Anna's Next Adventure: A weekend in Vancouver ...

Spirit of Haida ... a first nations carving at the Vancouver Airport

After a 'blah' week, it was wonderful to be able to go to the airport and wait for Mum to arrive for her first trip to Canada. We stayed at the lovely Moda hotel, right in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. After a few bubbles to celebrate her arrival, we had an early night, ready for a day of sightseeing on Saturday.

Totem poles at Stanley Park

Canadian geese watch the cricket at Stanley Park

Saturday's plan went like this - Make our way to Stanley Park, past the Robson Street shops; walk through Stanley Park; meet C. (who was in town for a wedding) in the English Bay area for afternoon drinks; head to Granville Island for a wander before drinks and dinner.

The reality ... When C. called us after the wedding to find out where we were, we still hadn't made it to Stanley Park. In fact, we weren't even half way down Robson Street. But, I can say, that we were browsing in several very Canadian stores, namely Lululemon and Roots, so technically, we were still sightseeing.

Salmon spawning pond

Sulphur works at North Vancouver

We finally made it to Stanley Park in the mid afternoon, just as the sun came out and the temperature rose. We spent a couple of hours wandering along the Seawall, looking at the totem poles, watching a game of cricket and just enjoying the park. I would love to live in Vancouver just for Stanley Park ... it's filled with hundreds of paths, perfect for a midweek run or a weekend stroll.

Black squirrel in Stanley Park

Mum and Mr Stanley

In the evening, we decided to sample the local seafood. We began at Rodney's Oyster House for wine and oysters before moving on to Global, a steakhouse that happened to have some delicious local fish, namely halibut and sockeye salmon.

Boat houses

Vancouver sailing club

On Sunday, Mum and I hit Granville Island for more wandering and shopping. We walked to the waterfront to catch a water taxi across False Creek to the island. Here, we strolled through the public market, filled with lovely fresh produce and gorgeous shops. The find of the day was Edie Hats, a beautiful hat store filled with all sorts of both classic and quirky hats. Granville Island, despite its very touristy feel, has been set up wonderfully. The island used to be an industrial site (in fact, the concrete works are still there) but has been restored beautifully to house the market, lovely stores and cute little art galleries. It has retained the industrial feel, with lots of corrugated iron and steel being used in the buildings. Granville Island is also home to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design which hosts art exhibitions that are open, free, to the public.

Moda hotel in Vancouver

A multi-talented hotel

In the late afternoon, it was time to head back to the hotel to collect our bags ready for the next leg of the adventure - a sea plane ride to Salt Spring Island.