Vancouver Archives - Blasdale Home

Granville Island

Posted on May 11, 2025 by SteveJune 13, 2025

11th May 2025

Today we both headed over to the Sheraton Wall Centre, to register with the Rocky Mountaineer. We came away with luggage tags to ensure our stuff arrived in the correct hotels, and importantly instructions as to where we had to be and by when for tomorrow’s trip. R was still feeling the effects of her illness so decided to go back to our hotel for the day. I was full of life and wanted to see the markets on Granville Island. I walked down to the Aquatic Centre Ferry Dock and caught one of the ferries to take me to the island. This area is low lying and lies under highway 99 bridge, which is also known as the Granville Bridge. The area contains marinas, small shops, restaurants and food halls, Oh and a cement works with cement mixers and silos lovingly painted. I did pick up something to eat from one of the stalls.

Walking around, I did spy the Granville Island brewery, where they had a bar. One thing about Canadian and American culture is that you have to meet the receptionist, who then seats you at your table, or bar seat. This was the case everywhere we ate and drank, except for one case later in our trip when we were staying at Banff. In the brewery, I asked to sit at the bar, where I was seated between two females who were each drinking alone. The day was looking up. This was a brew bar, and here was the taproom, with an excellent choice of craft ales. I started with a Hazy IPA. and then a darker beer. I should have gone for a tasting selection where you get a full selection of beers. I so like these NEIPAs and WCIPAs, with the occasional stout, they are a revelation in taste. (I do have a monthly beer subscription which is themed. Selina introduced me to this 18 months ago. When I arrive home, hopefully there will be a case of Italian craft beers waiting by the door.)

My companion on my right, was waiting for a flight home, and was idling away a few hours in the bar. She appeared to work in the brewing industry, making the malt from the barley. The barley is wetted, and laid out on a long tray, and she would go around turning it.

As well as the markets, there were some sideshows, such as this ball run.

Afterwards I walked around the food hall, looking at the tremendous array of produce, both cooked and raw. Then it was home to the hotel to commiserate with R.

Arrival at Vancouver Port

Posted on May 10, 2025 by SteveJune 13, 2025

10th May 2025

We arrived at Vancouver early in the morning. We watched the dockers come and moor us up. We ate our last breakfast on board and prepared to disembark. It was a short walk, carrying our bags to the taxi rank. This was well organised with several lanes for the taxis, and groups of people were let through to an empty lane, where upon taxies would arrive and whisk people away. We were taken to the Holiday Inn & Suites Vancouver Downtown, where we checked in and dumped our luggage and had a coffee. Next, we walked to the Sheraton Wall Centre where we asked about the Rocky Mountaineer reception. We needed to be there on Sunday to get baggage labels.

Now the mistake, I suggested we go to the Museum of Vancouver, it seemed easy to get to but required us to cross the bridge. The bridge is high and goes on for miles, then once off you backtrack to the museum. The museum is small, and also expensive. It does detail how in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Vancouver was created by stealing all the land from the native tribes. You also learnt how the Indigenous nation was banned from hiring lawyers to fight the land grabs from the Europeans. (Oh yes!)

Getting back was easy; we discovered these small bathtub shaped boats which would ferry you around False Creek, taking you from the museum to the other side of the creek, and also to Granville Island and further up the creek. They hold only about eight people but run every few minutes. Some routes there was a boat every 2 or 3 minutes. We had to wait for the second boat as the one that came in first became full very quickly.

We were soon over and had a short walk up from the shore under the bridge and onto Granville Street. We stopped at Maxines’ Cafe & Bar for a snack and a drink before heading back to the hotel. As we left, R spotted a beautiful silver tabby on a harness & lead in her mistress’s arms. The cat batted R’s hand out of the way at any attempt to stroke him.

We were now quite tired.

Vancouver and the Koningsdam

Posted on May 3, 2025 by SteveJune 10, 2025

3rd May 2025

Today we were boarding the ship, scheduled leaving time was 4.00pm. We were asked to be there at 14.00, and no later than 14.30.

So breakfast at the hotel, and then a walk around Vancouver. Went to see the Marine Building, once the tallest building in the British Empire. Actually, several buildings were so labelled.

Then we headed to the Gastown and Chinatown area, but got hijacked by the Vancouver Lookout, a tower with a lookout. Around the 360-degree viewing platform, were pictures to help you to id the buildings and areas. You didn’t know whether the object was close or 10k away, so we spent some time looking for buildings and areas.

Made our way back to the hotel, picked up our bags and walked over to the terminal. We were early for the checkin. This was very quick, until we got to US immigration. We were in that queue for more than two hours. The US immigration was processing both boats at the same time. The mistake we made was to check in early. We should have waited until 2.30, by which time the queue had seriously diminished.

Both cruise ships left a little later than scheduled, at about the same time. We, the Koningsdam, were in the lead though!

Our cabin was in the basement, should really have had a cabin on floor 4 or upwards, which came with a balcony. All documents and passes were quickly made available to us. This was all well-organized. Met our cabin cleaner who explained to us what he did.

Next we explored the ship, headed to the bars, and supper. At supper we shared a table with 4 others, two each from America and Australia. The Americans were Trump supporters. I soon learned they hated the ‘corrupt’ Biden administration, and when I said Biden had started economic growth, they vehemently denied it. The Australians were ardent royalists.

The day and evening were lovely and sunny.

Marine Building

Canada – Vancouver Sea Wall and Stanley Park

Posted on May 2, 2025 by SteveJune 10, 2025

2nd May 2025

After waking up throughout the night, and going back to sleep, I was finally up at about at 6.30. Actually, for the whole month I was waking up at 3.30 in the morning, and ensuring R was awake, too. It was a lovely sunny day outside; the forecast had been for another “dreary” day.

We ate breakfast in the hotel. We could not understand the charging mechanism, other than it seemed expensive, especially with the Canadian tax, and state tax all added on after the perfectly rounded dollar price, and finally after a 20% tip was added, it was even more so.

We went for a long walk along the shoreline, ending up walking to Brockton Point lighthouse and back. On the way back we saw two Canada Geese with their goslings on the cycle path. They took offence at a small handbag dog; knocking a cyclist to the ground. Some signs showing photos of Canada Geese were captioned “Not all Canadians are friendly”.

In the many marinas, there was the odd ‘house boat’, amongst the motorboats. There was one with a very realistic house built on top. We passed the rowing club as we entered Stanley Park, where there were separate tracks for running, cycling, walking and driving. Vancouver is a very friendly cycling and pedestrian city. Most of the roads have these segregated tracks.

There are some totem poles, which we viewed. We eventually made our way to Brockton Point and the lighthouse. Across the water were the container and coal ports. We could see a huge pile of a yellow substance, this turned out to be sulphur, a biproduct from the oil fields in Alberta.

Back at the restaurant area, we stopped for a snack and a pint at the Tap and Barrel at the Convention Centre, accompanied by some good pita and hummus. Met a few English tourists, who were also here for a cruise. There seems to be a cruise ship in port every day. Tomorrow there will be two ships. We are heading out tomorrow on a seven-day cruise to Alaska and back on the Koningsdam. The other Brits were there on an eleven-day cruise to Alaska and back on the Coral Princess. They were both due to leave tomorrow at 16.00.

We had a walk around the empty ferry port to get the lay of the land. We also checked we could store our luggage at the hotel after we checked out and before we boarded the ferry.

We again ate supper at Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar. Started to rain, so slightly damp on the walk home to the hotel.

Canada – Flying to Vancouver

Posted on May 1, 2025 by SteveJune 10, 2025

1st May 2025

Phil picked us up from home and drove us to Terminal 2 at Heathrow. Checking in, passport, and baggage check were all easy to do. There was a new system, hand luggage & pockets did not have to have bottles of liquid and electronic gadgets removed. We also did not have to take our belts and shoes off.

We boarded the flight, and were herded towards the back, but we did have a spare seat next to us. A man kept on saying “water” to one of the cabin crew. She turned around to face him and told him that if he said “please”, she could probably help him, which she later did. Great stuff.

Of the films on offer, I watched Black Panther both of us watched Paddington in Peru.

Air Canada was quite good on the food and drinks side of flying, I managed a couple of beers and a wine. I even turned down a beer for a fourth round from the trolly.

The captain, a woman, was retiring at the end of this trip after 40+ years service. Ground breaking. Lots of cheering on the flight. She said goodbye to each of us as we left, R gave her a good hug. (Actually, we were routed through business class to meet her at the posh aircraft door.) I believe there were water canons doing an arch of honour in front of the plane to commemorate her retirement.

Passport control in Canada was a first for us, all machines, and open, not like the intimidating UK ones. Where you are locked in. No questions on entry so we were automatically herded through with almost zero human interaction.

Bags picked up, and the driver that Trailfinders had ordered was there in a Tesla model X to take us to the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel opposite the cruise terminal. I have not seen so many Tesla cars on the road together. There were at least five, all next to each other. And we saw two Tesla Cybertrucks. One downside of the X, was that one gullwing door did not open at the airport, but it later opened when we exited. I suspect the Tesla thought the door was going to hit an obstruction.

It was a lovely day in Vancouver, quite warm, and no clouds. Better than the forecast, which, according to Air Canada was for “dreary” weather.

We arrived at the Fairmont, and were soon in our room. Time was around 7.0 We headed out for supper. The lift was full of people, huge queue at the lobby. It appears a group from the Rocky Mountaineer was checking in.

We found an ATM which charged us $3.50 to use it. We ate in the Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar. It’s part of the station. Good selection of beers, I had a cloudy IPA (a very cloudy IPA, never seen one so cloudy, even had swirls in the cloud), and a Stout. Kept the food to one course, bowls of rice and salmon.

An American ship, The Ruby Princess with 3700 passengers, was in port on its way to SF, leaving at 10pm . Our ship, the Holland and America Koningsdam, was heading south from Alaska, to arrive on Saturday. It will spend the next six months back and forth between Vancouver and Alaska, then when winter arrives it will head to the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies

Back to the hotel for an early night, we had been up for 24hours, but R found the bed problematical. Too high! Above her waist!

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