Vancouver, Part One

Yesterday I looked at the photos from the trip, today I think I've recovered enough to write about them. Time change, along with long travel days will do that to an old lady.

Because Bruce booked our tickets only a week in advance, he took what flights he could get for a reasonable cost. Translated into plain English, this means long layovers on both Monday, and Friday. How does 3 hours in Minneapolis, and 4 hours in Salt Lake City sound to you? For a non-sitter such as myself, it sounds like torture. Add to that, a two hour flight delay from Minneapolis, and Bruce found himself with a crazed woman! Aside from those inconveniences, the trip was GREAT!

Vancouver has a bunch of tall stuff, including the skyscrapers, the mountains, and the gorgeous big trees. And, of course, the seaport which was endlessly fascinating. Following our cab ride to the condo, we collapsed into bed as it was past midnight our time. Our first real view of the city was at dawn from the balcony of the 36th floor of the Woodward's Building. What a view it is!

This is looking some way or another--I never really got my bearings except to tell you that the mountains are on the North.

No doubt you knew we would be up early! Having only lived in an apartment for one year of my life I find it fascinating how others do. Across the street...

Because it was too early to go to the office, Bruce set up shop on the dining table.

The company keeps the condo for traveling folks, and it is wonderful, with these great views everywhere you turn. Eventually it was late enough to go find some breakfast, and while doing so, we walked the few blocks to the office to remind Bruce where it was! Chinatown is where.

Although he'd only been to Vancouver the one time last October, he remembered it was in the brick building on the left. His plan for the day was to work, mine was to play. And, if you can imagine, the weather was outstanding, with clear blue skies, and mild temperatures requiring only a light coat. How could I have been so lucky??? Don't know!

Before leaving I looked on tripadvisor for the best things to do while in Vancouver. Number one on the list was Stanley Park, so my first order of business was to figure out how to get there via the bus. Heading down the elevator, we began chatting with a couple, who, in what was to become very common during my stay, walked me to the area where I could purchase a ticket! Only a few blocks away, it was a comfortable walk, and of all things, I saw a Rexall Drugstore.

This will mean something to some of you, nothing to others. I can't remember the last time I saw a Rexall, however, during my growing up years, I probably saw the one behind our house every day. The bus and train station on Water Street, where I, once again, was given kind assistance on how to use the ticket machine.

I walked the few blocks to the bus stop, and before long I was on my way. To say Stanley Park is beautiful is an understatement. Seriously, from the moment I got off the bus, there were gorgeous sights everywhere I looked.

Above is the horsedrawn trolley that you can ride, which I did not, but you can if you want to! Apparently the cherry blossoms were early this year but, boy howdy, the tulips sure put on a show!

I am going to do my best not to overload you with photos, but it will be hard to do so, as I want you to feel as if you were there with me! The lodge built in 1911...

Could it be any more beautiful? I don't think so! The daffodils were competing for attention.

Not to mention the anemones which were such a wonderful shade of purple. Later on I would see sea anemones which possibly delighted me even more! Did I mention everywhere you looked a picturesque scene unfolded?

A fair amount of folks rent bicycles near the park entrance to cycle along the sea wall encircling the park.

It is a safe bet those folks were not carrying a bag with cameras, as your favorite blogger was doing. Instead I began walking along the sea...

which was lovely, however, eventually I knew my legs were going to wear out, so I took a pathway that I thought headed to the aquarium; instead I came across the filming of a McDonalds commercial.

And an adorable little birdie...

After asking somemone which way to go, I made it to the aquarium, and I have to say, it was so, so good. Worth every cent, and then some! I hardly know where to start everything was so exciting. The displays were mostly sea life in the Pacific Northwest waters. The link will take you to professional photographs, however, I'll do what I can.

The first tank you encounter gives you a glimpse into the wonders to come.

The colors are so vibrant it is hard to believe they are real. Because I live in a city known for fantasy, I suppose that is why that occurred to me. While all the fish were fantastic, the anemones were almost more so.

Can you believe the range of colors??? Everyone gathered round the jellyfish exhibit, and can you blame them?

Honestly, I could not get enough of them!

I so wish the one below had come out better, alas it was not to be. These are, aptly named, Umbrella jellyfish.

They were so cute! Our niece Amanda is visiting Japan, using a clear umbrella, and I couldn't help but think of her when I saw these. Anyone interested in Moon Jellyfish?

Speaking of Japan, this tank held jellyfish found off the coast of Japan.

While standing in front of this display, I overheard a child asking her Mother about the anemones and algae. Her reply--sea flowers!

The pinks were great, as was the green.

As well, there are some really cool white ones.

Recently I saw the stingrays at Brevard zoo, which were white; apparently they come in other colors.

Sadly I was unable to photograph the gigantic octopus because it was all curled up, but man, what a sight! Eventually I tore myself away, and went outdoors to see the beluga whales, and whatever else there was to see. A seagull keeping watch over the swimming whale...

Adjacent to the whale pools, South African penguins were chilling before jumping into the water.

I later learned the one on the right is molting, just like our cardinal friends do in late summer.

If ever there were a sleek sea creature it is the sea lion. While visiting San Diego I saw them there in great numbers, however, certainly not this close.

Finally, (if you can believe it), the Pacific White Sided Dolphin who was rescued after losing her pectoral flippers in a fishing net.

Are you suffering from photograph fatigue yet? I suspect that is true, so I will write again tomorrow about the rest of the day, which held yet more excitement!

Stay tuned!

I hope you've enjoyed the trip thus far,
Gail

Shades of Blue

I like all shades of blue and there are a lot of them. The main living areas in our home are painted Windy Blue, which, from now on will make me think of our trip to Key West; it was windy and it was blue.

Just the names of blue shades are nice don't you think? Aquamarine, aqua, cerulean, turquoise, cobalt, midnight, royal and baby--all very wonderful names of which most were represented on our trip. The night sky was the deepest of midnight blue while the water was so varied in shades of blue it is hard to describe using only one term. What's not to like? For my money, I can't think of a thing.

One of the highlights of the Tuesday's drive was a stop at Bahia Honda State Park. Simply wonderful. Windy too! We walked out on the bridge which the link provides details, HOWEVER, I suspect few readers will bother to check it out so I'll say this much about it--Henry Flagler built it as part of the Overseas Railway in 1912. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 (interesting that they didn't have names back then) destroyed much of the railway, so the State of Florida converted it for vehicular use. Anyway, what you really need to know is that it is super cool. This is what people do while on top of the bridge:

If you didn't believe me about the wind before, surely you will after seeing this photo Bruce took of me!

Good grief my real hair is dark!! I'm holding on for fear of getting blown away! To stand there and ponder how it must have been in 1912 when Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway was considered one of the wonders of the world was pretty darn awesome.

We wandered around the park enjoying everything we saw. Here's a view that shows how they cut sections out for boat traffic.

Well now--look who's sitting amongst the rocks!!! Wearing blue no less.

Hopping back into the car, onward on US 1 to Key West. One final stop was on our agenda however. Bruce's buddy, Jeff, insisted we stop at MM 18 and eat lunch at Mangrove Mama's. And so we did, eating on the outdoor patio where Bruce tried his first and probably now, not his last, fish taco.

By golly, we finally made it!!!

Paradise indeed. I don't know what kind of tree that is on the right, but happily, there were gobs of them in bloom with that sunny yellow color. We made our way into town to check into our fancy digs for the night. Once there we extended our stay until Friday. The Casa Marina is quite the place, both visually and historically. We kept getting the name mixed up with the Casa Monica where we stayed in St. Augustine! It was one more dream of Henry Flaglers to build a resort for his railroad travelers, although he died before building began in 1921.

Don't go thinking we're that extravagent now because we are not. What we do have (or did) are Hilton points from Bruce's weekly travels! Lucky for us Hilton now owns the Waldorf-Astoria collection right? The grounds were gorgeous, including both hammocks swaying beneath the towering palm trees,

and sand sculptures for your viewing pleasure:

 

Something to watch out for if one were to venture into the water:

You might also note the rocks lining the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The long dock has steps that let you get into the water where the rocks are not so plentiful. There are actually very few real beaches in the Keys that aren't rocky. At Bahia Honda there is a gorgeous beach, while the other one of any consequence is at Fort Zachary Talyor State Park a few blocks from Duvall Street. Talk about beauty, oh my!!! But I'm getting ahead of myself...... What the heck--a sneak peak of the place:

We walked the few blocks to Duval Street through the adjacent neighborhoods all the while I was looking for photo ops.

After all our traveling we decided to head back to the hotel and hang out at the outdoor bar. Here is where big money comes into play---$12 for a drink. Yikes!!! Although before we left I told Bruce let us not be too frugal, I can't help myself. At those prices I didn't drink much!

Again I arose looking for a great sunrise only to be disappointed. There are worse things in life! We spent the day roaming around in the center of Key West. If you've never been there you cannot imagine how tacky some of the shops are. The sayings on the t-shirts and paraphernalia are atrocious! We had to go into Hog's Breath Saloon to see what it was like and the same goes for Sloppy Joes.

Later on we visited the Hemingway House which was quite interesting. Many of the six-toed cats roamed and slept and they even have their own cat house which is a replica of Hemingway's down to the no air conditioning!

Jeff also told us we must go to Blue Heaven, a famous Key West restaurant which we did for an early dinner. The place is wildly busy with outdoor seating only; I'm terming the look rustic for lack of a better word. The empty chair at Bruce's table is adjacent to a gigantic banyan tree. Good thing I'm a bit of a tiny thing.

Another famous Key West sight are the roaming chickens and at Blue Heaven there were plenty, walking about amongst the tables and roosting overhead.

As in right over our heads!! The food was absolutely scrumptious and we discovered first hand why it is so popular. Walking back to our car we were feeling a bit weary, however, the night was not completely over just yet because we found that the tire warning light was on as we were driving away--never a welcome sight.

Bruce found a place that fixes scooters, of which there are tons and tons all over downtown, and asked if he might fill his tire. The folks were very accommodating and we hoped that would be the end of that.

Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story......
Gail