Dad had never visited the birthplace of his mother, so what better excuse than his 80th birthday to discover our family roots?

As it was a milestone birthday, we flew in style - British Airways Club World on the upper deck of a Boeing A380. It was the first time Dad had experienced the luxuries that come with a club class ticket. With champagne on arrival and fillet steak for dinner, it’s fair to say he loved the experience. The air stewardess was lovely and when she heard it was Dad’s birthday she arranged a card to be signed by the crew. Such a kind thing to do and a great keepsake for Dad.
Of course, the downside is once tasted it’s hard not to want again.

The first thing to know about Vancouver is it rains A LOT.
So much so that the city’s nicknames are Raincouver or the Wet Coast - it’s the reason the city is so green. Every day of our visit was grey, overcast and often raining. If Stephanie Meyer hadn’t based her Twilight series in Forks, USA, I think Vancouver would have been a great alternative!

We stayed at the Blue Horizon Hotel on Robson Street, which I picked for the excellent location and great reviews. Our travel plans were hit by the BA pilot strike, so I had to contact the hotel to rearrange our dates. Thankfully, they were able to change our booking, twice, as the new flights were cancelled only 3 days before we left London! The staff were friendly, polite and helpful - a quality that we were to find ran through the city.
The rooms were large with very comfortable beds and I was thrilled to find the hotel had reserved Dad a 26th floor corner room with views of English Bay, the city and the mountains of North Vancouver/Grouse Mountain. We were amazed at how many ships wait in the bay at one time. Apparently, it’s because there are a limited number of dock spaces and it costs CAD 10,000’s per day once inside the Port of Vancouver.

Canadians are renowned for being friendly and welcoming.
I’ve visited Toronto several times and have a very good friend who’s Canadian, so I know how polite and friendly they are on the East coast. Well, Vancouverites (yup, that’s what they call themselves) take it to another level. The fresh coastal and mountain air seems to have created a chilled atmosphere in this busy city. Their hospitality, kindness and courteous manner are natural and genuine. It’s important to them that guests in their city have a great time, and they go out of their way to provide the best service they can.

Capilano Suspension Bridge
At the top of my Vancouver ‘To Do’ list was the famous bridge suspended 230 ft (70m) above the Capilano River.
I’d read that it was wobbly, but that's an understatement - it almost swings!

Now I love heights, but Dad's not so keen. After some gentle persuasion (basically, I told him he HAD to cross the bridge), we carefully descended the stairs. The unexpectedly large swaying motion really took us by surprise and, after we’d grabbed the railing to steady ourselves, we couldn’t help but laugh.
We slowly made our way across the bridge admiring the beautiful forest lining the fast-flowing river beneath us. It was such a great experience to walk, well stagger, across, especially whilst it was relatively quiet. Some people were clearly struggling with the height and movement, with one poor guy looking absolutely terrified.

It’s totally worth the wobble across, as there’s a beautiful treetop walkway on the other side.

If you really can’t face walking over the bridge, there’s the Cliffwalk. It’s a narrow walkway attached by wires to the granite cliff face which guides you along the cliff edge and up through the rain forest. At one point there’s a walkway that juts out over the river. Great fun.

The Capilano Park was, by far, our favourite excursion of the trip. I recommend getting there as early as possible to avoid the crowds. We arrived at 9:30am and spent about 3 hours wandering around the park.

Coal Harbour, Gastown and Canada Place
Being an islander, there’s nothing Dad enjoys more than being on, in or near the sea. On a dry morning, we walked from the hotel down to Coal Harbour, a large marina surrounded by expensive condominiums with views of both sea and mountains. From houseboats to superyachts, there were boats of all shapes, sizes and values. We had heard seaplanes flying nearby but had no idea they landed in Coal Harbour until we saw some landing as we strolled along the sea edge. Then we came across a busy seaplane terminal. We probably spent longer than needed watching the coming and goings, but it was fascinating.

I love booking a bus tour in whichever city I visit, so we took a LandSea tour of the most famous city landmarks, including Stanley Park, Canada Place and Gastown. It’s a great way to get your bearings and decide where you want to explore further.

Vancouver is a vibrant and wealthy city but has a large homeless population. It saddened us to see so many drug users and destitute people on the streets, especially in Downtown Eastside. Apparently, one of the reasons for the high numbers is, unlike many other Canadian cities, Vancouver’s temperature rarely drops below zero.

On our walk to Gastown, we came across a wonderful bookshop called MacLeod’s. It’s like no other bookshop I’ve visited. There’s literally not enough shelves for the 1000’s of books on sale, so the owner places them in, on or under every available space. There’s clearly a system as he knows exactly where to find each one!

And so to Gastown. Named after ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton from Hull, England, who had the gift of the gab and opened up the first saloon. It’s a pretty place lined with historic looking lamposts and old buildings with loads of bars, eateries and shops. The famous steam clock stands near the Waterfront end of Water Street.

From here we strolled towards the modern area called Canada Place where five 90ft high white sails dominate the skyline. Having stopped for a delicious lunch at the Steamworks pub, we wandered down to the end of the pier, following the ‘Canadian Trail’. The promenade is divided into 13 sections representing the 10 Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec) and 3 territories (Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon). Each section has prominent cities or towns engraved on the floor tiles.

Vancouver Aquarium
The aquarium situated in Stanley Park is well worth visiting.
If you time it right, you can watch the sea otters being fed, which is amazing. They’re so playful and agile and as cute in real life as you’d imagine. The handlers explained what the Canadian authorities are doing to ensure the sea life and habitat around the city is kept healthy. There were also penguins, sea lions and seals in the outdoor enclosures, but I could have watched the otters for hours. Unsurprisingly, rain shortened our stay!
Luckily, the indoor section was really interesting too with loads of exhibits and features.

Whistler
It would be foolish to visit Vancouver and not take a day trip to the world famous ski resort of Whistler.
Guess what? On the day we went, it was raining heavily which meant the views on our drive up the Sea to Sky Highway were completely obscured by rain and fog. Such a shame, as it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the world.
It’s about a 2 hour drive, which was broken up by stops at Shannon Falls and Brandywine Falls, both of which were beautiful, even in the rain.

I find First Nation history and culture fascinating and I have always wanted to see an inukshuk. These human shaped piled stones were built by the Inuit to aid hunting, navigation and communication and are dotted all over northern Canada. The enormous one standing guard at the entrance of Whistler village did not disappoint!
The village itself is quaint with a ‘Swiss Alpine’ look and feel. It was a lot smaller than I imagined and the hotels, shops, cafes and restaurants are within easy walking distance of the main chairlift. I’d love to come back in the winter, as it must look beautiful in the snow.

A bit of history. In 1965, the village changed its name from London Mountain to Whistler, after the high pitched sound made by the hoary marmots that inhabit the area. These little cuties are usually in hibernation when Dad and I were there, so we were delighted when two of them darted along some fallen boulders by Brandywine Falls. They were far too quick for me to take a photo but there are loads of pictures online you can look at.

Verdict on Vancouver
Yes, it rained, but that’s part of the city’s charm and what else can you expect with a mountain range so close to the sea. Like us Brits, Vancouverites accept it as part of their lifestyle. Other than the Whistler trip, it didn’t dampen our experience of the city and surrounding area. It’s almost impossible not to be enchanted by the people and captivated by the scenery. From the 28km Seaside Greenway walk and cycle path to the giant sequoia, Douglas fir and maple trees in Stanley Park and mountains, Vancouver is truly breathtaking.

So now Dad had seen where his mum came from, we journeyed further west to a place she had visited and often spoke about - Vancouver Island.

What are your experiences of Vancouver and its people?