Vancouver Reunions

Today we reunite with my family, probably our blog readership, hello! 😉 after a final lazy morning, our journey back over to the mainland is relatively smooth, and by chance we arrive at the same time as my brother Ben, his wife Emma, and their two kids, Matti and Eddie. My mum and her partner (Diana and Gordon) arrived to Vancouver yesterday, so they’re already at the hotel. We reunite in the lobby at check-in. Having not seen the kids, who are now 4 and 6, in a year, there’s a huge difference. They’re definitely boys now! Mum has kindly upgraded our rooms and so we head upstairs to walk into amazing waterfront rooms. For now, the view of the hills over in North Vancouver are under a blanket of cloud, but we get to look out onto the water and the many sea-planes carting tourists and travellers into the sky.

My brother’s family have come straight from the UK, so the lot of them are pretty exhausted with it now being 1:30am their time. James and I are significantly less bushed and jetlagged from our 1 hour 40 distance from the island. Nevertheless, everyone pushes through to have a happy hour cocktail/wine and bite to eat before they call it a night. James fits in a quick gym session making the most of having free access to one again.

Lagging and Flagging

The non-backpacking Brits are up at the crack of dawn, or maybe even before it, as their bodies refuse to adjust. The weather is unseasonably grey and cloudy still, so there’s no urge to get out and do much other than make the most of the hotel’s facilities and brilliant location next to the water. They all go on a “Flyover” of Canada experience, where they are strapped into some seats and via big-screen display are ‘flown’ across the vast Canadian landscapes and waters. James and I decide we’ve seen a good enough portion of it from land, and enjoy our time going to the one and only laundromat a km away. The backpacking life never leaves you.

When we return, it’s a game of “find ways to expel the kids’ energy” as they seem to have more than all of ours combined! They’re understandably super excited to be here and be on holiday, and that excitement is bursting at the seams. It’s really cute to see this total lack of abandon and joy at every small thing. The Duracell bunny has nothing on kids on holiday! Some energy expelled at the gym, Matti shows some incredible rowing technique, and we show him some gym exercises. We suspect we’ll get the DOMS way more than he will!

The next day is much the same, and when we finally reach bedtime for the kids (and the adults too to be fair!), James and I drag Ben and Emma out for a quick pub visit and an escape room. They have their first taste of the Canadian classic poutine (chips, gravy and cheese curds), and we rush off to escape our space-ship that is Lost in Space, with a potential stowaway on board. We spend the experience in darkness except for two portable bulbs that are to be used as torches. Teamwork and smarts gets us out of the room in almost record time, but it doesn’t get us on the leaderboard. Almost though. Not bad for a group of amateurs.

Cycling Stanley

Our next day starts as early as the others (except for James and I, hehe) as the others battle the jetlag once more. Some naps later, we hire some bikes to cycle around Stanley Park. Little Eddie is on a bike extension thing, whilst Matti is on his own flourescent bike. I am humourously given a baby pink helmet, and then a matching baby pink bike. I suspect our jokes of how they must have known my favourite colour went straight over the attendant’s head. James gets given an all black set. Classic.

Thankfully, Emma falls for my claims that the huge pink bike is too big for me, and we swap over. It actually is a better fit for the taller Emma, and I can stop having to pretend to be Barbie on wheels.

We have a lovely biking bimble around Stanley park, stopping at playgrounds, beaches, and picnic spots on the way.

It really is a beautiful ride and route, the park seems to have everything, even a beach! We enjoy said beach with an ice cream and the boys (and Emma) running and jumping into the sand.

It’s a beautiful day and route and the weather has even cleared up just in time for us to enjoy a happy hour cocktail by the harbourfront.

‘Cause I’m Leaving… On a Sea Plane… Be Back in 20 Minutes, eh

Mum and Gordon have generously invited us all for a spin around Vancouver on one of the many sea planes we’ve been watching take-off and land from the fantastic view from our windows. The journey is spectacular, giving glorious views of Vancouver mainland, north Vancouver, and beyond.

We only have one pilot, which makes for a fun experience of feeling like we’re in a self-driving sea-plane from my angle. We’ve seen self-driving cars, will we get self-driving sea-planes?

It’s an amazing experience and I’d highly recommend it.

Sadly, that’s our lot for our time together in Vancouver. Mum and Gordon are staying behind to enjoy a trip to Vancouver Island, and experience more of the city and its surrounds, whilst the rest of us go on a road-trip around and down to Seattle, reuniting Ben and Emma with a couple they haven’t seen since pre-Matti days.

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Adventure – Exploring Vancouver by air and bicycle

Excitement – Seeing everyone again for the first time in almost a year, our first sea-plane experience. Smashing it out of the escape room

Trauma – being yelled at by someone clearly delusional as we waited for laundry