Capilano Park

 

Okay, so the highlight of our trip to Vancouver BC (not counting the food) was Capilano Park.

I had picked out this destination in the beginning stages of planning our trip, but the hubby was not excited about it.  We decided to do the aquarium instead. 

Then at the train station on our way to Vancouver, he finds this brochure…

And of course, it “looks awesome and we should go.”  MEN! 

Needless to say, we had to go check it out.

Heights terrify me.  I just figured this out recently, or maybe it is my old age kicking in. 

Before attempting the suspension bridge I had to conquer the Cliffwalk. 

Oh, and just as you are stepping onto the Cliffwalk, you read this lovely informational sign…

We are on a walkway hanging from a rock wall which is routinely split by ice.  Great.

This was a glass peninsula that jutted out from one section of the walkway.  From this spot the walkway is all glass so it is like you are out there in midair when you are on it.  Ty made me do it.  He’s mean like that.  I couldn’t look down.  It’s okay, I needed evidence that I was there…

I really  have to take my wide angle lens next trip; these photos aren’t doing it justice.

The entire park was beautiful.

This is when we crossed the big bridge…

And that is the only picture I have of our first bridge crossing, because it was frightening.  The bridge is 450 feet long and 230 feet high.  I really am afraid of heights.  I guess it is not so much the heights it is the unsteadiness.  The bridge swayed about 3-6 inches either way very sporadically as all the people made their way across, and it did not set well with me.

Next we went to the Treetops Adventure…

Since I didn’t have my wide angle lens, I patched together this vertical panoramic shot to show you how high these platforms were…

Ty clarified that it was not actually in the tree-“tops”, but rather in mid-canopy. 

I’m okay with that.

Ty’s favorite tree.  A giant Douglas Fir.  Although these trees were very old and some were very tall, it wasn’t quite like walking through a forest of dinosaurs like the Redwoods.  Still, the attractions here were very fun exhilarating.

The park had a fun science hunt for kids to do and a little tree house set up with a “scientist” and his equipment and collections from nature...

A great deal of thought and planning went into this park and not one detail was left undone.  I should have taken a picture of one of the employees / guides – they wore early 1900s apparel it was so enchanting, as was the forest.

Then the moment of truth. 

I was reading that the bridge held up to one of these giant trees blowing over and landing on it. That made me feel a little better about walking back across.

I gave the camera to Ty so I could focus on holding on with two hands he could get photographic evidence of me crossing the bridge…

Evidence secured, time to get off this bridge as soon as safely possible.

Actually I did get my camera back and stop and take a photo looking down; brave, I know.

That doesn’t look like 230 feet.  But, let me tell you, it was.

Capilano Park was a pretty place to spend out last day in Vancouver BC.  But I am glad to be home with the kiddos and back on solid ground! 

Godbless!

our ten-year trip

 

we finally took a little trip last weekend to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in April.  we’re prompt like that.

we went to Vancouver BC.

lots of road trip time in the car and on a train.

lots of exploring walking everywhere because we’re too cheap for cabs.

LOTS of food.  I’m feelin’ it.

lots of relaxing.  maybe that’s why I’m feelin’ it.

 

Our cute hotel…

    

We were blessed by a friend giving us a gift certificate for the train trip as well as the hotel!  The St. Regis Hotel was established in 1913, though it under went an extreme renovation a few years ago, making it a modern boutique hotel on the inside.  It was very nice, but I did not bring a wide angle lens, so you’ll have to go to the link above to see what it’s like inside.  Plus it has a real Starbucks in the building, so it is obviously the best hotel in the city.  =)

The city was pretty…

     

    

    

I loved all the copper rooftops.  That’s what the pale green is- copper ages with that green patina.  <3

    

    

The Christ Church Cathedral above left is one of the oldest buildings in the city.

These crocheted (knitted?) socks were put over the bike racks so they wouldn’t scratch the bikes – how clever…

We visited their huge library (395,000 card holders) which was built to mimic Rome’s coliseum…

    

I don’t understand how that sign relates to the library, but I love it.  What words?  Am I being blonde?

We ate so much yummy food while we were there, and I only took this food photo of our first meal…

This was Greek chicken and rice and salad, from a tiny hole-in-the-wall place only large enough for two people to stand inside the door and order.  The Greek owners were so sweet.  I wasn't brave enough to try the creamy stuff, but the rice was so flavorful and the chicken perfect and the oil-based salad dressing was ah-mazing.  Also, the real lemonade had mint leaves in it and was SO refreshing!  Must try that this summer.  Oh wait, it is summer.  I forgot because it is gloomy outside.  In June.  So lame.

For the highlight of our trip (unless you consider eating the highlight – which I might), we headed out of Downtown, across the Lions Gate Bridge (which really had lions at each end), past Stanley Park and the Aquarium (we never made it there), to a different part of town called North Vancouver…

This seems to be the newer, corporate side of town, where people flock from all over the world to make their livings (80% of people in this city came from somewhere else, rather than being raised here).  We didn’t spend any time in this part of town.  Our destination was beyond the hustle and bustle of the city.  But there are so many pictures of that destination that my mom wouldn’t be able to download them all in one post, so I’ll put them in a separate post tomorrow!  =)

On our to the train station to head home, we visited Chinatown…

We didn’t have time to go in this park which looked beautiful…

The train station was in an old, industrial part of town…

But the inside was old and huge and gorgeous.  If we hadn't almost missed our train, I would have taken lots of pictures in there. 

Anyway, that was the city portion of our trip.  I’ll be back to share the rest tomorrow. 

Godbless!