October 3, 2017
It is sometimes best to get the big picture of a city with a bus tour. We should have stuck with the first lady, who was quite good, but we got off at Granville Island, an area that was converted from warehouses into shops, food markets artisans and restaurants. It’s fun to walk around the busy area with music playing in parks. There is a huge market area, where you can buy any food imaginable – baked goods, seafood, vegetables and fruits. We had a nice lunch at the Sandbar Restaurant overlooking a busy waterway with its cute little water taxis.
Hopping back on the trolly, we got the worst driver. We should have gotten off. He was a poor narrator and he hit one car and ran over a few curbs. I can’t imagine driving that big thing in this busy city, but he was pitiful. We walked back to Bella Gelateria that won the best gelato in the world award. I don’t know how they won. It wasn’t that good.
Back in town, we went to a very nice grocery store and got some cheese and crackers and wine, hoping we could get together with another Airstream couple from Germany. Heinz and Birgett accepted the invitation, and we had a very enjoyable evening trading stories of where we had been and of places to go. They are retired physicians who keep their Airstream in California. They explained the complicated rules they must follow in order to keep coming back to the US. They must leave the country after 3 months, which is why they come to Canada. They will go back to Bavaria for the winter and return next year. We talked about the shooting in Las Vegas, the problems in the US as well as the problems Europe is having. They like to bike and showed us on the map where they like to go. If we had another day it would be fun to do, all along the water past Stanley Park. Being the only campground in the city, this is a busy place, and you can’t just add a day. I’m sure there will be other biking opportunities. We enjoyed our evening with Heinz and Birgett.
Are you going to Victoria? If so, you MUST go to Butchart Gardens. You can pay Martha back for going to that silly fish place;) You will love it too. We saw the gardens in the summer, but they must be incredibly beautiful right now.
Yes, we are going to Victoria in a week to 10 days and will spend 5 days there. Butchart Gardens are top of the list. I can’t imagine what will be in bloom, but we are going. We are in Pacific Rim National Park right now. Hopefully the weather will hold up for some hiking.