Today was jam-packed full of stuff. I got up early and took the bus to Richards St so I could attend 8 am mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral. It's a beautiful church, but there was no choir , which was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, I was glad I went. When it was done, I wanted to grab a bite to eat.  I was walking down Richards St when I saw a huge line of people. I thought, what the heck, and got in. The people behind me said apparently this (Medina) is one of the top breakfast places in Vancouver. I was able to get in on the first round of seating and sit at the bar. I had a waffle with milk chocolate lavender topping and saumon fume, which is: 1 fried egg, smoked wild salmon cream cheese, avocado, arugula and artichoke salad on a grilled ciabatta. Very good, but not sure I would wait an hour for it. 
 
On my way out of Medina, it was raining cats and dogs . I held out under an awning for as long as I could, but when I pulled up the radar, I saw it wasn't going to let up too soon. I decided to head back to the house, dry off and plan what to do next. It was a wet walk to the next bus stop, but I made it home in one piece and threw everything, even my day bag, into the dryer.
Around noon, with dry clothes on , I went back out and took the bus toward Burrard St so I could take the False Creek ferry to Granville Island. 

 Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district. I guess it used to be kind of gritty, but now it's a cute and popular place. Of course I missed my stop and didn't get off the bus until once we were over the Burrard Bridge. I didn't see this as a terrible thing, as I enjoy photographing bridges and scenery from them. At this point the sun was starting to shine. The views did not disappoint. I paid my $3.75 ferry fare (which is a bit steep considering the ride is only about three minutes) and headed toward the Granville St Public Market. This is a lot like the Reading Terminal Market in Philly, only not as big. I bought some fruit and ate my gellato out by the water with the rest of Vancouver. After taking the ferry back, I strolled along Sunset Beach and English Bay Beach. It wasn't in the game plan to bike the Seawall of Stanley Park, but I was close enough to the bike rental shops and decided to do it.
 
Stanley Park is Vancouver's only urban park, and the Seawall is an 8 .8-km trail around it. It has a separate path for cyclists and runners/walkers. I rented a beach cruiser and am sure I looked smashing on it with my helmet. I guess helmets are required by law in Canada (lame!), so I had to wear one. It took me about an hour to bike it with a few stops for pictures and to drink some water.
 
I returned my bike, took a bus to Chinatown for some cheap Canadian souvenirs and some dim sum and a beer. Biking made me a little sweaty, so I didn't want to go anywhere fancy. The dim sum was good. Although it's not like I eat dim sum everyday so it could've been the Taco Bell version and I wouldn't know better.
 
I went home to chill for a bit and then went out for some pasta in Yaletown, a neighborhood toward the south. I have to say that this area felt a bit pretentious and not as homey as some other neighborhoods. I guess it's a bit more new and the buildings did look fairly new. But the pasta was only $10, and I got to ride the Skytrain. The service was not great at this place, but everywhere else it has been good .
 
Buses were a bit slower today due to it being a Sunday, and I'm guessing tomorrow will be much of the same. I actually plan on sleeping in, which will be like 7 am for me. Ha! I am liking the pace I am taking on this trip, as well as the more spontaneous behavior. It's not like me, but a nice change.
 
We will see what tomorrow brings!