Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaLEAVING SYDNEY
Never a Boring Journey with Alan...
I may have thought that our coming journey to Apparently-User-Friendly Canada might be bland, but I should have known that travelling anywhere with Alan is never dull. He is like the Travelling Angel of Death. If anyone will be held up in Security or be singled out for body scanning or special baggage and/or body searching, it's Alan.
A classic example occurred some years ago when I somehow became well ahead of Alan in the Security queue during a departure from Sydney Airport. On seeing me stop to wait for him, a kind airport official assured me I had been successfully processed and beckoned me ahead. When I explained that I was waiting for my husband, she agreed I could stay with her until he came through. Peering at the crowded queues, she asked, "What does your husband look like?" It was a ridiculously easy answer. I sighed. "Oh, he is very tall, and you will recognise him immediately as he will be held up at every passport recognition and scanning point in the Security queue... And he will be very cross. Just watch...."
Strictly according to script, Alan was dead easy to spot. A frustrated Alan had to return three times to have his recognition photo taken; a common problem with his height resulted in a photo of his chest rather than his face. To add insult to injury, Alan had not only been singled out for a full body scan, but his cabin luggage was confiscated for a detailed search of its contents.
Hot and bothered, Alan finally emerged, his gear falling out of his unzipped backpack and his boarding pass and passport on the floor. "Oh, I see what you mean", sympathised my official friend. "I'll take care of him. You follow the queue ahead".
Meanwhile, Alan was rapidly escorted under the guide tapes and through the melee while I waited for ten more minutes in another queue. An impatient Alan was now waiting for me... "Where on earth have you been?" he snapped.
Yep, that's travelling with Alan...
And Once Again.....
Things had gone far too well. We arrived by shuttle bus from our hotel at Sydney Airport with plenty of time to check in with Air Canada. Unlike Taree Railway Station, the check-in process was friendly and smooth - and strangely enough, our luggage only weighed 18.5 kg for each of our suitcases...
But then there was Security. I had no problems, but Alan was called back because of a major issue with his backpack's contents. Grasping a double handful of razor-sharp stainless steel cleats, a security official demanded, "What are these?" Cleats are certainly not common baggage contents in Australia, and it took some time for Alan to explain*. The long and short of the situation was that he had to make his way back and “contra flow” through the crowded Security queues to check in the cleats with Air Canada as separate luggage...
There was nothing I could do other than head to the Duty-Free Shops, buy some alcohol for our coming trip, then hot foot it to the Air New Zealand Business Lounge - which was also the lounge for Air Canada passengers. The lounge was very pleasant. And what else could I do besides help myself to some of the lovely cheeses and pour a glass of sparkling wine? It seemed like a very long time for Alan to appear, and I fleetingly wondered what I would do if he didn't turn up. Eventually, I spotted a tall figure pacing up and down the lounge, looking for me. The check-in person had been very helpful, and although it had taken a very long time, everything worked well, and the cleats were safely on their way to Canada.
Some things never change....
* In fairness, I cannot be critical of Alan taking his cleats in his hand luggage. Some years ago, I was accosted at Seoul Airport, South Korea, for carrying a spent machine gun bullet shell in my hand luggage. It was from a Kolyma Gulag site in Siberia and given to me by a Russian friend. I had never thought about it. Sinister as it sounds, it was hardly dangerous. It was just a hollow metal ring. But of course, it was immediately disposed of by the airport officials, who understandably treated me with much suspicion. Yes, you would think I, too, should have known better...
TO VANCOUVER
A Great Flight with Canadian Airlines
Prior to our travels, we had received many negative comments about Air Canada. Some downright damning. And from people who have frequently travelled to Canada and whose views we would normally respect.
Our flight could not have been better. In stark contrast to our 2023 external flights, the staff was top class, and nothing was too much effort. Interestingly, the cabin crew comprised mostly mature women, whose ages looked to be around mid-50s to late 60s. Headed by a meticulously customer-focused female flight manager, the staff did a magnificent job of keeping the passengers well-attended to and well-fed. There was no need to ask for service. It was just there. Even after our meal was finished and the lights dimmed, it was not unusual for an attendant to quietly ask if we would like anything more to eat or drink. And by chance and again, unlike last year's travels, there were no screaming children.
The food selection and quality were very good. As were the generous gins and tonic. Similarly, the flat seating was comfortable and surprisingly easy to sleep in. Somehow the time just flew. Before we knew it, we were being served a hearty breakfast. A few hours later, we arrived in Vancouver.
The Blue Horizon Hotel, Vancouver
Alan was concerned about the choice of hotels he had booked for our travels. Canada, like Australia, is an expensive country in which to travel; hotel prices being similar to those we would expect in Sydney.
For this trip and where possible, he chose three-star hotels. They looked impressive online and appeared to have everything we would need in a quality hotel. They were mostly very centrally located, the importance of which we realised after undertaking many trips in far northern winters. The only way he could judge the standard, however, was through the reviews of past travellers. Writing travel reviews can be tedious and time-consuming, but from the degree of helpfulness they provide to others, it is well worth undertaking the process.
Our boutique Blue Horizon Hotel was located on Robson Street, in the heart of Vancouver and the hub of shopping and dining opportunities. Known as the West End district, it was in close proximity also to beautiful Stanley Park, English Bay and other scenic attractions.
I am always disappointed with hotels that don't have attractive foyer areas. The Horizon Blue Hotel may have had a very ordinary entrance, but the quality of staff and service was extraordinary. Friendly and professional, they did everything they could to make our stay enjoyable (during our stay, they even organised for one of their hotel service people to fix our hairdryer - which he very obligingly did....).We arrived at the hotel at 8:00 am and were delighted that our room was ready and we could make an early check-in.
The hotel building was unusual in that every guest room was a corner room, many having glorious views out to English Bay, the North Shore Mountains and the City of Vancouver. Our room was pleasing, spacious and well-appointed, with double corner windows and a small balcony overlooking the attractive English Bay. We were more than happy.
Our First Afternoon in Vancouver
After a 14-hour flight from Sydney, a well-earned sleep was much appreciated. The hotel restaurant was not in operation for evening meals, so on the advice of the staff, we took a very short afternoon stroll around nearby shops, ending with a visit to one of the well-known Earl's Kitchen and Bar Restaurants - Earl's Robson just minutes walk from our hotel.
One of some seventy Earls chain restaurants located throughout Canada and the USA, Earl's Robson reminded us of the old Cahill's chains of restaurants that once operated in Australia. In a spacious dining room with a friendly, casual atmosphere, we felt very relaxed and much at home. Mindful of keeping Alan well-hydrated, we opted for two welcome large glasses of Canadian beer! It was, we had to agree, a particularly nice welcome to Vancouver.
The evening meal menu looked innovative and interesting. Best of all, it claimed to offer a world-beating clam chowder soup - one of the restaurant's signature dishes and apparently a real favourite of Earls' clientele. Alan simply loves clam chowder. Earls was an obvious and easy choice for our evening meal...
We finished our afternoon with a visit to a nearby supermarket. As my readers would know, we love looking through supermarkets when we travel. Alan especially... We agree that it is one of the best ways to gain insight into the lifestyle and culture of the local people. The supermarket was beautifully presented with quality produce. And subdued lighting made for an interesting, almost "wet market atmosphere". As usual, it was good fun.
We dined at Earls that evening. Not surprisingly, we opted for the clam chowder. For our main course, we chose a dish of truffled parmesan chicken served with creamy lemon risotto. The chowder was out-of-this-world delicious. But as we were to find out, the size of meals in Canada was absolutely enormous and we really struggled to eat less than half of our main meal. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. It was a great way to start our travels in Canada.
Later, we laughed, "Perhaps this Canadian trip won't be all that bad after all?"
Valeria
2024-06-08
Thank you for thise interesting article! You took great photos!
crowdywendy
2024-06-09
Спасибо, дорогая Валерия!