Had our one full day in Vancouver today and tried to make the most of it, but just not enough time to see this beautiful city so we will just have to come back! We began this morning by going shopping (a lot of shopping) we began at the Pacific Centre mall where we found breakfast and some thermals for me. We then found our way back to Mountain Equipment Co-op (where we had been last night) and finished getting just a few other things. Should Australia have the next ice age, we should be set. We then happened to come across a Toys R Us and found a great hall of Cars cars for Shane (I am sure you are all thrilled to hear). We finished our shopping spree with the purchase of a new suitcase to hold said purchases.
This afternoon we wanted to do Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain; however with the sun setting not long after 4:30pm we skipped straight to Grouse Mountain and hope to pop over to Stanley Park in the morning. We may have got a little side tracked on the way though and found ourselves in Staples (think US version of Officeworks) where I picked up a bargain external hard drive to start putting the photos on as the laptop seems to be getting a tad full. We did eventually get to Grouse Mountain though...
Upon arriving we heard all the young, hip looking skiers and snowboarders being told there were 90km winds and minimal vision on the slopes and they were advised not to go up. We were warned upon purchasing our tickets for the gondola that there was at least a 2 hour wait to get back down as there were so many people up there and that with the high winds there was a slight chance that they would shut the gondola and we would have to remain on the mountain for the evening; we decided to take our chances. We loaded onto the gondola and were then hearded off again to be told that no one was allowed up to go skiing or boarding and so most people were told to go home. We were allowed to stay as we were just visiting the chalet. The ride up was reminiscent of the Disneyland attractions with the wind throwing us around quite significantly at times, but we got there in one piece.
The objective of the trip was to see the beautiful view of Vancouver in the early evening but the visibility status meant we lost Vancouver half way up the hill. We enjoyed a film on the history of Grouse Mountain (well... Phil may have been testing his eye lids for light leaks) a viewing of the gift shop and some time in the cafe until the line for the return gondola trip went from 2 hours to 20 mins. By the time we returned the winds had slowed and people were heading up the hill again for a night ski. We did have to share our gondola with an injured skier on a stretcher, which did add to some of the excitement of the trip. Visibility had also improved and so we were able to enjoy the lights of Vancouver the whole way down.
We actually managed to get in by 9:30pm this evening, but alas, after having dinner, sorting through and repacking our stuff and updating the blog it is now after midnight again. We are looking forward to getting to Mark's tomorrow and hopefully having a rest.
Highlight of the day: not having to sleep on the floor of the chalet at Grouse Mountain with several hundred others!
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