BLOG 3--ALASKA: VANCOUVER AND SETTING SAIL

September 07, 2015 • Leave a Comment

Hi Everyone,

On day 1, we left the house at 3:30 am (so early!!!) to go to Denver International Airport (DIA) and had a smooth flight to Seattle. We were able to check out the scenery from the plane including the cloud inversion.

We saw Mount St. Helens. This volcano is located in the Cascade Range and is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes. This volcano is well known for its ash explosion and pyroclastic flows.

"Mount St. Helens is most notorious for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m. PDT, the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. A massive debris avalanche triggered by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale caused an eruption that reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) to 8,363 ft (2,549 m), replacing it with a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide horseshoe-shaped crater. The debris avalanche was up to 0.7 cubic miles (2.9 km³) in volume. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and allow for its aftermath to be scientifically studied." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens

And Mount Rainer which is 14,411 feet high and is considered to be one the most dangerous volcanoes in the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier).

From Seattle we took a bus (7 hours) to Vancouver. Yes, it was a ride of endurance!

What a beautiful city!

"Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The 2011 census recorded 603,502 people in the city, making it the eighth largest Canadian municipality. The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.4 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country and the most populous in Western Canada. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Vancouver is classed as a Beta Global City. The City of Vancouver encompasses a land area of about 114 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per square mile). Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality, and the fourth most densely populated city over 250,000 residents in North America, behind New York City, San Francisco and Mexico City." Check out more about Vancouver at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver.

Enjoy the photos!

The city has high rises...

Our hotel, The Sylvia, was just off the beach and we walked while the sun set as we enjoyed the sights, sounds, and colors.

Interesting way to create seating wouldn't you say?

No city is complete without a busker! This woman was a crowd pleaser (and crazy)! She had the three enlisted gentlemen do some of the most insane things! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_performance)

FIRE is always a crowd favorite!!!

Our hotel, Sylvia, funky and just right...

The hotel lobby...

And the last two pics of the night, from Gary...

The next day we were rested and ready to go. Here's a bit of street art...

We spent the second day exploring the beach, boardwalk area, Stanley Park, and the harbor while we waited for Rich and LuAnn to arrive from Connecticut.

This is an Inukshuk, a manmade stone landmark. Possibly used as a reference point or a marker for travelers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuksuk

We have no clue what this is...

We spent time in Stanley Park where we enjoyed the lagoon and other beautiful scenery.

"Designated a national historic site of Canada, Stanley Park is a magnificent green oasis in the midst of the heavy built urban landscape of Vancouver. Explore the 400-hectare natural West Coast rainforest and enjoy scenic views of water, mountains, sky, and majestic trees along Stanley Park's famous seawall. Discover kilometers of trails, beautiful beaches, local wildlife, great eats, natural, cultural and historical landmarks, along with many other adventures. The park offers a wide range of unforgettable experiences for all ages and interests, including Canada's largest aquarium." Excepted from: http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx)

This is a huge swimming pool on the shore of Stanley Park.

The lagoon...

The harbor was absolutely beautiful!

Gary busy taking photos...

High rise reflections...

Planes lined up in the harbor for takeoff...

Houseboat anyone?

Art in Vancouver--These are the "A-maze-ing Laughter" bronze statutes (14 in total), created in 2009 by Yue Minjun. These were just outside of our hotel close to the beach and had us roaring. They were created in the artist's own image. If you'd like to learn more and maybe have a laugh--check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-maze-ing_Laughter

The inscription on the nearby cement seating reads:

"May this sculpture inspire laughter playfulness and joy in all who experience it."

The 2010 Olympic Torch...

After two days in Vancouver it was time to get on board!

We were all new to cruising and it was so easy to find the ship, The Coral Princess, and go through processing. Everyone along the way was helpful and courteous and cheerful! Once we walked through these doors we were on the vessel!