Eric and I agreed to a laid back celebration for our wedding anniversary a couple weeks ago. Homemade cards and a home cooked meal sounded perfect, we had said. I whipped up a killer meal and we were just about in heaven stuffing ourselves silly.
Eric kept asking me when we could open our cards.
“How about at the end of the night?”
“You don’t want to just open them now…? I can’t wait for you to see my card!!!”
“Really? Mine is nothing to write home about…”
After dinner, and more pestering by Eric, we finally opened the cards.
My card was taped closed and it read: “TOP SECRET! Do not open!!!”
Amused, I carefully pulled off the tape so I could open the card. Eric watched in anticipation. The inside of the card read: “We’re going to British Columbia!!!” along with printed pictures of Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler pasted all over the card. There was a road map with dates and everything all plotted out!
It was just about one of the best surprises I’ve ever had. Tears welled up in my eyes as I lurched across the couch to hug him silly.
We talked about going to B.C. earlier in the summer, but we were both too busy to take time off. I just gave up on the idea and hoped we’d make it next year. Little did I know, Eric was planning this trip for weeks, staying up late at night to plan while I slept. He researched, booked the hotels, read up on restaurants, and planned a few things to do in each city.
“Wait, there’s one condition!! You have to agree to a few things I’ve planned…”
“Ok?”
“Zip-lining, cliff walking, and suspension bridges!”
There’s always a catch!
So here we are, two weeks later, enjoying a wonderful time in the beautiful British Columbia. Can you believe it’s my first time in BC? Eric has only been to Vancouver once on a business trip, but didn’t get to explore much at all. We’re staying in Vancouver first, and soon off to Victoria and Whistler. I’ve passed two challenges with flying colours, although I’m quite scared for the 5 zip-lines I’ll be flying down in Whistler!! If I live to tell you about it, you’ll be hearing about it soon!
Here is a short summary of what we’ve been up to in Vancouver:
1. Hotel: Carmana Plaza
– Condo-style. Comes with complete full kitchen. Great if you like making breakfast or lunch in your own room before heading out. We’re on the 29th floor in a premium suite and have a great view (see above pics). Free wi-fi. Cons: The bed isn’t very comfy, it takes a long time for things to be brought up to the room, and parking is expensive and difficult to locate. The location of the hotel is great though and we’re literally steps from all the shopping on Robson. See detailed room pics in album.
2. Capilano suspension bridge and park
A fun, touristy park that features a suspension bridge, cliff walking, treetop walking, and gorgeous scenery. I have a ton of pics from the trip – so be sure to check them out in the album!
3. Granville Island
This is a must-see! There are all kinds of artsy shops, including a large indoor public market. It was absolutely packed when we went on a Friday, off-season, so get there early as parking can be tricky to find.
4. Shopping
Our hotel is steps to a lot of great shopping on Robson and surrounding areas.
5. Exploring Gastown, Kitsilano, Yaletown districts. Be warned – navigating the city is tricky for a tourist!!
6. Food highlights include Nuba (a lovely Lebanese restaurant), Naam (a 24 hour vegetarian restaurant with huge portions and line-ups), Samosas at Buddha-Full, smoothies and juices throughout the city. Acorn restaurant is still on the list too.
Still planned?
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
Photography of cityscapes
Stanley Park
Anything we’re missing?
If you’re interested in seeing what we’ve been up to so far in Vancouver, here’s an album I put together below! [Apologies in advance for the uneven formatting – something wonky is going on.]
More to come soon…
Wow you are all so helpful, huge thanks!!!
Oh my goodness! You’ll be in my city(Victoria). :)
& Vancouver is my fav city<3 & The Naame is awesome.
Im so excited for you, have fun… maybe Ill see you sightseeing in Vic.
I recommend Cafe Bliss.
Hi Angela!
You are in my city! I was going to suggest OrganicLives to you but I see that others have already done that. Ziplining is amazing, you will love it!
Enjoy your visit!
I got goosebumps just reading about the planning of your trip. You are so lucky to have a husband that has planned all that for you. Sounds like a wonderful time! Thanks for sharing…I’m taking notes!
Ahh what an amazing surprise! That’s so sweet of him to have planned everything out for you guys! I’m really jealous. I’ve always wanted to visit BC – it seems like it has such amazing outdoorsy activities and a fun, laid back culture. Plus good food. ;) I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your trip!
AHH I love Nuba!!! And Granville Island! I’m from Alberta but try to get out to Van a couple times a year. You must try Gorilla Food for lunch… sandwiches/salads/smoothies/desserts are to die for and all raw and vegan. You should also try to do the Grouse Grind! Totally worth it and a great workout. Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your trip :)
September is the best time to visit Victoria, it’s gorgeous here today! :)
There are so, so many great places to see- if you’re walking around downtown- Cafe Bliss, Silk Road tea, Rebar, Union Pacific coffee, Habit coffee, a walk along the inner harbour, fisherman’s wharf, dallas rd, cook st village….
My fav thing to do with out of town guests is to pick up some yummy treats at Pure Vanilla and head to Willows Beach (seriously, this morning on my run, the view was ridiculous. I try not to take for granted that this is my daily morning view!). From there you can head up to the Gonzales observatory, and the views from atop that…. :)
If you want to see some amazing coast line and have some time, head out of town, past sooke to the Juan de Fuca provincial park- French, Sombrio and Botanical Beaches are AMAZING. The west coast of the island is rugged and gorgeous.
Ok, I’ll stop now… Enjoy your west coast visit!
I second this comment… the beaches out past Sooke are phenomenal! Good hiking out there as well!
Green Cuisine is in market square (between Johnson and Pandora St). It is in a all-vegan buffet-style restaurant. Another person mentioned the vegan curio shop; it is directly above Green Cuisine.
If you feel like a quick slice of Pizza, “The Joint” always has vegan slices on hand!
If you feel like doing the high tea at the Empress, they can accommodate a vegan with notice in advance.
If you have a car, it is nice to go up Mt Tolmie (about a ten minute drive from downtown) and watch the sun go down. You can drive to the top.
Have fun!
So glad you are enjoying Vancouver! It looks as though you are doing all the right kind of touristy activities as well. Since Acorn is a fairly new restaurant in Vancouver, there tends to be long line ups (although if you’ve already lined up at the Naam then you’re well prepared) but if you get too hungry, there is an AMAZING, AMAZING spot called “East is East” which is close to the Acorn on Main and 28th (http://www.eastiseast.ca/), you will not be disappointed. There is also the Foundation on lower Main street which is good too.
I’m writing this while making roasted tomato pesto pizza from your Project Food blog recipe! We love it.
YAH!!! Welcome to BEAUTIFUL Vancouver!!! (I moved here about 16 months ago from Ontario, and still appreciate the beauty of the city and surroundings everyday!)
What a sweetheart of Eric! I hope both of you are enjoying every minute of it.
Happy Anniversary!
Well, according to Instagram, you are having an awesome time so far!! I can’t wait to see what you get up to next! I loved running through Stanley Park last month, and I bet you are getting some AWESOME shots! Have you been walking along the sea wall yet? I loved it there… although the seaweed was a little smelly! Would have LOVED to do some hiking and zip lining too if we’d had time. I can’t wait to hear all about it, and your hikes too! Have fun Ange!! :)
What a great anniversary surprise – well done Eric! If you have a couple hours to spare do the Grouse Grind in North Van. It is a great workout – and there’s a Starbucks at the bottom so after you’ve taken the gondola back down you can reward yourself :)
I live in Kits and work at UBC and we always tell people to check out the Museum of Anthropology. It is word class with some amazing works of art. Go!!
The other Victorians who commented covered all the great places to eat here if you’re vegan, but how about things to do? Weekday evenings you can rent kayaks in the Inner Harbour for cheap, either singles or one double. Hike Mt Finlayson or Mt Doug, and this city is super bike friendly with tons of bike paths so you can rent bikes to get around. The shopping on lower Johnson Street (LoJo) is great, as is antiquing on upper Fort Street. Go check out the amazing tea shop Silk Road on Government Street in China Town, their little tea accessories are adorable too!
Hope you enjoy it here, Victoria, Vancouver Island and BC in general are crazy beautiful, and yes I’m totally biased. :)
I just went to those 3 places last month! They were all amazing! Buschardt Gardens in Victoria is beautiful, a must see. Cafe Bliss in Victoria was great, the Thai Noodle Bowl was delish!
What a sweet surprise!! I can’t believe you’ve never been to BC, it’s one of my favorite provinces to visit. Actually, scratch that, it IS my favorite. The suspension bridge experience is one of a kind! I did it with a bunch of high school friends years ago. It wasn’t cool to be scared so I had to suck it up even though I was absolutely terrified. Enjoy your time away!
How exciting! The Foundation makes some really great vegan food. The vibe of the place is pretty low-key, but the food is totally worth it!
I lived in Victoria last year, so I have a few suggestions. Hit up Moss Street Market if you’re around for it. B-Red Bakery is great. Rebar is pretty good for food, as well as Bin 4 Burger. They do a great tofu and black bean burger with a great wine list. OH, and track down some Cold Comfort ice cream!! She does classic ice cream as well as a vegan coconut milk ice cream, and they are SO good. Her products are available at Aubergine’s, Niagara, Peppers, and she usually sells at whichever markets are on.
If you’re planning on going for a run while you’re there (or a walk I guess), do so on Dallas Rd by Beacon Hill Park or Beach Rd. They’re right by the ocean and sooooo nice!
Oh man, talking about Victoria is making me miss it so much! Have fun!
I just moved from Toronto to Squamish (on the way to Whistler)! You will love your visit here…watching a sunset at English beach is stellar, as is all the hiking. Garibaldi Lake hike might be one of my favourites so far…Hope you enjoy the west coast!
Vancouver is my hometown too! I so love seeing it through the eyes of visitors and hearing about your experiences here! I’ve lived here my whole life and Granville Island is still one of my favourite places to visit. I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself, you have quite the trip planned. Everyone else has given such thorough suggestions… but I have to say, make sure not to miss the seawall, obviously… and the Acorn is on Main Street, which is a very cool neighbourhood to wander around in – lots of cool boutiques to peruse. Hope you guys have a blast!
So excited for you two! I live in Victoria and there is so much to explore and eat over here! Check out Rebar, Ingredients cafe, Habit coffee, Mol:e, and cafe Bliss…They are all Gems! Oh and be sure to enjoy Dallas road and Beacon Hill park….one of the most beautiful spots in Victoria :) Enjoy!
I second so many suggestions:
– aphrodites
– foundation
– rebar (victoria)
– the grouse grind!!
have fun in the most beautiful city on earth! you picked the right time of year to visit! :)