Vancouver - Part One

The journey from Penticton to Vancouver was the longest drive so far. It leads through a beautiful scenery with plenty of fruit and vegetable plantations and you can buy fresh fruits from stalls right next to the street. We treated ourselves to delicious cherries and apricots. The next stop was at Kawkawa Lake, to go for a swim and refresh. At the accommodation in Vancouver, we got to know a nice couple from Germany, who just started their trip through Canada.

On our first day in Vancouver, we joined a free walking tour with a great guide, giving a lot of tips. The first impression of Vancouver was really good. There’s a lot going on and the different quarters like old Gastown, Chinatown and harbour area are quite interesting. There are lots of distinct buildings from very old towers (which don’t seem so tall anymore) to modern skyscrapers. The Marine Building is beautiful especially inside and the Gastown Steam Clock is a cool sight. The Public Library is designed to look like the colosseum and even has a rooftop garden.

As my old hiking shoes already got several holes and the seams started coming apart, I shopped new ones. I actually felt a bit sad throwing away the old shoes, because I bought them ~5 years ago in Croatia and they experienced a lot of adventures. May they rest in peace.

Besides, it was time for both of us to have our hair cut again. Philipp went to a Mexican barbershop (La Familia, the name says it all) which had a funny and odd interior with lots of wrestler action figures and Mexican wrestler masks. But they did a good job. I went to a Korean salon and was satisfied as well. Vancouver is indeed a very international city, also our accommodation was in kind of an Asian quarter. So, the ramen we had for dinner was superb.