After a little more than two weeks, it's time for us to say good-bye to Vancouver and nobody is more surprised than us at how much we enjoyed our time here and how difficult it is to leave. Voted one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver lives up to the reputation and has been well worth the detour we made to be here.
Truly an international city boasting residents from all corners of the world, Vancouverites are welcoming and friendly people who enjoy being outdoors. Parks dot the shoreline and residents take full advantage of these small greenbelts and are outside, come rain or shine, to walk, jog, bike or just enjoy the view.
We spent day after day exploring the city by foot starting with Chinatown and beyond to Gastown, Vancouver's original townsite, where we strolled along the cobblestoned Water Street in the mist and rain while admiring the Victorian buildings. On nicer days, we walked along the seawall which virtually circles the entire city to the shores of English Bay where the beaches are crowded with Vancouverites in the summer and further north to the edge of Stanley Park to see the collection of totem poles from a number of First Nations communities and enjoy the sunshine before moving south to Coal Harbour and it's multi-million dollar high-rises and the site of the 2010 Olympic Cauldron.
Not being great fans of art, we avoided most of the museums but couldn't resist a trip to the Vancouver Maritime Museum which houses the historic St. Roch, the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage while a patrol and supply ship to the Western Arctic, as well as the chronometer Captain George Vancouver used while surveying the Pacific Northwest – one of maritime history's most remarkable feats. Other days we were happy to just enjoy the conveniences of city-life and would stroll the sidewalks, go out to eat, or stop by a local sport's bar to watch New Zealand win the Rugby World Cup.
I've said it time and time again. One of the most difficult things about cruising is saying good-bye to people and places. Vancouver is no exception. It truly is an amazing city and being able to anchor in the heart of it all has turned out to be one of the highlights of our year – one we hope to repeat in the future but, until then, good-bye, Vancouver. And thank you.
