London/Paris Cruise Oct 2013 - Part 1: London (Cont.)

Day 2 of London started with breakfast in the hotel.  Wow, I slept great that night.  Breakfast was at the coffee shop because the restaurant in the hotel was over $40 for breakfast.  Yikes!  I had a Starbucks coffee and a croissant.  Lisa had a water and pain du chocolat.  They were French pastries in an English hotel, but they were delicious.  After breakfast we took a cab to Westminster Abbey.  We got there about 30 minutes before they opened and got to walk around the Abbey and the square in front of it and the Parliament building.  We got some great morning pictures of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  We got in line before they opened and went in shortly after.  The only word I can use to describe Westminster is "awe".  I was in awe the entire time I was in the Abbey.  We saw tombs of former Kings and Queens.  Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are buried in the Abbey.  The original Abbey was built in 1042, and the current Abbey was constructed in 1245.  We took an audio tour narrated by Jeremy Irons, who I really like.  It was very informative telling you stories about what each part of the Abbey is for and who is buried where.  Elizabeth I is actually buried on top of her sister in the Abbey.  Edward the Confessor, who was crowned in 1042 and had the Abbey consecrated, is entombed here..  I find the English history to be extremely interesting.  It was so impressive to walk through this shrine.  We walked by the alter and just as we did a Priest walked up and gave the hourly prayer.  There is a section of authors buried in the Abbey such as Charles Dickens, Chaucer, and others.  The Abbey was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip.  It was very historic and amazing.  I still don't understand how these almost ancient, ornate type of buildings were built in that time of history.  The amount of money and physical labor required to build these buildings is unbelievable.

Westminster Abbey

After the Abbey we walked passed St James Park to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.  Another important historic building, but in a very different way from Westminster.  It was very impressive to see this building that we are used to seeing on TV and in the movies.  To me it seemed similar to seeing the White House from a distance, but it was still cool to see it.  The changing of the guard consisted of a couple of small parades of guards marching to and from the Palace.  I enjoyed seeing the guards march back and forth, but we could not see the actual changing because of all the people there.  As the last soldiers marched back to their post, we walked up to the gate of Buckingham Palace after most of the people left and we took some pictures.  Next stop was lunch.  

Buckingham Palace

Since the girls complained the day before about not eating, we made sure to feed them.  Our next attraction was the British Museum, so we decided to take the Underground from Green Park to Covent Garden for lunch.  It started raining on the walk to the Underground station and when we got to Covent Gardens it was pouring down rain.  I also found that my day pass for the Underground didn't work at the turnstiles so I had to have someone let me in and out of each stop.  It was a little annoying.  We started to walk out of the Covent Garden station to find somewhere to eat and there was a pub on the right.  As I was about to say 'Let's go here" someone told me we were eating across the street at Maxwell's Diner.  Now I'm not sure about you, but I'm pretty sure we have hamburgers and American diner food in the U.S.  Either way, that is what we had.  I ordered a bacon cheese burger, which was really pretty good.  We did find that their bacon is different.  It is more like Canadian bacon.  My dad ordered pulled pork, which being from Kansas City seemed like blasphemy.  Lunch really wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I was looking for in my experience.  After lunch, on to the British Museum (in the rain).  

The British Museum is a HUGE place.  Oh wow.  They have a lot of artifacts and treasures in this building.  We only had a couple of hours before we needed to go back so we started to look for the highlights.  We walked through the Egyptian section, including a statue of Ramsesses and the Rosetta Stone.  We moved on to ancient Iranian artifacts, which were Persian, and there were large statues and a stone wall that had an ancient painting of a Lion hunt.  We then saw statues and carvings from the Parthenon.  After that, we looked for the highlights.  We found mummies and sarcophaguses, the first chess set, a statue from Easter Island, and many others.  Lisa was bored.

Me and Ramsesses

Sculpture from the Parthenon

Statue from Easter Island

Sarcophaguses

After the museum we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  We took a little different way back on the Underground so I wasn't sure which stop to get off and it was 5:00 rush hour.  My mom and I got separated from the rest of the group.  I new that Bob, Justin's dad, was wearing a red Chiefs hat so I tried to watch to see when it was getting off the train.  We stopped at Bond Street and a bunch of people got on so I lost the hat.  I thought they got off so I told my mom to get off and we did.  As we got off to look for them, we looked over and saw them still on the train.  Darn it.  We were supposed to get off at Marble Arch instead.  My mom and I waited for the next train and when we got there, they were all waiting for us, laughing.  Good times.

Dinner was nine of us going to St John restaurant.  We found that it was north of St Paul's Cathedral so it was not really close to an Underground station.  We decided to take a cab.  We left about 45 minutes before our reservation.  It took 45 minutes to get to the restaurant (in KC it would have taken 10 minutes).  The cab driver was a hoot and a half.  Wow, he talked our ears off.  He had been to the US a couple times.  He was open to talking about anything from guns to Princess Diana, who he apparently rode in his cab once.  The restaurant was a little off the tourist path.  It was a white building that had an open garage type area to get to the bar and restaurant area.  They also have a shop to sell wine and other products.  This is not a tourist spot.  This was a foodie spot that screamed Anthony Bourdain.  I could just see him smoking and drinking outside with the people and then eating inside at the private dining room that we had reserved.  This was a really cool room.  It was oddly shaped with a table to fit it.  The waitress was very helpful as she had no clue what she was in for.  We ordered drinks and I found that they had their own wine (that was relatively cheap).  I asked about it and was told that the wine was produced by their staff wine person and they sell it in their shop.  We got a bottle of both reds and they were delicious.  Possibly the best deal of the trip.  When we got the menu, we were lost.  Whether we knew what the food was or not, the British terms used did not fit anything we could come up with, and they speak English.  The waitress walked us through the menu.  We got three appetizers to share and then everyone got their own entree.  This is not a restaurant for everyone.  To start, we got grilled whole sardines, pig's head salad, and the famous bone marrow.  The entrees were smoked haddock in a cream sauce with fries, pork shoulder with parsnips, calf's liver, duck breast, sweetbreads, diver sole, and blood cake with a fried egg.  This sounds crazy, right?  No, this was one of the best meals, and one of the best foodie experiences I have had.  I liked everything I ate, and I tried everything.  The best was my haddock, Justin's blood cake, and the bone marrow.  Oh wow that bone marrow was good.  I will never argue with Bourdain again.  If you are a foodie and you go to London, you have to eat here.

St. John Restaurant

Our menu

After dinner we went back to the hotel and had a few cocktails before bed.  We packed up our stuff to leave in the morning and went to bed.

Next, to the ship....

(Post trip note:  Lisa brought her Fitbit on the trip and this day we walked around 17,500 steps.  A normal day is supposed to be 10,000 steps.  We were tired.)

London/Paris Cruise Oct 2013 - Part 1: London

Our journey began with the flight to London.  We flew from Kansas City to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to London.  The flight to Atlanta was nice and short.  We got to go to Atlanta's new international terminal.  It was very nice.  Modern, but with classic airport style and features.  We had lunch in the food court, which was pretty good.  Next stop - London.  We upgraded our Delta tickets from coach (economy) to comfort economy.  This was supposed to include more leg room, seats that lay back further, free drinks, and a power outlet.  The plane we boarded seemed to be an older plane.  It was showing its years.  The overhead PA did not work, so we couldn't hear the announcements.  It seemed a little dirty and worn.  When we got in our seats, I looked for out power outlet, being the gadget guy that I am. and couldn't find one.  Lisa and I were in two seats together next to the window with the aisle next to us.  My parents were in front of us in the bulkhead.  None of us had power.  We did have a little more legroom compared to the flight to Atlanta, but not much.  The seats reclined, but not 30% more. We did get free drinks so we had a couple to start the flight.  We were a little disappointed in our "upgrade".  For the most part the flight was ok.  There was a TV screen in the headrest in front of your seat which had movies, music, TV shows and information.  Since we brought our own entertainment, we didn't use it very much other than showing the map of our progress.  That was nice to see.  Lisa and I watched a movie and then tried to go to sleep since it was an 8.5 hour flight and we arrived at 7:30am with a full day ahead of us.  Neither of us could sleep.  I think each of us (Lisa and I) got about 1 1/2 hours of sleep is all.  My dad said he only got about 30 minutes of sleep.  This made for a rough next day.  About half way through the flight, there was some commotion at the other end of our aisle.  A lady at the opposite window was having health issues.  The flight attendant was asking for a doctor, which one of the passengers was and ended up helping.  It was an interesting experience.  Everything ended up ok, we never heard exactly what happened.  After our 8.5 hours, we landed safely in London.  The sun started to rise about 30 minutes before we landed, which was really pretty to see from the plane.

We landed at Heathrow International Airport and first had to go through customs.  There was a pretty long line already at 7:30 in the morning.  We had 12 of us on the plane from Atlanta together so we tried to be together in line.  We got to a point where a man was directing the line and had our group go to a specific line.  Somehow we had an extra person with us who followed us to the customs desk.  The customs person check us by couples and when she got the extra lady in our group, she asked why she was there, and she didn't have a good answer.  Lisa and I were behind this lady in line so we got to see the interaction.  I thought it was kind of funny because she was trying to beat the system, but it came back to bite her.  The customs lady gave her a hard time, but in the end let her go ahead.  We made it through customs and got our passports stamped (Lisa was happy since she didn't get a stamp in Vancouver).  My dad had organized 2 vans to take us from the airport to the hotel.  This worked out really well.  The only problem was traffic was crazy.  It was during the morning rush hour and took over an hour.  

We stayed at the Grosvner House, a JW Marriott hotel, just off of Hyde Park.  It was a very nice hotel.  Lisa and I decided it was probably the nicest hotel we have stayed in.  It was in a great location, very clean, well decorated, and the service was spectacular.  Everyone was very helpful and friendly.  Some of our rooms were ready, but a couple were not so we cleaned up a little and waited for 4 more of our group to get in from the airport (it was only about half an hour to wait).  Once everyone was together, we headed out to see London.  Keep in mind we have not slept very much and only had lunch in Atlanta and two very small meals on the airplane.  

Our first stop was taking the Underground (London's subway) to the Tower of London.  I mentioned in my planning for London post that we got the London Pass.  This was a great find.  It had 2 day passes for the Underground and a London Pass card that got us in to all of our activities.  When we arrived at the Tower, we just showed them our pass and walked right in.  We got a tour guided by a Beefeater, which is in my opinion the best way to see the Tower.  We saw the inner and outer walls, walked through the moat and then toured the inside.  We saw where Isaac Newton worked in the coin shop.  We saw the spot where private executions were held, including the famous Anne Bolyen beheading.  The history of the Tower was incredible.  The original tower, also called the White Tower, was built in 1100.  There is nothing in the United States that compares to that.  After our tour, we saw the Crown Jewels at the Tower.  I didn't realize they were lost and replaced/recreated after Charles I.  We then went through the White Tower, which is the inner and original tower and the original palace of England.  Many of the Kings and Queens lived and ruled from the White Tower.  Now it is a display of armor and weapons.  They have all types of medieval armor on display including Henry VIII's armor.  It was really hard to take in everything at the Tower.  I really enjoyed it.  Walking through the White Tower was very powerful thinking about all the history that had happened within that building.  Very impressive.  

The Tower of London

Not far from 1000 years old!

Our tour guide - He was very informative and entertaining.

Henry VIII's Armor

After the Tower of London, we boarded a river cruise that started at the port next to the Tower and stopped at the Westminster port.  This boat went down the Thames river and we got to see quite a few landmarks from the river.  We saw the London Tower Bridge, the Globe Theater, the London Eye, St. Paul's cathedral, Parliament and Big Ben and went under several bridges including the London Bridge.  It was a nice relaxing ride, which several of us took a short cat nap through it.  

When we got to the Westminster port, we walked passed the Parliament building and Big Ben and headed to the Churchill War Rooms.  The War Rooms actually under a government building that was fairly close to 10 Downing Street, which is where the Prime Minister lives.  This was not at the top of Lisa and my list, but it was interesting to see where they planned and strategized during World War II.  Others in our group loved it.  Our friend Justin met us here because he had a later flight from Kansas City and he really enjoyed it.  After the War Rooms we walked passed the Horse Guard Parade and toward Trafalgar Square to find a pub for dinner.  We did find one that wasn't full and had a couple of beers and fish and chips.  They were pretty good.  At that point, we were about to start eating anything because it had been about 12 hours without food.  The women of the group were starting to get vocal about their hunger so it was time to eat.  This was an ongoing joke the rest of our time in London.  I was actually really impressed we went that long without issues.  I think everyone really enjoyed the sites and didn't really think about it.

Piccadilly Circus

Liberty of London

You would think this would end the day, but wait there's more.  After dinner we split up and some of us went toward Piccadilly Circus to find a store called Liberty of London.  Lisa had heard they have great fabric and wanted to check it out.  So seven of us headed there and the rest went back to the hotel.  It was a little tough to find, but it was in a very busy modernized shopping area.  Once we found it, Lisa, my mom and Pam (Justin's mom) went to the store.  Justin, my dad, his dad and I went to the pub next door for a beer.  The pubs were interesting because we found it was almost all guys.  Very few girls.  I was not overly impressed with English beer.  It was ok, and it all kind of tasted the same.  When the girls were done in the store, we headed toward Piccadilly Circus through Soho.  Soho was a really cool area.  A lot of young people with street cafes/restaurants and trendy shops.  There was even a Whole Foods, so it was our kind of place.  Piccadilly Circus was really busy, but most of the stores were closed.  We did get to see the big billboard screens.  Lisa related it to a small Times Square.  I think that is pretty accurate.

After Piccadilly, we finally went back to the hotel and crashed.  It was only 10:00, but we had basically been up since the 8:30 Wednesday in KC and went to bed at 10:00pm in London Thursday night.  It felt like the longest day of my life, but a great one at that.  

Up next:  Day 2 and the conclusion of London....

London/Paris Cruise Oct 2013 - Paris Planning

The second part part of our trip takes us to Paris.  The first stop on the cruise is the port of Le Havre, France.  At this port we have the option to go to Paris, which is a little over 2 hours away by train.  When Lisa and I were considering going on the cruise, this option was one of the necessities and highlights for us.  Neither of us have been to Paris, so we were excited to be able to add it to this trip.

While researching our options to add Paris to our trip, we found two ways of doing it.  the cruise line offers a shore excursion for an overnight in Paris.  This was a very expensive option.  Instead, we chose the alternate option to plan it on our own.  We are in port for just under 48 hours so we would like to have as much time in Paris as possible.  The cruise docks at 7:00am.  The first train out of Le Havre is at 8:00 so we will have to hustle.  The train arrives at 10:15.  We depart the next day at 2:50 and arrive back at Le Havre at 4:55.  This will be a whirlwind while we are there.

We are staying at the Hotel Duquesne Eiffel.  We found this hotel in a USA Today article that listed the top hotels with a view in the world.  The hotel has rooms that have a view of the Eiffel Tower.  This was an immediate draw when we were reading about it.  It is only blocks from the Eiffel Tower so it is in a good locations.  It is also reasonably priced.

Now on to the fun stuff:  What to do in Paris?  Well, apparently there is a lot to do.  Our must dos are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triumph and Champs-Elysees.  If we have time, Lisa would like to go to Monmartre and Sacre Coeur.  She heard that there is a great art market there.  Another spot I heard of is a shop called Fauchon.  From what I had heard, this is the Tiffany of food.  They have all kinds of luxurious foods in this shop.  I am guessing that will be enough to keep us busy for the short amount of time that we are there.  We will probably eat in in cafes for snacks and breakfast.  We are not planning anything for dinner because we really don't know what to look for.  I'm thinking we will just ask the hotel what they recommend and go from there.  We will be there on a Sunday night and I read that it is not easy to find dinner spots in Paris on Sundays.

Sacre-Coeur at Montmartre

Notre Dame Cathedral

I am most excited to see the Louvre.  Knowing me you wouldn't think so, but it sounds very interesting.  My interest in art has been sparked over the passed few years, thank you school and LIsa, and I think it will be cool to see all of the masterpieces together.  There is a lot of history in the collections there.

Le Louvre

Well, we only have 8 more days until the cruise.  The planning and packing has commenced.  It is going to be a busy, stressful week to prepare.

Stay tuned.  Next post may be from the trip.......

London/Paris Cruise Oct 2013 - London Planning

Deciding whether to go on the cruise or not was a tough decision.  Now that we are going, there seems to be even more decisions in the planning of what to do while we are on and off the ship.  The trip starts in London.  London baby! (That's for you Friends fans out there)  I have been to London once, but I was around 13 years old.  I am now 31 (Ouch), so I'm thinking it will be a little bit different of an experience.  Lisa has not been to London, so it will be all new to her.  Our group is about a 50/50 split of those that have been to London and those that have not.  Since we are not sure if and when we will be back, we would like to see and experience as much of London as possible (this will be a common theme of the trip).  My family and I are not the type of people that vacation leisurely so we will be very active.

Tower of London

We land in London Thursday morning around 7:30am and would like to be ready to explore around 11:00.  Our first stop is the Tower of London.  I remember going here the last time I was in London, and it was really cool.  We will get to see where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, the torture devices, as well as the Crown Jewels.  Lisa is looking forward to seeing the Crown Jewels.  I just like saying "Crown Jewels".  Anyway, we are planning on taking a tour with a Beefeater, which is cool that they keep the historical feel of the landmark.  After the tower, we are going to take a boat tour of the Thames river.  We'll see the London Eye, the Globe Theater, Scotland Yard and other London icons along the river.  After the boat tour, we'll journey back to the hotel to check-in and clean up a little.  We are planning on going to Harrod's to check out one of the most famous department stores in the world.  I'm looking forward to seeing their "food court".  I put quotes over it because it isn't like going to Oak Park mall and getting a baked potato.  It is more like going to Whole Foods, but with more exotic foods.  And honestly, I like food.  After going to Harrod's, we are going to find a pub for dinner and beverages.  That will probably be it.  Wow, that is a full day right after getting off an overnight plane.  I hope I can sleep on the flight over.

Buckingham Palace

The second day in London will start at Westminster Abbey ("You're Westminster crabby.")  We'll see where royal wedding, coronations and funerals have been occurring since the 11th century.  Outside of the Abbey we will see Big Ben, the Parliament, and other icons.  After the Abbey we will head to Buckingham Palace to attempt to see the Changing of the Guard.  Lisa is hoping to see the Queen, Prince William and Kate and especially their new baby, Prince George.  Don't worry, I have tried to tell her that we probably won't see them.  After Buckingham Palace we'll head to the British Museum.  My friend Justin who is going with us had the best sales pitch to see the British Museum.  He told us that this is where the British keep artifacts and relics from all of the countries around the world that they have ruled or conquered.  That sold me.  Looking back, I have been there before and I remember seeing the Egyptian exhibit and the mummy.  It is a very interesting and historic museum.  After the museum we are heading toward Piccadilly Circus.  On the way, we are going to stop at Liberty of London.  One of the souvenirs Lisa wants to get in London is fabric.  Apparently Liberty of London has world famous fabric that quilters adore.  After that is dinner......

Westminster Abbey

I can't believe it either, but other than Harrod's and the pub I haven't mentioned food very much.  We were looking for somewhere to eat fit for foodies.  I found several options that were famous and/or highly respected chefs, but they were very expensive or not close to our hotel.  My dad was looking as well and looked through Anthony Bourdain's list of his favorite restaurants in the world.  Yes, the same list that includes Oklahoma Joe's.  He listed a restaurant in London called St. John bar and restaurant.  They are known for head to tail cuisine.  They are known for their bone marrow.  This option really interested us so we have a group of 11 eating with us that Friday night.

As you can tell, this is going to be a whirlwind experience in London.  We are going to try and see a lot, but even if we only see most of it, it is going to be a great 2 days in London.  The next day we head to Harwich to board the cruise ship.

We found a package called the London Pass, similar to the City Pass in the U.S.  It allows entrance to several of the London attractions as well as a transportation option that includes Underground (subway) passes and the Thames cruise.  I'm interested to see how it works.  It is a pretty good price for everything that is included.

Well, those are our plans for London.  I will have two more pre-trip posts that include Paris planning and then cruise and other planning.  More to come.  Stay tuned......

Next to plan.....Paris

London/Paris Cruise Oct 2013 - Pre-Trip

Last summer, my Dad asked me if we would be interested in going on a cruise with them.  I said maybe, but it depended on the cruise, price and timing.  He said that he found a wine cruise through Celebrity Cruise Lines that starts in Harwich, England, goes to Paris, Bordeaux, Spain and Portugal.  As he was listing off the ports of call my mouth started to drool.  I told him that I would really like to go, but how much does this cost?  Oh yea, and you have to fly to Europe.  Needless to say, it is not cheap.  There were a few hurdles to jump to allow us to go on this cruise.  So then I asked when is it?  Fall 2013.  That gives us a year to save.  Oh and I'm trying to finish school spring 2013, Lisa turns 30 after I graduate and our 5 year wedding anniversary is in June.  We don't have much going on, right?  Ok Dad, we are tentatively going.

That was last summer.  It is now August 2013.  Apparently we are going.  Shortly after I got the info about the cruise, my Dad sends an email to their cruising group (friends and family) and he has people coming out of the wood work wanting to go on this cruise.  Not long after that I get an email that he has booked us a hotel in London.  I told him we were not for sure going.  "Oh, just in case you are going", he replied.  Then we found that we would really like to go to Paris, as you have to travel several hours from the port to get to Paris.  Well Lisa and I want to spend the night in Paris (the ship is in port overnight).  Several people in the group also want to stay overnight in Paris.  Somehow I became the travel agent for the overnight in Paris.  The deposit was due May 2013, well that got paid.  We could still get out of it.  Shortly after that, our airline tickets are booked.  I start to realize, we are only a few months away from this cruise as final payment plus shore excursions were due at the end of July.  I found a hotel in Paris and we finally booked it in the middle of July.  The cruise is now paid and shore excursions are partially paid.  

For some reason I am still in denial that we are going on this trip.  Last weekend I was out of town and when I got back Lisa is in full on vacation planning mode.  She had a bunch of questions (How do I pack?  How to I take my toiletries? What bags do we take? How to a carry my bags? Do we need new bags? What clothes do we take? Do I need fancy clothes?  What clothes do you wear in Europe?).  Oh crap!  We are going on this cruise!  

Needless to say, we are starting to get excited.  Before I go further, let me lay out what we are looking at:

Date	Location	Arrival Time	Departure Time
October 9, 2013	Flight Leaves KCI		1:00pm
October 10, 2013	London	7:30am
October 11, 2013	London
October 12, 2013	Board Cruise in Harwich		5:00pm
October 13, 2013	Paris	7:00am
October 14, 2013	Paris		9:00pm
October 15, 2013	At Sea
October 16, 2013	Bordeaux (La Rochelle)	8:00am
October 17, 2013	Bordeaux (La Rochelle)		6:00pm
October 18, 2013	Bilbao, Spain	7:00am
October 19, 2013	Bilbao, Spain		1:00pm
October 20, 2013	Vigo, Spain	12:00pm	8:00pm
October 21, 2013	Porto (Leixoes), Portugal	7:00am	6:00pm
October 22, 2013	At Sea
October 23, 2013	At Sea
October 24, 2013	Harwich, England & Flight Home	4:00am	12:30pm

As you can tell, this is going to be a great cruise.  We have 21 people going on it, all friends and family.  My Dad has booked shore excursions for the entire group for each port, except La Havre.  Six of us are going to Paris for the night and the rest of the group is going to Normandy and Mont St. Michel.

We are starting to get very excited.  We have started research things to do and places to eat in both London and Paris.  Our hotels in both London and Paris are in great locations.  We are trying to figure out how to pack for this trip.  I do not believe I have gone on a trip this long before.  We will be gone for 16 days.  

That's where we are as of now.  There will be more to come.  I will cover more in-depth plans and then have trip reports from the cruise.  

Until next time......

Seattle/Vancouver Oct 2011 - Part 4: Vancouver (Cont.)

Day 2 - 

The second day of Vancouver started with Stanley Park.  It actually started with another taste of Vancouver traffic.  Wow.  We made it through the park, and then missed our turn off of the highway which took us into North Vancouver.  We got to see a little extra of the city.  We finally made it back to Stanley Park and started at Prospect Point.  This is in the northwest part of the park.  We had lunch at the Prospect Point Cafe.  This was pretty tasty.  I had halibut fish and chips and Lisa had a salmon burger.  They were both pretty good.  The cafe had an open feel to it,but was inclosed in plexiglass so it had a view out to the water.  They also had "World Famous" ice cream, but we'll come back to that.


We finished with lunch and walked out to the point.  There was an area that was dedicated to a wind storm that they had several years ago and there was still damage to trees in the area.  The point was very pretty.  It looked out over the water and the suspension bridge that goes to North Vancouver (remember, we saw that earlier).  There were also some stairs that led down the point to see more of the water.  We were looking out at the water and someone said they saw a whale.  Surely enough there was a whale down in the bay.  It was hard to tell what type, especially for me, the blind kid.  Lisa thought it was a dolphin.  The guys that saw it said it was a grey whale.  I'm going with dolphin.  

Do you see a whale?  I don't.

After the point, we headed towards the Vancouver Aquarium, which is in Stanley Park.  We stopped at a beach on the way over, but it was not very exciting.  The aquarium was pretty cool.  We started in the tropical and amazon animals.  In the Amazon area they had several fish that I had seen on River Monsters, a great show on Animal Planet.  There was the arapaima, the piranha, and the redtail catfish.  All three would be fun to catch.  Anyway, moving on, they also had sloths, monkeys, caimans, and snakes.  This was new for me to an aquarium, normally it is just fish and the like.  The tropical area had the standard seahorses and fish from Nemo.  They also had a large sea turtle.  It was really cool to see.  I didn't realize how large they are.  We moved on to the pacific northwest area of the aquarium.  This was pretty cool because it was local exhibits.  They had it broken down almost to the bay/river/creek/etc.  There were salmon, rockfish, eels, halibut and the like.  It was actually making me hungry.  The most interesting creature I thought was the giant octopus.  This was creepy looking.  And the tank they had it in was not big enough (my thoughts).  It seemed cramped, but maybe that is what it likes.  We went on to the outdoor area where there were dolphins and sea lions.  They also had a fur seal in with the sea lions that had been rescued.  Supposedly it ate its fish backwards which could kill the seal if the fins of the fish got stuck in its throat.  This was an amazing thing the aquarium did.  They rescued/saved a lot of animals and all kinds.  They stated that they saved over 100 animals last year.  That is pretty impressive.  Then we saw a show with beluga whales and there were a couple of cute otters that we watched for a while before we left.  Lisa really liked the fur seal and the otters.  Overall, it was a pretty good aquarium.  

Mr. Otter just hanging out

We left the aquarium and headed to Gastown.  This is a trendy area just east of the Downtown area.  If you get to Chinatown you went too far (don't worry, Lisa didn't let me get to Chinatown).  Gastown was a cool little area.  We walked around there going through the shops for quite a while.  There were a couple of shops that we liked that had some native american art and other items in them.  There was one store that had a bunch of short, but still large, totem poles even.  They were pretty impressive up close.  We bought a few souvenirs in the shops and then decided to look for a dinner spot.  We walked by a place called Cork and Fin.  This was a small industrial foodie type place.  They had the deal of the trip too:  Happy Hour $1.50 Oysters. We got a dozen.  Yummy.  We also got a couple of baked oysters with bacon and worcestershire   They were good too.  For our entrees, Lisa got the scallops, which were pretty good, and I got the miso glazed salmon.  It was good, but nothing spectacular.  The portions were also very small for the price.  Other than the happy hour oysters, I probably wouldn't go back.  

We did ask the waitress about any local wine bars though.  We do like wine and bars so it was worth a shot.  She recommended a place called Salt, which she told us to go out of the restaurant and hang a right down the alley called Blood Alley.  Sounds lovely, right?  Well, we made it to Salt.  It was actually a pretty nice alley with several people walking down it.  We were not the only ones waiting to be mugged.  Salt was a very cool place.  It was all wine and cheese and meat.  We sat at the bar and the waiter explained that you picked from the chalkboard on the wall.  First pick 3 choices from the meat and/or cheese sections.  The pick 3 condiments to go with them.  Then they will actually pair the wine tastings with your choices.  Or if you want to pick the 3 wines, they will do it backwards.  It was a pretty cool idea.  We picked 3 cheeses.  They were pretty tasty.  The other thing we noticed was there were a bunch of pig figurines on the bar and they would come and go.  Come to find out, they used these pig figurines as they table holders for reservations.  If there was a pig on the table, it was reserved.  Kind of funny if you ask me.

Sitting with the Piggies

Granville Island

Day 3 -


Day 3 of Vancouver started at Granville Island.  Another place that is not easy to get to in Vancouver.  Granville Island is basically a public market with a bunch of shops and restaurants around it.  It was a pretty cool area.  It was lunch time so we went Tony's Fish and Chips.  Lisa got fish and chips, and I got the oyster burger.  Mine was ok, and I think Lisa thought the same about hers.  We started off in the shops.  These shops are more of the boutiquey artsy unique shops.  The only store that I had heard of before was Ten Thousand Villages, and that is not a very common store.  They had everything from Canada souvenirs to Andean clothing to a 1920s hat shop.  If only I could wear hats like that.  Lisa said I either lived in the wrong city or I was not old enough.  I'm going to wait a couple years and try again.  We also went to the Granville Island Brewery.  It was pretty tasty.  It was strange though because they could only serve 12.5oz per customer.  Since it was the tasting room for the brewery, I guess that was all that their license would allow.  Across from there was a store called Woofles and Meows, which happened to be in a caboose car.  It was a very small shop, but they had some different snacks for pets.  We got the pups a couple of bones made out of salmon skin and some treats made from dried sardines.  Yummy.  This was a large area so it did take a while to see all of the sites at Granville Island.  After the market, we went back to the hotel and decided to walk along to seawall down at the water close to the hotel.  It was a pretty walk.  We got to see more of the city than expected.  We walked basically south from the hotel.  One of the things I had wanted to see in Vancouver was remnants from the Olympics.  We stumbled upon the Olympic Cauldron that was lit by Wayne Gretzky and then we walked to the Canada Place which is where a some of the side events happened.  There were a bunch of nice hotels in this area.  We walked by 2 Fairmont hotels among others.  We then walked back toward the hotel.  On the way though, we might have stopped at Miku for a snack at a drink.  We decided we had to go to Miku one more before we left.  We got some more sake, the same kind as before, and a couple of more rolls and aburi.  We sat at the sushi bar and were talking to the chef. He was from Japan originally, but liked being in Vancouver more.  He asked what our plans were for the evening and we told him we had dinner to go to after Miku.  He could not believe us.  

Miku Round 2

Speaking of dinner, this might have been the highlight of Vancouver.  We loved Miku.  It was fun, friendly service with great sushi.  West in Granville on the other hand was luxury and foodie heaven.  To sum up the restaurant, they have a temperature controlled wall for their wine.  That's right, temperature controlled wall.  It was unbelievable.  But that doesn't even begin to tell it.  I started with the wine menu.  We had had some very good BC wines and we stuck with that here as well.  The thing of it is, this wine menu rivaled most Vegas restaurants.  They had bottles from $50 to $6000.  This was a very small, probably 30 customers at a time, restaurant and they had this kind of wine list.  We decided we wanted pinot noir and we wanted it from BC.  I left the page open on the wine menu and moved on to the dinner menu.  Within a couple of minutes, the sommelier came over and asked if we needed any help with the wine list.  I told him what we wanted and he gave us a couple of options.  We asked him a little more about the BC wines and he explained that the majority of the wine comes from the Okanagan Valley about 5 hours east of Vancouver.  They do not export their wine either.  It is all consumed domestically.  That was pretty surprising to us.  We wanted to get some at ship it home, but we could not.  The wine was very good.  It was a little different than an Oregan or Washington Pinot, but still very good.  We both decided we wanted to do the tasting option of the menu.  There were actually two tastings:  one seafood heavy and the other land food heavy.  I took the seafood and Lisa got the land food.  I'm not even sure where to start.  First was an amuse bouche.  It was a risotto fritter with a local mushroom on top.  Wow, great first bite.  It set the stage.  I am going to list the tasting menu below this, because there is quite a bit and I don't want to forget it.  The highlights were the scallops, the quail, the cauliflower soup, lamb risotto and ribeye.  Great meal.  I put this at the top 10 dinners I have had.  The service was great.  They were there when needed and nothing more.  Very friendly and helpful.  As we left, Lisa said something about how the service was great and even the hostess stood out.  They have a coat check and she remembered which one was mine without the claim ticket.  This was a great experience.  

West - Granville

October Tasting Menu

AMUSE BOUCHE

DUNGENESS CRAB SALAD
LYTTON PEARS, CREME FRAICHE, RED ONION MARMALADE

NORTH ARM FARM CAULIFLOWER VELOUTE
FLORETS, MIMOLETTE CHEESE CRISP 16

THIESSEN FARM QUAIL

POMEGRANATE GLAZE, BULGAR AND GRAVENSTEIN APPLE SALAD, CIDER JUS

HAIDA GWAII HALIBUT

SOISSONS BEAN CASSOULET, DOUBLE SMOKED BACON, WILTED SPINACH
MANILA CLAMS, PRESERVED LEMON VINAIGRETTE

PRE DESSERT

HAZELNUT BROWN SUGAR CAKE, LIME BAVAROIS
CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Chef’s Tasting Menu

AMUSE BOUCHE

SAWMILL BAY SCALLOPS
CORONATION GRAPES, SQUASH, CHORIZO VINAIGRETTE

WEST FALL TERRINE
FARMCREST CHICKEN CONFIT, ROUGIE DUCK LIVER
ORGANIC VEGETABLES

FRASER VALLEY LAMB RISOTTO
BIODYNAMIC 1yr AGED RICE, BRAISED PEACE RIVER LAMB
RADICCHIO, MANCHEGO

28 DAY AGED CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF RIBEYE
BRAISED OXTAIL TARTELETTE, CARAMELIZED PARSNIPS
PORCINI MUSHROOM VINAIGRETTE

PRE DESSERT

CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME, BLACKBERRY COMPOTE
SPICED ORANGE ESPUMA

Day 4 - 

We checked out of the hotel and decided to go to Tim Horton's for breakfast.  I have been to Tim Horton's in Ontario and have had good donuts.  This was not a good experience.  First of all, they only accept MasterCard.  I don't have a MasterCard. Lisa and I each got a donut and I had a coffee.  It was around $9 and I barely had enough Canadian money to pay for breakfast.  The donuts were old and the coffee was not very good.  

After our stale donuts, we headed back to Seattle.  We had to navigate through the Vancouver streets and highways to the US border.  Thankfully we allowed extra time to make it to the Seattle airport because there was a significant wait to cross the border.  We waited around half an hour (we found out later that the line can get up to 4 hours).  After crossing the border, it is a nice, somewhat scenic drive to Seattle.  The Cascade Mountains are to the east and the Pacific ocean can be seen occasionally to the west.  We made it back to SeaTac and flew home safely.  

An overall great vacation.

Back in the good ol' USA