A week of sunshine and rain in Vancouver

When I had first been to Vancouver back in September 2019, I fell in love with the city. Not only because Vicki, one of my best friends, lives there, but because Vancouver has to offer something for everyone. May it be the sea and the beach, the mountains, more rural areas outside the city or downtown itself – Vancouver has got it all.

Therefore, I also decided to start my, so far, biggest travel adventure there. Because I decided to solo travel across North America for a month. Not only to see some more parts of the world but foremost to clear my head and take some time off. And exactly a week after booking my flight tickets to the West Coast of Canada, on November 4, I was already on the way to the airport and couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming month. Yet, due to the pandemic, traveling got a bit more complicated. And before I was allowed to get on the plane, I had to present all my travel documents at the gate – from travel registration to vaccination card and PCR test result, and, not to forget, my visa for Canada. But everything worked out well, and after an 11 hour non-stop flight from Munich, I landed in Vancouver right in time. After I passed immigration and took another Covid-19 test, I finally got on a taxi to Vicki’s place, where she was already waiting for me.

The following day, Vicki had to work, so I spent the day by myself and walked from Kitsilano to Downtown and also stopped at Granville Island on the way there. Sitting there on a bench outside in the sun and sipping on my morning coffee, I still couldn’t believe I was finally back on what felt like the other side of the world after Covid-19 didn’t make it possible to travel that far for such a long time. In the evening, I then met Vicki’s friends Burcu, Neyha, and Oti, and together, we first went out for drinks at Social and then for dinner at Pepino’s at Commercial Drive. A great start to the weekend, I’d say.

It was raining the whole day on Saturday, so Vicki and I only went for brunch at Jam Café in Kitsilano and then did some shopping in the area as well. We spent the afternoon chilling at Vicki’s place, and as soon as Mac got back from work in the evening, we went for dinner at Nuba. And while I’m typing these lines, I realize that I probably spent half of my time in Vancouver, only eating my way across the city. It was also raining the next day, but we still decided to go on a day trip to Squamish – a town close to Vancouver on the way to Whistler. Once we got there, we first had brunch at Fergies, a cute cabin in the middle of the woods, followed by two beer tastings before heading back home again.

Although I could spend the weekend with Vicki and her friends, they had to work on Monday again. So, I spent the following days alone again, walked around the city, got in a lot of steps, and just enjoyed my time here. However, on Tuesday evening, together with Vicki and Mac, I finally went to my first ice hockey game ever – and it was a great experience and a lot of fun. The weather looked pretty good for the following day. So, I went back to the city center again, took a stroll across Gastown, and then walked to Stanley Park and along the sea wall. But I guess I underestimated the distance a bit, and by the time I finally made it to the Brockton Point Lighthouse, the sun was already about to set. Thus, it was probably a good idea to head back to the city again before it got dark. And 14.000 steps later, I also made it back again.

Thursday was a public holiday in Canada and also already my last day. After going for brunch with Vicki and Oti at Palate Kitchen one more time, Mac picked us up at the café to go on another day trip to some places south of Vancouver. First, we stopped at Steveston, visited Fisherman’s Wharf, and had lunch there while heading to White Rock later on. Yet, on the way there, it started raining even heavier. Therefore, we only did a quick stop at Canada’s longest pier in White Rock and then had dinner at a nearby restaurant. And after dinner, it was about time to head to Vancouver again as I had a bus to catch. Back there, Vicki and Mac dropped me off at the bus stop from where I got on the bus to the US. And after passing immigration at the border, about four hours later, I made it to the second stop on my North American trip, Seattle.