Vancouver!

In September, I spent a week totally ensconced in the excitement and pure natural beauty of British Columbia. I took a jet plane to Seattle, and a prop plane to Victoria where we bussed into Butchart Gardens and speed boated out to watch whales. After three nights in the luxurious Inn at Laurel Point, we took a ferry over to Vancouver where other modes of transportation included: a paddle-wheel dinner cruise boat, a water taxi across False Creek, a bicycle around Stanley Park, a cable tram up to the summit of Grouse Mountain, an elevator to the Vancouver Lookout and another elevator inside the Eye of the Wind (a giant white wind turbine with glass observation deck on top) above Grouse Mountain, a high speed Zodiac sea safari, the hop-on-hop-off bus around the city, a zipline, and finally, walking across the suspension bridges and the new cantilevered Cliffwalk at Capilano. Oh, and I'll never forget the thrilling take-off and landing of our sea plane, or the beautiful smile of Tiga, the baby beluga at the Vancouver Aquarium. Poor Tiga died a week later, but he is forever in my heart. 

TourismVancouver hosted a small group of VSP VIPS (graduates of the Vancouver Specialist Program) for the week and thoroughly impressed us with their beautiful city. We toured many of the best hotels, sampled lots of local fresh cuisine, both at Granville Island Public Market and at several trendy restaurants, and learned so much about the special events, venues, and activities available in the Vancouver area. I came home with a suitcase full of local chocolates....heaven!!!! Now I have new travel agent friends from Germany, England, Australia, Canada and the US and we all agree that Vancouver is one place that we should send all of our clients - there is something for everyone.