A Mini Vacation to Kick Off Summer

We met up with my parents in Vancouver this past week. They were able to get accommodation at an independent living centre similar to where they live in Victoria. We stayed in a hotel near to where they were staying. It was so much easier and cheaper for us to travel up there than to travel to Victoria. We didn't need to take a ferry AND cross a border.

The first place we went to (after picking up my parents from the Tsawwassen ferry) was the VanDusen Botanical Gardens. It is so big! 60 acres! We were thankful that they loan out wheelchairs for free. My dad pushed my mom around since it would have been too much walking for her. I was wondering how much boys would do with so much time at a garden. They LOVED the hedge maze.

I went through the maze. 

I did feel a tiny bit of panic at one point thinking I wouldn't find my way out. :)

The centre of the maze.

The boys did great during our visit since there was so much space that it seemed more like an urban hike. It is much more "wild" than the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. 

My favourite spot was the delphinium garden.

Lots of beautiful water lilies.

We went to Swiss Chalet for supper - gotta love that chicken.

The next day we headed to North Vancouver. Our first destination was Lynn Canyon. It has a large suspension bridge which is a great alternative to the Capilano Suspension Bridge which has an insane entry fee of $36 per adult and $12 per child! Entry is free to Lynn Canyon.

The bridge is a very short walk from the parking lot. After crossing the bridge, we took a short hike to the 30 foot pool.

There were other trails but since my parents were waiting back at the trailhead we only stayed a short time.

My mom really wanted to go to the Lonsdale Quay (in North Vancouver) to enjoy some fresh fruit. We had lunch there and watched a bit of World Cup on TV.

I heard about a popular gelato place with over 200 flavours so that was our next destination. La Casa Gelato is in the industrial area of east Vancouver. It was interesting seeing the unusual flavours like curry, pesto, dill pickle, and maple bacon. Both C and I had "death by mango." Yum!

Some drawbacks: no where to sit down, no restroom (that I could see) and they don't take plastic.

Next, it was time for a little rest, especially for me! I had done a lot of tricky driving in Vancouver traffic with its crazy left turns without turn lanes or advance lights. The men of the family all played mini mini putt (only 2 holes) in the courtyard of Shannon Oaks. Hockey golf was much more fun to play.

Dinner at the White Spot.

On our last night in Vancouver, we enjoyed the sunshine and drove around the shore by the University of British Columbia and found a nice beach (near Jericho Beach) to hang out for a while and soak in the gorgeous views all around us.

In the morning, we sat for an hour waiting in the line at the border.
I hopped out of the car and got some photos.

I think we did a good job of finding things that interest both eighty year olds and ten year olds. :)




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