Fall in Vancouver

Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston, B.C.

Last month, I took a trip to Vancouver. It was my first time on Canada's west coast (I'd been to California a couple of times, but never further north than San Francisco).

What I found in Vancouver was lovely in every way: after a nearly 6 hour flight from Montreal (it's about as far from Montreal to Vancouver as Montreal to Paris!) we landed late at night, and went to our hotel in the city's downtown. What struck me most in the city was all of the new construction: the city, though population-wise is supposed to be smaller than Montreal, felt rather massive and new and shiny.

Porteau Cove (on a very rainy day)

We landed at 10pm the night before my 30th birthday, which I gleefully realized meant I actually got 3 extra hours of being in my 20s thanks to the time zone change.

Over the week, I visited with a good friend, who took my husband and I to Granville Island, a charming market that we rode a little ferry to get to. Then, I drove north on a white-knuckle highway filled with twists and turns on a high cliff to Porteau Cove (towards Brittania Beach), south to the historic fishing village of Steveston, and of course wandered all around downtown (including its picturesque historical Gastown) and in the massive and beautiful Sanley Park.

Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver

Vancouver has a slightly different feel than Eastern Canada (I've only ever been to various cities in Ontario and Quebec, and Halifax), a vibe that is almost like California but still true to its Canadian roots. It felt a little more relaxed and laid back, in a way that all Pacific Coast towns feel (in my opinion, having been in cities in Chile all the way north up the coast).

I loved that, like many other Canadian cities, the British-influenced roots of the city are visible in the old architecture of the city, such as in the historic Gastown district and in beautiful old buildings such as the Fairmount Vancouver (which looks ever-so-slightly like a castle in the middle of downtown).

When I went to the fishing village of Steveston, the harbour was a bit like something out of history: the Gulf of Georgia Cannery is, in fact, a National Historical Site of Canada. Built in 1894, when the region was an important producer of canned salmon in Canada. Although many of the ships in the harbour are modern, the scene of the fishing boats bobbing in the blue water echoes the days when fishing was an important part of the local economy. Today, some of the boats still sell fresh fish daily right on the water in a little "fish market."

I'd definitely travel back to Vancouver (hopefully soon; preferably sometime during the harsh winter back here in Montreal!) to see some good friends who live there, enjoy the city's mild climate and the imbued into the city's life, and of course, the beautiful views of the ocean that I can never get enough of.