Day 7: Vancouver

ODD. That's what I have been thinking ever since we reached Seattle, and even more-so since we've been in Vancouver. It's not the city's that are odd, nor the scenery surrounding us. It's the people.  While I know there will always be a wide variety of individuals sporting whatever look expresses who they are, the people in Vancouver are just...ODD.  I mean, I've never seen so many oddly dressed folks! One gal today looked like a blue Cotton Candy Airhead (the candy) with a pink tutu on...!?! And the men, well lets just say they are very confused in many different areas. We also saw a young guy with long, ratty black hair, dressed in all black and combo boots standing in a storefront window gazing in holding a 3 1/2 foot piece of re-bar... in broad daylight.  It was slightly freaky... by slightly I mean a lot.  I'm sure I'm coming off very judgmental and mean instead of just stating an observation like I intend, so I'll just stop while I'm ahead.

Layne in the French Crepes Cafe.

      So our day started off at a local restaurant called French Crepes and we had a lovely breakfast and we both shared a cinnamon/sugar crepe. It was good, but nothing to brag about. We then headed to Aldo where I spent 1 wonderful hour trying on boots of  all styles and fashions. Unfortunately I didn't get the exact pair of boots I wanted of one style because they didn't have my size. HOWEVER, I did buy 3 pairs (YES, 3 PAIRS!!!!) of boots for less than $115 dollars. Aldo boots... less than $115... am I a bargain buyer or what?!?! If you are unfamiliar of Aldo brand, they have fantastic variety of men and women shoes and are a higher end store.  One pair of my boots had an original price of $115... I got them for $30. CRAZY. So after our shoe shopping (Layne bought a nice pair of dress boots as well!) we drove over to Stanley Park.  It was a whole different world. The park had activities for visitors and locals and was perfect for those seeking to exercise outside.  After walking a good ways around the park, we made our way to the Vancouver Aquarium.  The aquarium was awesome and I fell in love with the Beluga whales, otters, and these tiny little monkeys ... =)  

Looking at the Bay in Granville Island- Granville Bridge behind us.

Layne and the Inukshuk statue

We walked every square foot of that aquarium and back through the park.  We sat on the rocks by the bay for a bit of rest and to enjoy the views before heading off to Granville Island.  Granville was pretty neat too. I never tire of seeing the sights and experiencing new things.  Layne tried Gelato for the first time and he loved it. (as I knew he would!)  We walked around the area including the Fresh Market and enjoyed the sights of the bay and hundreds of boats at dock nearby.  There is a popular stone sculpture called the Inukshuck, meaning "In the spirit of man" that is literally all over the place- small statutes, jewelry, paper weights, you name it they have it to sell in some sort of keep-sake. The history behind it goes back to the Inuit's and their beliefs. It's all over BC now.
Our evening was pretty uneventful- dinner at the restaurant in our hotel then walked around the city a while longer.  I am excited to continue our journey in the morning and head out to Prince George! I know our sights will become even more amazing and hopefully the animals will emerge so Layne will be happy.

Now it is time for bed... nothing like falling aleep to honking cars, ambulances, and club  music booming... ha! Goodnight.

As the Canadians say... "Cheers!"

much love,
Jenni