Friday The 3rd

So I jammed as much into today as I possibly could, given the time that we have in one day. I woke up at 7 am because of the sun in my unshaded window, awesome. I then had to wait for the bathroom. That’s one of the perks of staying in someone else’s home, you get to pretend it’s like when you were growing up. After finally getting the chance to shower and get ready I headed towards downtown. I stopped by the RCMP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, shop and had to pick up a t-shirt. Then I hopped on a bus destined for Stanley Park.

I took my time walking around Stanley Park and taking in the beauty of the ocean, the city, and the forest. I probably walked around 10 miles today so another good day. The park takes you around Coal Harbor past Prospect’s Point and to the Inner Harbour. I made sure to be there in the morning so I would see the Sun as it rose over the water and the city. When I reached Siwash Rock I noticed something moving in the water. Evidently so did everyone else. It was a Grey Whale just hanging out, having a good time, and putting on a show for us. I snapped some pictures but most didn’t turn out how I wanted. I also spent about a half-hour just watching this peaceful creature.

Once I made it around the park it was past lunch time. I really wanted to head to the Lynn Canyon Park though so I made towards the Seabus. On my way I shopped along Robson Street which is their main shopping district. I didn’t find much for myself but for those REALLY into shopping I guess I could see the draw of the area. After that I jumped on the Seabus just before it sailed and went to North Vancouver. I ate at the Lonsdale Quay which is basically the farmer’s market of North Vancouver.

Then I jumped on the 228 bus and went to Lynn Canyon. This is where the suspension bridge, the free one at least, is located. It wasn’t too far of a walk from the bus stop to the canyon. The views were pretty cool. There were some kids below us cliff jumping into the river and thus ruining some good photo opportunities. I also forgot to take a picture of the actual suspension bridge. I took pictures while on it but not of it. Oops. I then hiked around the river taking more pictures until my camera died. Then I high tailed it out of there thinking I would catch the 4:30 bus. That bus either never came or was extremely late, extremely. He didn’t show up until almost 5 and then as I was next to board told me the bus was full. There was a huge group of people all waiting for him so we filled the bus easily.

The next driver who came I jumped on his bus. I figured I’d make it out of there one way or another. It turned out well for me as his bus made his final stop then turned into a bus that would take me to a train I could take back to my neighborhood. Once I got that all figured out I noticed my shoe was not going to make it. Both sides of my right shoe were completely unglued. The only thing holding it together were the front rubber to protector and the little bit of glue in the very back. Luckily, my neighborhood has more sporting goods type stores than I have ever seen. I visited one and found a good deal and put the shoes on hold. I went to compare prices at other stores. No more than six feet outside this first store the back of my shoe came undone and was now flopping freely and loudly. I almost and should have turned around and bought those shoes. After visiting about seven stores in a two block stretch I went back, compared some more shoes and bought nice replacements. They even offered to take care of my warranty claim as long as I had the receipt. Unfortunately as I explained I am on vacation and don’t carry my receipts with me so this would have to wait.

When I got back to the house the husband was in the living room singing in Hebrew with his wife and mother-in-law. I went upstairs to get ready for going out to dinner. When I went in the bathroom the lights were taped into the “on” position. I then realized they were observing the Sabbath. Pretty cool and also a little unnerving at the same time. I don’t want to cause them to be disobedient to the Sabbath so I’ll have to be mindful of that.

I went to dinner at a place called Stella’s. It is a Belgian bar and restaurant. Their selection of beer was amazing. I had this one beer that is brewed by Trappist Monks and they only brew this one variety, I believe it was called Orval. I then had a French brewed wheat beer that had a peach flavor to it and was also pretty good. I had tapas, light, small dishes meant to be shared kind of like an appetizer. I got the chicken wings and taquitos. Both were extremely good. The wings had a flavor that reminded me of the chili I make as I could taste cinnamon and coriander. The downside was that it had to be my most expensive meal. I’ll now be watching my wallet closely for one more day.

Tomorrow, or more likely today for everyone reading this, I’ll relax in Vancouver. Most of my sights have already been seen except for Kitsilano Beach. I’ll head to the beach in the morning and relax the rest of the day. Maybe I’ll even grab a nap on the Sabbath. That’s all for now. Shalom.