Friday August 30, 2019
Vancouver is one of our favorite cities in the world and we were excited to return after our last visit seven years ago. The Celebrity Millennium arrived early in the morning and docked in the heart of the city at Canada Place. With its sweeping sails and panoramic views, Canada Place is a dramatic gateway to this lovely city.
The weather was overcast and 66 degrees. We were off the ship early and wanted to spend some time before going to our hotel, so we booked a Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour. It was fun to see how much Vancouver had changed since our last visit. Also, the Ho-Ho bus was a good activity for a cool drizzly day. Here’s a view of the city from Stanley Park. There are many more tall buildings!
The H0-Ho bus driver was an older local woman who grew up in Vancouver. Everywhere we went she had stories about what the neighborhood was like when she was growing up. Fantastic!! Stanley Park is a jewel in the crown of this attractive city:
We drove past English Bay and memories surfaced of my first visit to Vancouver more than 30 years ago. I sat on the beach at night as music from the Vancouver Folk Festival drifted across bay. I remember hearing Buffy Sainte-Marie and other Native North American and international folk singers.
Jeff and I decided to get off the bus at Granville Island and walk around.
Bagels have arrived at the Public Market on Granville Island:
Back on the Ho-Ho bus we passed through “Gastown.” Tourists were lined up to see the famous Steam Clock:
We got off the bus at the downtown Pacific Centre which was near our hotel. We checked in, got settled, and were ready to begin our northwestern Vancouver adventure.
