We're in British Columbia on our 11th stop on our 150-day road trip across Canada. Home to high mountains, dessert, rainforest, the Pacific Ocean, and world-class cities, British Columbia is one of Canada's most diverse and beautiful provinces. We started our trip in the north, making our way down from the Yukon to Liard Hot Springs, where we took a break in the second largest known hot springs in Canada. With steam rising off the water, it felt like we were walking through a jungle in a tropical paradise. It's impressive how hot the water gets and it was a great way to soothe our muscles before beginning the long drive to Vancouver.
Some of the things that make Vancouver one of the most beautiful cities in the world is the variety of parks, beaches, coast line, and natural attractions that can be found all over the city. The most famous park of them all is Stanley Park, a 400-hectare natural west coast rainforest in the heart of the city. We spent some time hiking through the forest admiring Beaver Lake and riding our bikes along the beautiful sea wall, a paved path that circles the perimeter of Stanley Park right next to the ocean. This is such a beautiful trail, we got to see incredible views of the city skyline, the Lionsgate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean, and a variety of sandy beaches. Next, we moved to north Vancouver to walk across Capilano Suspension Bridge. A 460-foot long suspension bridge that sits 230 feet over a scenic river. While the bridge itself is a major tourist attraction, there is a lot of things to do in the area as well, including a canopy walk and a cliff walk . After exploring some of Vancouver's natural attractions, we moved into the city to start exploring Robson Street and then Gas Town, Vancouver's oldest district. Here, we found an array of beautiful buildings, cobblestone streets, and even an old steam clock We also took a walking tour to learn about the days of prohibition, the opium riots, and some of Vancouver's darkest days. It was a great way to learn about the beginnings of this great city. The next day we continued to learn about the area by visiting the Museum of Anthropology, which houses thousands of artifacts from the Northwest coast First Nations as well as other cultures from all over the world. It was impressive to see the collections of the artwork and to go through some of the interactive exhibits that introduced us to various art forms such as Japanese calligraphy. After a couple of days in Vancouver, we took the ferry to Vancouver Island, an area known for its wilderness and adventure. We started in Victoria, BC's capital city. Named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Victoria is a beautiful coastal city with a variety of heritage homes, legislative buildings, and a vibrant food scene. To get a better taste of city, we took a walking food tour through the heart of the city, including the second oldest Chinatown in North America. Not only did we learn so much about Victoria's history but we got to try delicious food such as premium olive oils, perogies, meat balls, italian baked goods, and the famous Victoria cream chocolates, which are sent to the Queen of England every year. And in the evening we went to an in-house brewpub, where we got to try a beer and chocolate truffle pairing. It was delicious! Victoria is also known as the garden city, which is quite apparent as you are walking along the streets, however the most magnificent garden of them all is The Butchart Gardens, which is now a National Historic Site of Canada. With over 900 variety of plants, we could quickly see why this has become a world famous attraction.
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AuthorEva Dunlopd Archives
March 2019
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