robin and jane went up the hill - in vancouver

Well, we are slowly trying to catch up with the blog following three weeks on the road. we  handed the RV (camper van or lumber tub as it became known) in this morning and we are now in sunny Los Angeles. We are doing our laundry at the moment, and guess what - the laundromat has internet access!

So back to Vancouver - We got off that very long train journey and found our way to the hotel, the Ramada downtown, - it took us a while to find the hotel as the train didnt come in to the station we were expecting it to! So first of all a long and very uphill walk carting all the baggage on our trusty trolley to the hotel. Then once rested, we took a walk round the local area and down to the waterfront to get our bearings. We then took a wander around the gastown area, taking in the historic steam clock and a very pleasant cafe that served delightfully cool beer on a hot sunny day. That night we ate in the original old spaghetti house restaurant that had a tram car inside.

Next day we took a bus ride out to the north side of the river to the Capillano suspension bridge over the gorge. It was about 80 meters high and the same across, and swayed very nicely when you walked on it (or as several nut cases were demonstrating, when you jumped up and down!) Jane helped Robin across, however, the knowledge that you had to come back over the bridge to get back out didnt help matters.

I (Jane ) explained to Robin that the way he felt on the bridge was the way I felt when I contemplated driving the RV (but I am not sure the point was appreciated!)

We then got the cable car up to Grouse Mountain, from there was a breathtaking view back down across the city, and 10 feet or so of snow. We rented snowshoes and set off for a walk up the mountain. A challenge but ultimately fun.

The next day we rented bikes and cycle round the perimeter of Stanley Park, a peninsula partly wooded and partly lawns and flowers. We were amazed to see a pair of what we are pretty sure were golden eagles being chased by a raven. We also saw a raccoon. Much of the cycle path goes along the seawall, a lovely ride.

After Vancouver the next stop was Victoria Island, via the Pacific Coach and BC Ferry. British Columbia is a beautiful part of the world, I would have liked to see more. The trip across went between several of the islands and was really picturesque. On Victoria Island we walked through a park and along the coastline back to the Fisherman's Wharf where we had some very tasty fish and chips (almost as good as the ones we had in Toronto), and admired the houseboats. All good touristy stuff, and pleasant on a sunny day. That evening it was once again through US Customs and onto the Seattle Clipper for a 2and a half hour journey down to Seattle arriving at about 9pm. Continuing the theme from Vancouver, the journey to the hotel was straight uphill and a real slog, but we eventually found our way there. It had a strange layout to say the least - the trip to the breakfast room entailed walking through the swimming pool area.

Seattle itself was not very exciting - we opted not to go up the space needle having already done two very high towers already, so that rather narrowed the sightseeing options. We chose to go to the market on the waterfront, which was primarily a flower market, and was truly colourful. Jane got a bunch of tulip  (just one) there. We also took a picture outside the original Starbucks - the very first one - once we had fought our way through thousands of Japanese tourists, all of whom like to strike a funny pose! We lunched on a home made Crab bap and then wandered back to the hotel.

The next day took us just up the road to the music and sci-fi museum - which was not the best! The Sci-fi part was very poor, but we had a bit of fun in the musical part, where the man of no musical talent was left to his own devices on a number of musical instruments! We then caught the monorail downtown and went shopping picking up some bits and bobs and a book for Jane to read.

Next day we set off early on the bus to pick up the RV from Everett, and that was a couple of bus journeys up the road

ps. we uploaded the pictures for this blog in LA public library and were limited to 15 minutes, so they are a bit all over the place! Anyway I am sure you will bill able to work them out.