We’ve crossed from Vancouver Island to Vancouver itself (didn’t see any whales this crossing, much to Zaras disappointment) to go and stay with Siobhan and Darren Jackson who are the parents of one of Zara’s best friends, Fionnuala, from medical school. And they are welcoming and lovely and basically let us use their home for a few days - it feels like we are abandoning Wendy for a bed in a house.
Where we are staying has the good fortune of an excellent Michelin mentioned Vietnamese restaurant only 40 seconds walk away - far too tempting and we succumb. The Lunch Lady fits us in and we have a superb meal starting with Taro chips, beef carpaccio, octopus skewers, garlic fried noodles, steak Luc Lak, Dungeness crab fried rice and saffron cod - mouthwatering and packed with fantastic flavours. Just a brilliant meal!
Next day we explore some parts of Vancouver centred around Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium.
Watching the sea lion display in 30+ heat makes us head off towards the ‘Second Beach’ swimming pool to enjoy the warm water under blazing sunshine with Alex really hogging the water slide. Later we eat out again at a great Italian restaurant just 5 mins walk from the house. The waiters explanation to another customer sitting outside that he couldn’t do anything about the sun and she would have to wait a half hour before it dipped behind a building was a priceless bit of customer service!
Now it’s Zara’s last day and to be honest we are all tired - but souvenir shopping has to be done. A slow wander around downtown Vancouver gets various bits and pieces but the Patagonia fleece eludes us. So one Uber later we are in the right place, at the right time and … the only one left is a bit bobbly. A 40% discount and a bobble razor later and Zara is the proud possessor of her longed for fleece. Apparently it’s a Doctor thing to have one - we even met an American student doctor who had one - some brilliant marketing going on somewhere!
And then it’s that dreaded day, Saturday, and Zara’s return to the UK for her graduation and then to Leeds to start work. Except the gods of the airlines really want her to stay! I woke at 6am and find an email saying her flight from Vancouver to Toronto is delayed which means she will miss her connecting flight to London! Now comes rapid replanning and internet research - which reveals just one seat available on WestJet within the timeframe. Whilst trying to book it the price rockets from $Cn500 to $Cn1300! An alternative strategy emerges to try for a non-stop flight Vancouver to London and Air Canada triumphs with a seat for $Cn900. Much relief all around!!
A much later departure time means we get time for a light lunch but sadly, the Uber arrives, Zara checks in, we get emotional and then she’s gone through security and flying away for her graduation. We miss you but are so proud of what you have achieved xxx.
We leave Vancouver on the Sunday morning, unfortunately missing our lovely hosts who are returning from a weekend away, thank you again Siobhan and Darren, but there are more kilometres to be driven in Wendy. It was a wrench leaving a comfortable house but great being back in Wendy, albeit tinged with sadness that Alex has slightly more room in his bunk!
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