our little Vancouver getaway

So a few weeks before finals, Jeremy came up with a rather brilliant idea that we should take a little trip before he has to leave to Salt Lake for his internship with the notorious Dick Burbidge. We decided that it needed to be within driving distance and since we had already been to Seattle, he came up with Vancouver. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend. We had so much fun seeing all the sites - though neither of us considered ourselves the sight-seeing types.

On the way we jumped out and took a few pictures at a "REST STOP" (neither of us had ever stopped at one before, so we found that funny). It was overlooking what I still claim to be a lake, though Jeremy asserted (and the signs confimed) it was actually a river. Gorgeous views - made me excited for Lake Powell this summer.

The drive was lengthy - 7 hours, plus the time it took to cross the border into Canada (fairly quick on the way in, not so quick on the way out). However, it went really fast. It had felt like forever since we had been able to spend any real time together, so it was nice to have the long drive. During which I proudly stayed awake for the ENTIRE time. Which is quite a feat.

We arrived at our hotel and were a little bummed that the hotel charged it's guests $10 a day to park. But we quickly moved on. We decided to head downtown and check things out. They had every important shopping establishment a girl could ever want. Luckily, not much caught my eye (which is slightly unusual, but I think the 'not spending ANY money', 'poor law student' mentality has really set in since we moved to Spokane). Then we headed off the beaten path a bit to a greek restraunt called Stephos. We had heard about this little hole in the wall from a friend and were told that it's a local treasure. There was a line down the street, but worth the wait - the atmosphere was wonderfully authentic and the food was impressive - flavorful, hefty portions, and very reasonably priced.

We got a carmel apple on our long walk back to the car and called it a night. On Saturday we woke up bright and early to catch the ferry over to Victoria (I had never been on one before - lot's of firsts). When we arrived we caught a bus to the Buschart Gardens, which was quite possibly the best part of our trip. The gardens are absolutely stunning. It's incredible how perfectly manicured the entire place is - and never a single landscaper in sight (which naturally adds to the experience). Our favorite part was the Sunken Gardens.

It was also here that a gentleman offered to take our picture and just after Jeremy handed over his camera the man immediately dropped it on the ground. Of course it had to fall right on the lense. Totally broken. Luckily, I still had my camera (coincidentally we both brought our own). We ended up spending nearly 3 hours at the gardens. They are enormous and have dramatically different styles to see. Like the Japanese Gardens - those were also beautiful.

Next, we headed downtown and hung out by the Parliment building and walked around the pier to observe all the street performers and people with their quirky knick-knacks for sale.

We caught our bus back to the ferry and headed back to Vancouver. It was a long day. In fact, everyday we were there we walked 10 miles at a minimum. It was kind of an exhausting vacation, but that seems to always be the case.

Sunday, we got up early again and walked over to the Gainville Market - which is a must see. I absolutely love, love, love public markets. All the fresh produce and delicious pastries. I love the hustle and bustle. So much culture.

Later, we went to this enormous park right on the water in downtown. It's amazing that they dedicate so much prime real estate to a park. First, we headed to the Aquarium where we were able to watch a rather impressive dolphin show. It's amazing how high they could jump.

Then we walked around the park, along the water, and stopped to watch a game of cricket.

The last day we needed to leave early for our long drive home, so we made a quick stop at the beach that morning and made a quick stop at the market to get a bite to eat. And to finish off our trip, I (of course) got crapped on by a bird while eating my lunch. I swear he must have been aiming right for me. It was pretty funny, I have to admit.

All in all, a much needed getaway.