8th day 28/07/2016 - Vancouver Island East - sunny

After a very restful night's sleep, we enjoyed the great view from our room again in the morning. Since it was still very quiet, Anne and I decided to take a short swim in the pool, which was refreshing.

For breakfast, we had Starbucks coffee (from the room) and some leftover banana bread from Alexis in Vancouver. Then we decided to take a trip to Campbell River, which was about 60 km away. We also decided to drive along the A19 again today, so we could stay by the sea. In between, there were always nice spots to stop and take photos. ^

Once we arrived in Campbell River, we first fortified ourselves at McDonald's and then tried to get to Campbell Lake. However, it is not so developed and we didn't find a good entry point to explore it on a hike. So we quickly drove to Elk Falls Provincial Park and walked along the Millennium Trail to the Elk Falls Suspension Bridge, which was twice as long and three times as high as the suspension bridge in Lynn Valley, Vancouver. There were a lot fewer people here than in Vancouver. It was a nice little hike with a beautiful view of the Elk Falls. On the way back to the parking lot, we visited the information center of the provincial park and found a German-speaking employee whose parents emigrated from Germany. She was very happy to be able to speak this language for once and provided us with plenty of maps. She also gave us tips on what we should definitely see in the city, the museum and the Discovery Fishing Peer, where you can get the biggest ice cream cones.

We skipped the museum because the weather was so nice, so we visited the Discovery Fishing Peer in Campbell River. I found this very impressive, as there was already a rough breeze and a distinct ocean atmosphere. The fishermen were interesting, and you could rent a fishing rod at the kiosk and try it yourself. Since Pauline is a vegetarian and strongly opposes killing animals, I just watched the other anglers, and it was surprising how quickly they caught such a big salmon and then dissected them right away in the ready-made sinks (which is a somewhat bloody affair and was commented on indignantly by Pauline). But in the same kiosk, there were also the big ice cream scoops, where each of us chose our favorite 'baby scones'. These were about 3 times the size of an ice cream scoop in Germany, but also very soft, so it started dripping quickly. We strolled along the pier in stronger winds and enjoyed the view and the sun.

Then we continued back to Coutenay. I had read on Tripadvisor that the 'Atlas Cafe' restaurant should have very good salads. Since we finally wanted to eat something 'healthy' after all the fast food places, French fries, and fish and chips, we tried it there and were not disappointed. There was a variety of salads, and everyone could choose their 'favorite salad'. After seeing the salmon fishermen today, I wanted something with salmon, and they had that there too - very delicious.

After we all drove back to the hotel full and satisfied, Pauline and I enjoyed the pool, Marie and Anne enjoyed the terrace with a sea view and books. In the evening, we went back to the beach and watched the sunset.