The next morning we woke to our first full day in the big city. There was plenty to do and see and let me tell you, we made a day of it.
Our first stop was Stanley Park. There were no shortage of Totem Poles on this vaca. The park holds several and also a beautiful view of the water. We got a run down on the history of some of these totems and even a few details about what each carving could have meant. We got the biggest kick out of the removable wings /hands to welcome or not welcome guests to the village. If only I could have one of these in my front yard. Kidding...kind of.
Our next stop was the Vancouver Aquarium. As a family we are often hesitant about visiting aquariums while on vacations, considering we have one of the best in the world right in our home town. But we heard enough raving reviews about this one that we thought we should give it a shot. And I am so glad we did!
It was extremely impressive and worlds different than any I had been to before. Our favorite exhibits were the Rainforest and the outdoor tanks. The Rainforest had live sloths milling around in an open air trail. Fun fact...the Cibulas love sloths! As for the outdoor exhibits- the sea lions, dolphins, sea otters, and penguins were all within arms reach. We could have sat there forever watching the animals play. As a matter of fact, we enjoyed lunch right outside with the wet creatures.
From there we made it over to Granville Island where we just had to visit the Kid's Market. As you can imagine, the littles were in heaven. Booth after booth of kids activities and goodies for sale. No shortage of souvenirs here.
And we even grabbed a little something for our sweet Shelton while we were there.
And just when you thought we couldn't fit another stop into our day, we did. Next up, the Tellus World Science Museum. I can't lie, by this point I was worn out. My sweet hubby allowed me a little reprieve and I headed over to check out the Nordstrom Semi-Annual sale while they stayed and explored. From what I gathered, they had a fabulous time!
After that quick rejuvenating shopping trip, I was ready to go again. We met up for dinner at Tom Horton's. Now, there is a funny story behind this one. From the first mention of a Canada trip, Jack said "we have to eat at Tom Horton's". Being the clueless Canadian vacationer that I am, I agreed. I mean the kid talked it up for months. Well, guess what? It was nothing more than a Canadian McDonalds. But, this guy was thrilled! We literally joked our entire dinner through.
After our fill of the "must eat" Tom Horton's we headed over to Fly Over Canada. It's a simulated ride over the entire country of Canada and it's pretty breathtaking. Fun for kids and adults alike. The Fly Over was located on the docks so we were able to enjoy the real life view afterwards.
Anybody else tired? Shew, what a day. Are y'all ready for day two?
The second day was by far my favorite. We spent most of it in the great outdoors, which is heavenly in Canada. Our first stop was the the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Again, there was no shortage of Totem Poles. The views were stunning and and the suspension bridge was treacherously exciting. My littles loved the kid's scavenger hunt through the tree top bridges and most especially the prize at the end.
There was still more of Vancouver's beautiful scenery to see so we made our way over to Grouse Mountain. We took the Sky Ride to the top of the mountain where all the action was. We watched a comical LumberJack parody, checked out the bears, grabbed lunch, and then took the chair lift up to the tippy top of the mountain.
I'm not one to be too over protective, but the lack of seat belts in these chairs had me all flustered. I had a death grip on my kiddos.
We ended our day with a visit to Gastown. It's known for the Gas Clock that steams on the hour. We made it just in time to see the ol' guy blow. Of course, we followed this with a little shopping and browsing. This part of town is just darling.
And then we dined on our last Canadian meal at Rodney's Oyster House. The wait was atrocious, but the seafood was well worth it. Yum! Lucy even tried her first raw oyster! I can't say that she will eat one again, but she did it and even smiled afterwards.
The next day was departure day. Back to the U.S. we went. I could go on and on about the debacle we ended up in trying to get to the airport, but I will spare you those unsettling details. Needless to say we made it back to Seattle in time to catch our flight.
Ciao Canada! It was nothing short of amazing!
