Having visited Vancouver earlier, we knew we would get awesome photos of the skyline provided we found a good vantage point. So we spent some time pouring over maps and Google Earth and identified some locations that might work.

With that research done, we headed off, but not until around 3pm as we knew we’d stay late into the night. From Bellingham, we got to the center of Vancouver in about an hour and a half, that included the border crossing, so traffic wasn’t too bad. Downtown Vancouver however, was a different story all together, being peak hour. Traffic there was SO congested, we decided to have an early dinner and let the worst of the traffic pass.

That decision worked well and we continued our search for a good location. We first checked out Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. It offers views across the water to Vancouver itself and we figured that would be a great vantage point in the dark. While it was, upon getting there we realized it is a popular place with the locals. It was packed with people and there was some food truck festival going on (it was Friday evening). With so many people around, all trying to get a place to sit or stand we imagined it would be awkward to get a good shot.

So we headed off towards the second place that we thought would have potential – Stanley Park. What a beautiful park! We had already fallen in love with beautiful Vancouver and this park just deepened that feeling. The park covers the entire tip of the peninsula the city of Vancouver is built on. Despite being so close to the city, the park oozes peace and quiet. Beautiful walking and biking trails, large mature trees and dense vegetation, all of which, we imagined, was original vegetation of the area.

There is a road that follows the perimeter of the park which we followed and when we got to the most eastern tip, we knew where we’d be shooting from. Just perfect views of the city and of Canada Place with its awesome, sail-like, roof.

We parked the car and walked back and forth along the shoreline to identify the best views. Weather was perfect and there was a distinctive peaceful, mid-summer feeling in the air. While not crowded, there were people out enjoying this peaceful evening. Some were out on a casual stroll, some out for a run, others were riding their bikes or rollerblades and, of course, quite a few playing Pokemon Go.

We walked around shooting photo after photo, getting every nuance of the changing light setting as the sun was setting. Finally it started to get dark and the city lights came on. What a magnificent view! What a magnificent evening! We got some fantastic shots with pink-colored skies, awesome clouds and colorful reflections of the city over the water.

We also walked a little further around the tip of the peninsula to get a shot of North Vancouver. While the city skyline there was less impressive, we loved the view of the Lions Gate bridge, which remained us somewhat of the Golden Gate bridge.

After quite a while, we left this beautiful park and started to head back, but not before stopping by one more location! The Dome that houses the Science Museum. The dome is lit up at night and we realized we could perhaps, here too, we could get a vantage point with reflections in the water.

After accidentally running a red light (and almost hitting a biker), we found a parking spot. Turns out the area we figured would give us the best views used to be the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Village, now converted into a large residential area. It was beautiful! Fantastic walkways along the water, impressive artwork and displays, just a gorgeous area perfectly suited for a scroll along the water and, in our case, magnificent views of the Science Dome and the BC Place Stadium, which was lit up in stunning blue lights.

That night, we did not get back to the RV Park until well after 1am! But it was so worth it. We have put Vancouver on our list of beautiful places to visit and know that, one day, we will be back.

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We are in an RV Park just 15 miles from the Canadian border so we decided to visit Vancouver for the day. Setting off from Bellingham, WA, we headed north on I-5. We had done some research and had a selected a few locations that we wanted to visit: Granville Island, Canada Place and the Science World dome. We had fully expected to be roaming the city looking for more than that, but, as it turned out, we only managed to see the first two of those three.

Granville Island

First up was Granville Island, well known by visitors and locals alike as a popular place to visit.

After crossing the border into Canada, we arrived on the island around 9:30 am and easily found a parking spot, but don’t think that is typical. The place soon fills up and by eleven o’clock AM, it was clear to us that finding a parking place would have been a real challenge had we arrived later.

After parking, we set off to explore and we quickly understood why this island is so popular! The place is ALIVE! The island is full of cafes, markets, novelty stores and has this magnificent waterfront with views of Vancouver’s central business district, which is located directly across the water. The harbor is full of activity with boats, ferries, kayakers, paddle boarders and water taxies going back and forth. Add to that the bustling activity on shore with musicians, children playing, people having a drink or something to eat and you cannot help but feel alive, happy and energized. A real sense of delight overcomes you as you slip into this feeling of contentness that seems to be quite common there. It’s a GOOD feeling!

So here we are, taking photos and generally feeling blessed that we are here, seeing this beautiful city and decided to enjoy some local food. So we headed into the Public Market located on the Island, walked inside . . . and were blown away! The food! The colors! Just an overload on our already stimulated senses. The produce was amazing, the baked goods on display were mouthwateringly interesting, the arts on display were gorgeous and full of color and the aromatic scent of delicious coffee was everywhere.

We were somewhat overwhelmed and our initial instinct was to buy something delicious from every stall.

Thankfully, we constrained ourselves and, drawing upon some unknown and usually uncooperative internal willpower, limited our desire for food to two scones and two pork and beef sausage rolls.

I should point out, the scones in Canada are like the scones you have in the UK or Australia and not at all like the scones here in the US. I had introduced Linda to sausage rolls and the British tradition of “Devonshire Tea” a few years ago when in London and she has never been the same since. I am sure Linda was English in a past life. Personally, I am rather partial to sausage rolls and scones too, so that was the main reason we picked those two items.

I realize we should have taken a photo of these delicious goodies to show you, but alas, we ate them before we remembered to do so, you know… priorities.

Canada Place

When in Granville Island, I could not help but be reminded of Darling Harbour in Sydney. That feeling continued when we went to Canada Place, a structure butting out into the water that has a roof that looks like “sails”. Just like the Sydney Opera house, Canada Place has become an “icon” for Vancouver and is recognized world-round.

It is a beautiful building and serves as a terminal for cruise ships. There were two such ships anchored when we were there, one from the Netherlands (the ship’s name was “Volendam”, named after an enormously picturesque town in the province of North Holland), the other from Bermuda. Both these cruise ships were enormous. So large in fact, they obscured the Canada Place building, so we had little choice but to walk up and around the building to get any photos as a shot from a distance was not possible.

It DID give us an opportunity to see up close how beautiful the building is, a further evidence of how beautiful Vancouver is as a city. Just like Granville Island, this place is hopping. People from from every walk of life we out, walking, laughing, sitting and generally just enjoying the sights and views of the harbor.

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