Vancouver

Jack and I had both heard good things about Vancouver and we were excited to get into the city. Upon checking into the hotel the front desk made an error and we were upgraded to a queen suite room on the 15th floor overlooking downtown, which of course we did not mind at all. We were able to see Cole Bay as well as many of the cities large apartment buildings, parks, and Vancouver Island.

Our first day in the city we took it easy and relaxed a bit before heading to the Kitsilano district, Vancouver's answer to the Lower East Side, for dinner at The Naam, Vancouver's oldest vegetarian restaurant. Jack had mixed vegetables with rice in a miso sauce, and is no longer allowed to complain about us eating "something with rice for dinner" since he still orders it when we go out! I decided to part with rice for the evening and had the steak with miso gravy, steamed vegetables, sesame fries and beet salad. Our meals were delicious and to top it off we had coffee and shared a slice of the double fudge cake. The atmosphere was relaxing and we dined on the patio which had ivy covered awnings and comfortable wooden furniture. Every night between 7-10pm there is local music, which we also got to hear in the background. The Naam is also open 24 hours which is perfect for those round the clock veggie cravings.

The next day it down-poured and we attempted to walk across the city and ended up going back to the hotel to get the car instead. We checked out the Chinese Garden where classic Chinese architecture is nestled inside the city center. We learned a bit about the culture and creation of these gardens such as; bats being a symbol of good luck, no window design will be the same, and that koi fish can grow to be  200 years old! In one of the many educational halls at the garden you can sip on some freshly brewed green tea while gazing over watercolors and listening to authentic Chinese music. After the serenity of the garden we had a craving for .... you guessed it Chinese food and headed to Bo Kong Vegetarian Restaurant and shared some wonton soup and pan-fried spinach noodles.

Bo Kong veggie wonton soup

The rain was bogging us down and it had been a grueling few days so a serious nap was in order. In the evening we took a leisurely stroll across downtown, through the Davies Village and Robson Districts before we stumbled into a small dessert cafe and called it a night.

Vancouver at night

Our third day in Vancouver we headed up to North Vancouver to Grouse Mountain where we partook in the Grouse Grind, a trail comprised of 2,830 stairs climbing 3,700 feet in just 1.8 miles, at a 56% grade. It was INTENSE. Due to erosion a lot of the stairs are broken or missing and we ended climbing up tree roots and rocks often in an almost completely vertical fashion. Finally getting to the top we both felt extremely accomplished and we laid in the grass overlooking Vancouver in all of its beauty but more importantly stretching out our legs!

We enjoyed Vancouver. It was a clean city, big into farmers markets, organics, and sustainability which offered numerous amounts of hiking and outdoor activities. We would love to come back here some day and visit again.