3 days in Vancouver

My how time passes! A girl really needs to be intentional in order to keep up with these blogs!

I left Ashley, Jenna and friends on Saturday night, where I arrived in Vancouver, greeted by my gracious aunt and uncle, who whisked me away to their lovely centrally-located apartment, conveniently around the corner from a house my friends Nniamh and Doug were hanging out at.

After I fixed my plane hair and plane face, I met up with them around 10:30, which, with the time difference, felt like 12:30 to me (for those of you who know me, you know that this means I had to overcome my old-lady nature to deal with this late-night party-going option).

The three of us left that apartment pretty quickly and headed over to the east si

de where the real party began. I

n a quiet, suburban-style, middle class neighbourhood, one house on the street was alive with sound, people, music and youthful shinanigans. I don't know how to describe the feel of this party. At times it was like a Bah Mitzva, Klezmer dance music blaring, clapping and circle dancing, dark haired bearded boys taking each others shirts off and dancing and laughing and shouting, people playing brass instruments and accordions in the kitchen, people banging their wine bottles on tables along to the music. It was truly magical. (See photos and videos below. )

One of my favourite moments of the evening was seeing Nniamh in the bathroom, helping a girl who had cut her nose open somehow and was bleeding profusely. Once the wound had been bandaged, Nniamh decided everyone else in the bathroom had to also wear a bandage over the bridge of their nose as well, as an act of solidarity. It was a touching gesture, and one of the many reasons that I love Nniamh.

The next day, Nniamh, Doug and I managed to borrow a car from their friend Max and we took a road trip on the sea to sky highway up to Squamish, a small, quaint town off the highway an hour north of Vancouver. I've discovered quite quickly that Vancouverites love their sea scapes. Big time. Nniamh bought wolf silhouette earings, which I highly approved of, though whales were a close second.

That night (being last night) I had dinner with my aunt and uncle. My uncle took me to a famous market, nearly overtaking a tiny island. It was like every food shop in Kensington market all put together under one roof. When my aunt suggested we pick up some pasta, I had no idea my pasta options at the market would include pear goat cheese ravioli, which clearly I consumed later with delight.

Now I sit in a cafe on Commercial Drive, the Queen street-esque equivalent of Vancouver, eating a cinnamon bun and noting how about 40% of the population of B.C uses longboards as their main mode of transportation. I'm down with that.

Scene: I passed an asian girl on the street having a very loud argument on her cell phone, (part of which went "I'm drunk right now and you're screaming at me", which was unsettling because it was two in the afternoon). Then, 20 seconds later, I pass a pizzaria with a young asian man screaming into his cell phone "who do you think I am!? Who do you think I am!?" which I can only assume was the other side of the drunk girl conversation.

Enjoy the photos, I'm tired of writing!

What a life!

Nothing says Canada like kitties.

These wood carvings smelled tremendous! There were sawdust bins everywhere and freshly cut wood and it was simply delightful.

So many bears, so little...wall space?

The sea to sky highway.

Below you will find Doug's opinion of bikers as we make our way across the bridge to the highway.

More photos to come!