It took us the whole day on Monday to arrive in Vancouver. Leaving Monday morning at 7:00am, we had a very nice ride into Sacramento. What mountain SCENERY! We caught our Delta flight in Sacramento that actually flew into LA where we boarded Alaskan Air into Vancouver, Canada arriving around 5:00pm. Both were relaxing calm flights. From the plane we got to see an amazing view of Yosemite National Park. From Vancouver Airport we took the Sky Train, a 30 minute ride, into the downtown area. From there we caught the city bus to our hotel, dropped off the luggage and took a walk, finding a local restaurant where we had some tasty fish and chips.
The next day we discovered this fabulous walkway that went on for miles and miles along the waterways around Vancouver. It was full of roller bladders, bikers, and joggers. We strolled it forever and wished we had had some bikes to ride.
The water views were wonderful. Out in the bays there were all kinds of ships, ferries, and lively rowing teams to watch. Where did the day go?
It sure flew by way to fast! That evening we found a great little waterfront restaurant that offered great views of the Vancouver Bay. Vancouver is a wonderful city. Snowcapped mountains beyond the skyscrapers...snow skiing is just 40 minutes away.
Limitless water sports and temperate climate. We were told that it rains a lot, but we again experienced FABULOUS weather.
Vancouver grew due to an influx of fortune seekers who came to look for gold along the Fraser River in 1857. By the end of 1858; 25,000 prospectors had settled into the area. The Canadian Pacific Railway and the excellent year round harbor opened this cosmopolitan city up to growing trade.
Wednesday morning, we climbed into a cab that spun us through the maze of high rises on a short ride to Canada Place, where our ship, the Holland America Volendam, was docked. Boarding was a breeze. Everything was well organized with minimal waiting time. Our ship was the second to sail out of Vancouver for this season. Sailing to Alaska is usually from the first of May to the end of September with over 200 sailings available during the season.
We LOVED Vancouver. It was a beautiful, clean city. No smog! Great views of water and mountains! Friendly people! The walkways that follow the waterways were trememdous! What a great idea to provide use of the waterfront for all to enjoy! The life of city convenience and tranquil country atmosphere were mighty close together to take advantage of. Larry and I enjoyed Vancouver so much that we have already started talking about coming back for another visit.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Happy Birthday Kristy!!!! Sail away from Vancouver, Canada
OH MY GOSH! Larry and I can hardly believe that we are cruising the inside passage to Alaska...This has been on our bucket list for a long time!
We passed through customs and then the ship check in with very little wait time. This ship is the smallest cruise ship that we have ever taken, holding only 1200 passengers. It was built in 1999 in Italy and was renovated in 2008.
Volendam I
We loved our spacious room with a full size bath tub that was close to the elevator and stairs midship, right next to the centrum.
It had two pools...one on the back where a polar plunge was scheduled and one midship that had a retracktable overhead window to open on warm days and close on cool ones.
After finding our room we went to the outside 8th floor back deck for lunch with a great view of Vancouver city and the surrounding mountains.
We enjoyed an afternoon of pleasant temperatures (low 70) while watching numerous float planes take off and land while we were enjoying an iced tea on the back of the ship. The ship pulled out of the harbor around 5:00pm giving us a wonderful view of the 1000 acre Stanley Park. After dinner and a movie...we had a relaxing blissful sleep as the ship sailed into the night toward our first stop, Juneau, Alaska.
Passing under the Bridge to Stanley Park
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