So we have now been in Vancouver for over 3 months. I can't believe it! Don't really feel we've made the most of our time here because we're spending so much time job hunting and our financial situation is always so uncertain. But hey!
Having said that we are having a great time and love it here in Vancouver, so I thought I'd write a quick post about the things we have done here that we would recommend to others visiting Vancouver.
1) If you are planning to stay in the city for a little while I would recommend signing up to CouchSurfing. This is a community which started off as a site where people would offer up their couch/a spare room to fellow travellers for free. In Vancouver there is a large CS/traveller community and if you sign up to CS there are always different events going on that you can join. There is usually a meet up every week in one of the many bars/restaurants around downtown. Everyone is always very friendly and open to meeting new people. Someone usually arranges a hike for the weekend. And if you ever fancy a trip some where, you can post a message online and usually someone will want to join you!
2) Of course if you are a fan of skiing or snowboarding Vancouver and wider BC is the place to come. An hour drive from the city there is a choice of 3 mountains that you can buy passes for: Grouse, Seymour and Baker.
We bought an end of season pass for Seymour, which meant we only had to go 3 times to save money. Night skiing has been a definite highlight so far. All the time I have been skiing on Seymour, the visibility has been really bad, which is a shame. But on this occasion it added to the ambiance! It was amazing going up the short ski lift through the fog feeling like you were travelling in to the abyss, not being able to see more than a couple of dozen feet ahead. Beneath us there are huge lamps that light the runs at night and they bathe the mountain in an orange glow between the now covered conifer trees. I kept expecting to see Mr Tumnus talking to Lucy amongst the trees!
3) Another activity I would highly recommend is snow shoeing. We were really lucky when we went because it was beautiful clear day and we had great views from the top of the mountain. We went to the Hemlock Valley, our friends had found a great deal on Group On. It took us a couple of hours to drive out there and it was the first time I had ventured out of Vancouver. It was really interesting to drive out through the suburbs, past docks and industrial areas in to the large flat farm land surrounded by abrupt snow capped mountains. We then wound up in to the mountains, the roads getting increasingly slippery and treacherous. When we arrived at the tiny resort I was suprised how deep the snow was. A path had been dug between the car park and ski centre and the snow was piled up over Martin's head!
Walking in the snowshoes takes a bit of getting used to, but it was so much fun. Then on the way down we were sliding down dykes down the mountain and having snow fights.
4) There are plenty of beaches around Vancouver and as soon as the sun is out that is where everyone goes. I love English Bay near Stanley Park although I should think it is packed in the summer.
There are loads of other reasons to come to Vancouver, but those are our highlights so far!
Having said that we are having a great time and love it here in Vancouver, so I thought I'd write a quick post about the things we have done here that we would recommend to others visiting Vancouver.
1) If you are planning to stay in the city for a little while I would recommend signing up to CouchSurfing. This is a community which started off as a site where people would offer up their couch/a spare room to fellow travellers for free. In Vancouver there is a large CS/traveller community and if you sign up to CS there are always different events going on that you can join. There is usually a meet up every week in one of the many bars/restaurants around downtown. Everyone is always very friendly and open to meeting new people. Someone usually arranges a hike for the weekend. And if you ever fancy a trip some where, you can post a message online and usually someone will want to join you!
2) Of course if you are a fan of skiing or snowboarding Vancouver and wider BC is the place to come. An hour drive from the city there is a choice of 3 mountains that you can buy passes for: Grouse, Seymour and Baker.
We bought an end of season pass for Seymour, which meant we only had to go 3 times to save money. Night skiing has been a definite highlight so far. All the time I have been skiing on Seymour, the visibility has been really bad, which is a shame. But on this occasion it added to the ambiance! It was amazing going up the short ski lift through the fog feeling like you were travelling in to the abyss, not being able to see more than a couple of dozen feet ahead. Beneath us there are huge lamps that light the runs at night and they bathe the mountain in an orange glow between the now covered conifer trees. I kept expecting to see Mr Tumnus talking to Lucy amongst the trees!
3) Another activity I would highly recommend is snow shoeing. We were really lucky when we went because it was beautiful clear day and we had great views from the top of the mountain. We went to the Hemlock Valley, our friends had found a great deal on Group On. It took us a couple of hours to drive out there and it was the first time I had ventured out of Vancouver. It was really interesting to drive out through the suburbs, past docks and industrial areas in to the large flat farm land surrounded by abrupt snow capped mountains. We then wound up in to the mountains, the roads getting increasingly slippery and treacherous. When we arrived at the tiny resort I was suprised how deep the snow was. A path had been dug between the car park and ski centre and the snow was piled up over Martin's head!
Walking in the snowshoes takes a bit of getting used to, but it was so much fun. Then on the way down we were sliding down dykes down the mountain and having snow fights.
4) There are plenty of beaches around Vancouver and as soon as the sun is out that is where everyone goes. I love English Bay near Stanley Park although I should think it is packed in the summer.
There are loads of other reasons to come to Vancouver, but those are our highlights so far!
