Around the world in Canada

Check-in at St Clair Hotel-Hostel in Vancouver Downtown. Private double room with a sink and shared bathroom. The room rate includes complimentary coffee and tea from 8:30 to 10 a.m. After a long sleep due to the strains of traveling the day before, a fantastic good breakfast with delicious waffles and maple syrup at Medina Cafe is highly deserved.

Now it's time to get the first impression of Vancouver! Starting from Canada Place along Waterfront and almost all the way to Stanley Park. It's a beautiful, sunny day, though it is clouded only when walking through Chinatown due to junkies hanging around all over the streets. However, after some blocks, the area is much nicer again when entering the Gastown neighborhood.

Later having dinner at Malone's Social Lounge & Taphouse with Mac&Cheese, Burger, and IPA.

After a very good breakfast at the reasonable Social Crust Café let's go up to the top of Vancouver Lookout. The marvelous views come along with marvelous weather!

The free shuttle bus to the none-free Capilano Suspension Bridge starts every 20 to 30 minutes from the Waterfront. Subjectively it feels more like an overrated tourist attraction, nevertheless, it fits perfectly fine for an afternoon. Then back to downtown and finishing the day with Taiwanese Fast Food.

Breakfast at Le Petit Belge with the Cyclist Girl "Radlerin" 😉 After enjoying the company and having amazingly delicious waffles it's time to explore Granville Island, that can be reached with Aquabus. The peninsula is literally a huge market with many little stores, boutiques and souvenir shops. And restaurants! So, Fish&Chips for dinner.

The next full day of rain suits quite well to visit the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Museum of Anthropology. After failing two times to get a table at Ramen Gojiro, because of people queuing on the street, tonight's dinner is worth waiting for.

The next two days are going to be spent driving the rented Volkswagen Golf on Sea to Sky Highway to the north. Following that beautiful scenic highway all the way to Sea to Sky Gondola. The snowy mountains are perfect for little hikes and breathtaking views to the lower located ocean on the base of valleys.

The night will be spent at Squamish Adventure Inn, a friendly Hostel with a large kitchen, comfortable dining room and complimentary coffee in the morning. The next day, it is time to get some basics like soup, sausages, bagel, ham, cheese, and Westcoast Pale Ale at the supermarket for the upcoming days.

This day starts with driving through snow showers to Whistler Olympic Park, which is like a huge ski resort. The village and ground area literally look like a big mall with shops, equipment rentals, Aprés-Ski bars, and restaurants. Just that it is outside. Accordingly, ticket prices start from 189 Canadian Dollars (around 120 Euro) for a day pass.

After staying at Hotel Squamish, which is nothing special but comes with a private bathroom, the rented car will need to be returned in Vancouver again. After all, leaving the beautiful landscapes and city of Vancouver behind to continue traveling further. From Pacific Station, it's roughly a one hour drive on the Greyhound Bus to get to the United States border, where the journey will go on...

Click the map to see all the mentioned Points of Interest: