Tag: Sightseeing

If you love skiing you probably think of gliding down on the white stuff when anyone mentions a mountain! For me, who is not a skier by the way, I think of hikes and fabulous views, and Vancouver‘s Grouse Mountain is somewhere that offers these in abundance, plus there is of course an alpine ski area here too! One of the reasons why Vancouver is such a popular place is its setting; surrounded by mountains and water this really is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. You’ll find Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, that is, across the Burrard Inlet […]

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If someone picked you up and dropped you off in the height of summer at the lakeshore in downtown Kelowna, you’d probably be hard pushed to identify where you were; and I’m sure that Canada would be the last place you’d guess! The fact is, with its hot and sunny climate, lakeside setting, sophisticated cafés and restaurants, mountains abound, and vineyards hugging the hillsides, Kelowna really is more European than Canadian! So how come Kelowna has ended up this way? Well, the climate is actually typical of the southern interior of BC, where you average around 2,000 sunshine hours per […]

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Nestled between the mountains and the shores of the Okanagan Lake, the small town of Peachland has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere that goes to make this one of the Okanagan’s popular summertime destinations. Peachland is about half an hour’s drive from the city of Kelowna, and it’s in the heart of the Okanagan Valley; an area renowned for its wonderful summer weather that’s perfect for growing plenty of fruit and vines. Talking of fruit, yes, it was peaches that inspired the name of the town when one of the first settlers tasted the wonderfully tasty peaches and decided to […]

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Vancouver‘s Chinatown is a fantastic place to spend the day shopping, sightseeing, and sampling delicious Chinese cuisine. With striking architecture, beautiful gardens, and bustling marketplaces, it features a rich history that dates back to 1890, when early Chinese immigrants to Vancouver settled in Shanghai Alley. By 1898, the area was thriving, and even included the famous 500 seat Sing Kew Chinese Theatre, which was destroyed during a fire in 1947. In 1904, Canton Alley was created, and the convergence of the two created a vibrant area where music could be heard, shopping could be enjoyed, and political and cultural activities […]

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Roberts Creek is smaller than you might think, but if you are running up and down the Sunshine Coast Highway, make sure to head toward the water along Roberts Creek Road. The key reasons are: 1. The Shops are quite quaint as is the architecture.  There’s a lost Hippy feeling to it that is unique. The stores include a General Store and a children’s clothing shop. 2.  The Beach.  At the end of Roberts Creek Road is a tiny parking lot (brace yourself for disappointment at finding a spot on a sunny day) where you can park and walk down […]

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Cliff Gilker Park is the easiest of three walks we did on our Sunshine Coast vacation.  The problem for us was a three-year-old.  He was keen to walk his little legs off, but with roots and ups an downs, we were worried. Before I get too far into the details, Cliff Gilker Park, is at 3110 Sunshine Coast Highway near the Roberts Creek Road intersection.  The access to the park is on the east side of Hwy 101.  We took the upper parking lot.  At the same location were swings, a baseball diamond and well kept bathrooms. The key reason […]

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Considering the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia is actually part of the BC mainland, it’s odd that you need to take a 40 minute ferry ride to get there.  BC Ferries provides the same sort of ships from Horseshoe Bay that they do when you sail to Victoria or Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.   You arrive in Langdale and then you drive the Sunshine Coast Highway (a.k.a. Highway 101) to your destination.  When driving this highway, keep in mind that it’s all two-lane undivided roadway, which isn’t what a lot of us consider a highway.  There are a lot of […]

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I’m not sure why it’s called Parkville; it should be called Beachville.  (Apparently Parksville was actually named after a fellow named Nelson Parks.)   We are staying at Ocean Trails Resort which has access to Rathtrevor Beach.  A bunch of resorts take advantage of the access to the water.  The reason is obvious: the beach during the various tides can reach out for what seems like miles and you can walk along the beach for what seems like miles. There are lots of tiny creatures to look at in the tide pools including craps, clams and other shelled critters.  When […]

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If you are in Vancouver on a fine summer’s day and want a busy beach with lots of sightseeing (people or geography) you can’t go wrong on Vancouver’s Kits Beach.  This past weekend there was Kits Fest [Aug 20, 21, 22 2010] which had beach volleyball and basketball tournaments plus a variety of tents ranging from local agencies (Kits Chamber of Commerce, Kits Community Centre, Kits House) and it was reasonably child-friendly.   But honestly, who cares?  It’s the stunning visuals that matter.  If you are people watching the variety of people ranging from the artificially beautiful to the naturally […]

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Last summer, August of 2009, I had the opportunity to visit Chemainus, BC, to see a friend in their annual summer musicals. I had never been to Chemainus before and didn’t know what to expect. However, after only about an hour after arriving I realized I had fallen in love with the place! It is located in between Duncan  and Nanaimo, and you can either take a ferry from Vancouver to Duke Point, or Vancouver/Tsawwassen to Schwartz  Bay and drive up from Victoria. Each summer, Chemainus has a Musical Theatre Festival in their beautiful, newly renovated downtown theatre. I saw “Oklahoma” […]

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