could probably do it in 1½ to 2 hours.” 1½ to 2 hours!? I’m thinking if we “look pretty fit” why can’t we do it in 1 hour! Turns out the record holder is a woman who completed the climb in 27 minutes. Ok, it can’t be THAT bad!
Do not "approach or feed"!? Darn. THAT’s when we decided to stop there, turn around, and head back down to the bar!
We stumbled on a good old Lumberjack show. Kinda corny, but fun.
There were great log carvings placed around the area that were carved by the lumberjacks.While back at the bar, I noticed people coming out of a rocky forested area. I asked one of the guys sitting next to the table after he yelled down to one of the hikers “Hey, you finally made it! It’s about time!” I asked “Where are they coming from?” He said “From the Grouse Grind, it’s a steep hike up Grouse Mountain.” After Ray and I talked with them for a bit, we learned that it's a steep climb from the parking lot below where we catch the Gondola. We were told that the well-fit average 20-something year old can do it in about 40 minutes. And he continued to say “You two look pretty fit, you could probably do it in 1½ to 2 hours.” 1½ to 2 hours!? I’m thinking if we “look pretty fit” why can’t we do it in 1 hour! Turns out the record holder is a woman who completed the climb in 27 minutes. Ok, it can’t be THAT bad!Anyhoo, Ray and I get this crazy idea to do the “Grouse Grind” in the morning before we head to our cruise ship. A good challenge to end our trip in Vancouver was right up our alley. We finish our drinks, head for the Gondola ride down.
Had a great Italian dinner with some smooth wine. I loaded up on pasta for my carbs which I might need in the morining! Headed back to the hotel to pack for the cruise leaving tomorrow.
Oh, and figure out what the heck I’m going to wear for my Grouse Grind!
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