A Vancouver Adventure

 Alright... my theory on this little surprise trip... we are going to catch a Via Rail to Jasper! Let's see if I'm right!

Um. OK... we got off the Skytrain in Yaletown... nowhere near the Via Rail station. Sigh.

Where the heck are we??

Well... since I don't know where we're going...

I'm sitting down on a hunger strike. This little bear is starving and needs food!

OMG... it worked!!! We walked up the road and I got to pic the restaurant... I chose a Persian place!

Cause we don't have a lot of great options at home...

It's almost like in London!

I ordered a chicken kebab... it was scrumptious!

Always feed the starving bear... travel will go so much more smoothly.

Right... we have arrived at our destination... 

We are staying here!! It's the Sylvia Hotel... a local icon in Vancouver's West End, along English Bay...

It was built in like 1911 or something... and normally looks like this - covered in ivy.

Cool!! Mama says she's driven by here for decades...

And now we get to stay here!

It's beary posh...

I wonder if they have honey-on-demand?

Ooohhhh... comfy bed!

And a bit of a view over English Bay. Nice!

Let's see what's out and about in this area!

The Sylvia is right along Beach Avenue, right across from English Bay. Excellent location!

On a sunny day... this would be an amazing view! We walked along the seawall...

And found daffodils...

And kept walking and now...

We are in the Stanley Park section of the sea wall. Cool!

Somebody had made a pretty decoration on the beach.

Excellent adventure day!

TO BE CONTINUED

A Surprise Trip!

 Hullo!!! We are down by the waterfront trying to get ourselves onto a Harbour Air flight! We were going to take the Hullo but they cancelled all sailings today due to mechanical issues... so here we are...

It was a bit pricey but... we are booked! I wonder where we are going?? This is all a bit of a surprise trip for me and no one is telling me anything!

That's our plane over there somewhere...

This little bear has never been on a float plane, so this is a first!

Ooohhh... ahhh... this one is C-FHAD and was born in 1955, for the United States army. It served in Vietnam. In 1972 it was declared military surplus and by 1974, it had ended up in Canada. It's had a few accidents over the years... and in 2007 go a fancy turbon engine tacked onto the front, instead of the original one.

OMG... these are tight, narrow, squishy seats!! But we got a window seat!

I mean... almost every seat is a window seat... really. In addition to the seat belt, the humans all strapped on a waist life-preserver too... charming.

And... we're off!

We have to taxi for a bit to get to the "runway"...

Almost there!

Here we go!!! It was super smooth getting into the air.

And we are up in the air!

We're in an Otter...

We should have brought Otto the Otter!

Ooohh... nice view of the harbour here.

And the industrial lands...

And lots of logs...

Now we're over the Salish Sea and that's one of the BC Ferries boats.

Hmmm... Harbour Air flies to two locations in Vancouver... and this one looks like it's going into an arm of the Fraser River, to the South Terminal of the airport.

Yep... definitely the South Terminal, not downtown Vancouver!

And we're down! Also very smooth.

Seee... C-FHAD... it was cool to learn a bit about the history of the plane. (Read more about the aircraft on this link page)

Now what? Oh, we are getting a shuttle!

I wonder where we are going now... this not knowing is hard for a little bear!

Hmmm.... that's the skytrain line... are we going to YVR?

Are we getting on another plane somewhere!???

And yes... we are at YVR!!!

Are we going to Mexico? London?

International check-in is over there... could it be...

Um. No. We are at the ticket kiosks for the SkyTrain...

Where are we going???

Well, on the Skytrain obviously... to downtown Vancouver?

We got a window seat at the end of the train, where I could muse on the options... maybe we are catching a train? A real train?

Are going on the Via Rail???!!

All this wondering and thinking is making me hungry... need a snack!

TO BE CONTINUED