We were up early and off to the airport for our 7 am flight.
We got there in plenty of time and security was fairly quiet so we got through pretty quickly.
So we had some time to go to Chili's for some breakfast.
Ready for an adventure (and some breakfast).
I had avacodo 'toast' which was actually on a soft bun.
I would have preferred it to be on actual toast but it was ok.
I had a side of bacon too and that was delicious.
Then we were up, up, up and away.
The sun was just a shining as we landed in Vancouver after a short flight.
Vancouver is an hour behind us so it was still super early when we arrived.
They had all these "Canada" displays in the airport.
This camper set up was sweet.
I really loved this camper.
It was kind of like a fort.
Then it had a slide on the other side.
I asked My Honey if we could build one for our yard.
Vancouver airport always has lots of Native or First Nations art on display too which is nice to see.
We booked a room in New Westminster this time which is quite far away from the airport.
I googled how much taxi fare would be to our hotel and it was around $70.00.
So we decided to take the Sky Train instead.
We only had one suitcase between us so it wasn't so bad.
We took the first train right down to the water front.
We had a seat right at the back of the train car that looked out the window so we had a nice view the whole ride.
I took about 20 minutes to get downtown then we took another sky train out to New Westminster.
My Honey said the hotel was right by the train station and boy he was right.
It was immediately next to the train station.
It was still so early (9am) so they didn't have any rooms available yet.
They did let us leave our luggage though and told us about a few breakfast places nearby and we headed back out.
It was a very nice area.
There were these mosaics along the sidewalk.
There were likely more but these were the only two we saw on our short walk to the breakfast spot.
Bruncheria Cafe is one of the places the hotel receptionist recommended.
It was such a gorgeous day that we opted to eat outside.
My Honey had this omelet with chorizo & jalapenos (that's what sold him).
It came with fruit and nutella & banana toast.
I was in the mood for pancakes so I got this stack of pancakes with berries and cream.
I also had bacon on the side of course.
The pancakes were a bit on the dry side but they had a lemon flavor to them that I loved.
I could see this tree from where I was sitting.
The green is just so vibrant looking - what a stunning tree.
I noticed afterwards that there were a few more of the very same tree and they were all just as beautiful.
There were lots of beautiful plants and trees and flowers along the street.
We decided to walk up to a market we'd seen from the Sky Train earlier.
River Market.
That's a pretty cool looking bridge off there in the distance.
There was a center where you could learn all you ever wanted to know about the Fraser River.
We had a look inside but decided we weren't that interested.
Here's something interesting though - The World's Tallest Tin Soldier.
There was a really nice boardwalk area.
The market was a building along the waterfront.
It was pretty quiet there but I guess it was early on a Wednesday.
A cop boat - don't think I've ever seen one like that before.
The water doesn't look a very nice color but I still enjoy being by it regardless.
There were lots of beautiful, healthy hanging baskets just loaded with blooms all along the boardwalk.
We went in the market to check it out and walked right into a food court kind of area.
I thought this wall was covered in tea saucers but upon closer inspection, I think it was the ends of cans painted.
It still looks really awesome.
We were checking out a sign for a little ferry we saw and this guy walking by told us it was worth taking so we decided to go for it.
Everyone we've been encountering this morning has been so friendly.
It's called the Q to Q ferry and it's only $2 per person each way.
Bet there are some beautiful views from that condo.
Every chance I have to get on the water I do.
I love being on a boat so much.
I love the rocking of the waves and I just find it so peaceful.
I think My Honey enjoys it as much as I do.
Looking back at Quay side where we just came from.
There are tons of condos on the water.
I still think that's a pretty bridge.
The ferry dropped us off at a residential area with a walking trail so we just started walking.
There were beautiful flowers every where.
(Get ready for a ton of pictures of them).
Everytime I see logs in the water like this, it reminds me of that old show 'The Beachcombers'.
We could see into the backs of peoples yards and some of them just had beautiful gardens.
Wouldn't this be a lovely place to spend a warm afternoon just chilling and reading a book.
Or just sitting and drinking in all the beauty.
These pretty white flowers were just growing wild.
I almost have expect to see Relic at any moment.
We walked by this huge hedge and I think it might have been lavender.
I'm not sure though, I was expecting more of scent.
It was pretty anyway, whatever it was.
I've never seen a plant like this before, it was covered in round whispies that looked like dandelions when they go to seed.
This is a close up.
Another beautiful back yard garden.
We just don't have enough good weather at home to grow flowers like these.
I noticed a clematis - I wish I could have gotten closer but it was in a gated in area.
I used to have a clematis back in NS and I just loved it.
I've never seen roses growing on a tree like this.
Maybe it was just how they pruned it or maybe they weren't even rose.
Whatever they were, they lined the walkway for a time and they were pretty.
They were a soft pink with a dark pink center.
I think this might be creeping phlox which I also used to have but mine didn't grow as nicely as this.
Another lavender maybe?
I'm not sure if everyone around here has green thumbs or if there's a caretaker but it sure is lovely.
We came upon this tree with these odd shaped leaves that I've never seen before.
These flowers were also a soft pale pink with a darker pink center but they were humongous, I think these blooms were bigger than my hand, they were super tall too and in behind is another clematis.
Everything looks so healthy and gorgeous.
I hope when I retire someday that we live in a place where the climate allows me to grow a beautiful garden.
These blooms were so full they were tipping over.
Hydrangea's I think - I love the color.
I also love greenery, I think this might be a boxwood?
I don't know what this is but it's just as lush and beautiful as all the flowering plants.
We walked in a great big circle and eventually made our way back to the ferry and headed back.
We'd noticed a Mexican bakery in the market when we went through it earlier and they had Tres Leches cake so I went back for a piece.
When you cut into it, it just oozed out milky goodness.
It was delicious.
They had some Mexican dishes too so My Honey got a Tostada.
It was really good.
He also got this chocolate tart.
It was kind of hard and very rich - not what we were expecting.
We decided to hop back on the Sky Train and head downtown so we could go to Baodown for a Bao Chicka Bao Bao.
We went once on a food tour and it was delicious.
We tried to go in April when we were here but the two times we came it was closed.
So we looked it up on Google and it said they opened at 11:30 so we figured we were safe.
It was 1:30 when we got there and the door was open but when we went in, this guy in there told us they weren't open yet, wouldn't be opening until 2:00.
We went to a coffee place next door and got some drinks.
My Honey pointed out the message he'd noticed on my cup.
"Your day is about to get a little bit better"
Perfect!
We waited until just after 2 and headed back over to BaoDown.
This time, even though the whole place was wide open, the one guy there told us they still weren't open, maybe around 2:30.
So we were annoyed.
This was the third or fourth time we'd gone out of our way to get there - we won't do it again.
We looked for another place to get something to eat and My Honey found a taco place nearby and that is where we headed.
We were in the Gas Town area of Vancouver and there is some awesome graffiti on the walls down there.
Found the taco place - it wasn't that far from where we were so that was good.
La Taqueria.
They had a pretty good menu.
I had a bowl of the tortilla soup and it was so delicious.
We got three different kinds of tacos.
One was the special and it was mainly mushrooms, then we also got a beef one and a fish one.
They were tiny and I wasn't crazy about them - they were just ok.
I did like these doors they had as a wall.
From there we headed back to the waterfront.
To Canada Place.
There were a few cruise ships in.
The cruise ships brought out the protesters who feel that the carbon footprint of the cruise ships is destroying our planet.
I don't know, maybe so but they also provide a lot of jobs and are a huge boost to the economy.
Seeing them all there reminded us of the cruise we went on and how much we'd enjoyed it.
We've always thought we'd like to go on another and seeing them amplified that feeling.
Even though we've been on Fly Over Canada a few times now, we enjoyed it so much, we decided to go again.
We had to wait in line for a bit.
But at least we had a great view while we waited.
Plus the weather was wonderful.
The whole reason for this trip was so that My Honey would have an opportunity to try some of the great ramen here in Vancouver.
We knew there were a ton of places on Robson Street so started walking that way.
When we were here in April, we'd gone on a bus tour and the driver "Captain Mike" told us about the ramen place that Jason Mamoa loved to go to when he's in Vancouver and I wanted to give it a try.
ISo we looked that place up and headed there.
Matutama Ramen
It was really quiet so we didn't have to wait - they seated us right away.
He is a big fan of ramen so he's happy.
The wall was really funky.
The ramen here is chicken based.
I just got the very regular bowl, it had scallions, pork and seaweed.
My Honey got the full meal deal.
They had sesame seeds and dried garlic flakes on the tables that you could add to your soup which I did.
I love sesame seeds and although the garlic flakes were a little on the bitter side, it really worked with the soup.
You could also get fresh lime juice to add to your soup so I got that too.
They actually give you a half of a fresh lime and a juicer.
Side Note - I really loved how they had this little 'stand' on the center of the table.
It's a great place to put stuff but it still leaves you room for your food.
This is the first time ever in my life that I finished a whole bowl of any kind of noodle soup.
It is my absolute favorite ramen EVER!
I'd come back to Vancouver just for this.
We headed back up Robson St and found a bubble waffle place so went in for some dessert.
We shared this mango waffle creation.
It was fabulous.
We also shared a mango shake and it too was wonderful.
We happened upon a construction site and we stopped to watch them work for a good half hour anyway.
It was fascinating.
They had this giant magnet they'd drag through the concrete pile and it would pick up pipe and rebar which they would take and drop on another pile.
I could have stayed and watched longer honestly.
We were getting tired though so we headed back to the waterfront to catch the Sky Train back to our hotel.
Saw this mural on a wall on Robson St. - love it.
It was around 10 by the time we got back to the room and checked in.
The room was a good size - we really liked it.
We didn't get much sleep last night and were up early so we were quite exhausted by this point and basically hit the hay straight away.
As is usual for us when we go on vacation, we put on a lot of miles.
This was likely contributing to my exhaustion but it felt good too.
That is all for today, until next time, be happy.
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