Stay-cation in the Lower Mainland and beyond

The first week of my vacation, originally allocated to fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set up a home for my husband and me, has passed in a flurry of activities in BC, enjoying tourist attractions along the way.

The past weekend we visited the Vancouver Aquarium late in the afternoon and were surprised to find we only had 45 minutes to the end of the day. It is a great time to go if you have a membership pass and can return any time. The crowds which usually hang around everywhere and especially the beluga whale and dolphin pools had gone home and we had free viewing access to every exhibit we wanted. What a treat! Our first stop was the tropical rainforest to warm up from the cold rain that had permeated our clothes on the walk from the Stanley park bus loop  to the aquarium. We love the colourful bird species and the sloth. Then we went to meet Chester, a young false killer whale, and were amazed to see him interact with the us and other guests. He swam from one window to the next to show us how he played with his food, a dead squid, he took into his mouth for a second just to spit it out and capture it again. We were mesmerized and could have spent hours more, but it was time to head out into the rain again.

The next day looked bright enough to give flying to Victoria, BC’s provincial capital on Vancouver Island, a try. Despite rain clouds hovering over North Vancouver Harbour Air deemed the view reasonable enough to fly their Turbo Otter water plane across the Georgia Strait. We had tried the previous Sunday and were left stranded due to fog. Happily, we went aboard and marvelled at the views from our window.

If you have the chance, fly at least once on a water plane and see the beauty of the islands dotting the waters between Vancouver and Victoria. It is a spectacular view on a sunny day and a great reminder that this is the true coastal BC.

Victoria for a few hours was a rainy, cold and windy adventure that had us amazed by the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” exhibit at the Royal BC Museum. We love this yearly event for its thought-provoking and awe-inspiring photos and recommend it for everyone. It will be shown until April 4th, 2016.

Before we flew home a last visit to the Bengal lounge at the Fairmont Empress hotel was a must. There had been news that his very traditional lounge will be renovated come May 2016 and may receive an updated, modern look. A last drink and snack and home we went.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting time was a little scarce this week since I decided to start a new spinning project: a beautiful braid of purple and fuchsia merino roving in the colourway “amethyst” from Sweet Georgia Yarns sitting in my stash wanted to be spun into a sport weight or sock yarn. I am still working on it, but the colours shine even in the braid and on the bobbin.

Still, there are always a few minutes on a bus ride or an hour in the evening with an opportunity to sit and knit. My “Canted sweater” designed by Mari Chiba has been finished and fits really well: a little loser on the lower part with lots of airflow in case of a hot flash and more figure-hugging on the torso and arms.

The newest and very exciting knit project is a test knit for my friend Uta from Justquilts for a German mystery KAL scheduled to start in May 2016. I am happy to work with some lace yarn from my stash and try out the pattern for a beautiful finished project. I can not reveal more at this time, but check out her blog in the meantime. The start of the mystery KAL will be posted there and I will post it as well.

Until next week!