Thursday, July 8, 2010

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: July 8

Vancouver is experiencing a record heat wave. Today reached around 88 degrees and last night it only went down to about 75 degrees (no A/C in our hostel). It probably feels warmer to us than it normally would, seeing as how we've just finished a month in very chilly weather wearing long underwear! We spent several hours walking around Granville Island (not actually an island). There's a public market with crafts and fresh food, and it's located on the waterfront. It's a haven for boaters and artists, so there were lots of unique shops. It was a beautiful day and such a great place to stop and catch our breath after so many driving days. After that we walked around the various downtown districts. We definitely got our fill of trinket shops selling Canadian flags and shirts, as well as the maple syrup vendors. Next we headed to Stanley Park where it seemed like everyone in Vancouver was walking, biking, or sunbathing at the beach. Everyone was trying to enjoy this unusually nice weather. We ended the day with a delicious veggie meal at a trendy Japanese eatery with the well thought out name of "Eatery."

Drive to Vancouver: July 7

This was another marathon driving day, not because of how far we went but because of how gnarly the road was. Thanks to Google Maps for sending us on the steepest, narrowest, curviest road in the world - fewer miles than the alternate route, which we later discovered was on a smooth, paved, straight parkway! Our speed never topped 35 mph and the thermometer read 98 degrees for a large part of the day.