Here I am typing this with a vanilla tea and an oreo cupcake facing the sad and sudden realisation of how early the nights are rolling in as autumn is well and truly upon us. Over the past few days I’ve been reliving the crazy and incredible memories of my most recent adventure…Canada. Constantly flicking through my photos I realised how silly it would be to let them sit on my camera forever for no one to see and now I find myself writing a new blog post…
Canada is a place I had always dreamed of going to. Every year when planning our next holiday my mum would say, “I want to go to Canada to find the bears and the whales”, and every holiday we’d find ourselves back on a beach spending the days soaking up the sun and cooling off in the sea. Even though those holidays are completely idyllic, an adventurous holiday was always in mind.
This summer just gone, perfect plans were carefully put into place and we were fortunate enough to experience the Canadian adventure.
Travelling is something I struggle with, and the thought of an 8 hour flight was definitely not something that was putting my mind at ease. I weighed up the pros and cons and it didn’t take more than a couple of seconds to convince myself that the long flight was only a minor obstacle standing in the way of a holiday of a lifetime. When it came to the day, I had my boyfriend next to me, my family a few seats away and I lost myself into the endless options of brand new films and before I knew it we were landing in Canada.
Our first stop was Vancouver. Although Vancouver is a busy city, there was an unusual calm and peaceful vibe to it, and everyone seemed so friendly and laid back. Suffering from jet lag, for the first few days, we were up at the crack of dawn (not at all like us) and falling asleep during dinner. On the first full day, we saw Vancouver in the best way possible, from above in a helicopter. Saying the views were breathtaking would be a drastic understatement and so I will have to share lots of photos here to do it some justice.
After our helicopter journey, we ventured into Granville Island as we heard lots of great things about the market there. It was definitely worth the visit!
We then explored the beautiful oasis of Stanley Park and stopped off on the way to capture the cityscape views. Hiring a bike and cycling along the sea wall in Stanley Park gives you the chance to take in the stunning views and it is definitely a must. Having the chance to take time out of the city life and reconnecting with nature through the rainforest, along the park and by the beach, really makes me envious of the residents of Vancouver. It isn’t often you find a city amidst a beautiful green oasis with a beach beside allowing you to breathe in the sea air. Stanley Park is a must see and definitely one of the highlights of Vancouver.
I can’t go without mentioning the shops as I spent most of my time searching through Victoria’s Secret, Sephora and Nordstrom. (I did some serious damage but excused it as I was on holiday!!!)
I am a massive foodie, and a holiday isn’t really a proper holiday to me, without getting dressed up in the evening and going out to a restaurant to enjoy new food and exchange highlights of the day.
We soon realised that the food was amazing as we discovered more and more places to eat. A few of my faves were… Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House (ask for a table on the outside terrace), LIFT Bar Grill View has incredible food and is right by the water on the harbour with gorgeous views (try to tactically reserve a table just before the sunset), the Cactus Club Café has such a buzzy atmosphere and great food too. The Hawksworth restaurant was outstanding (although slightly more pricey but definitely worth it and something to always remember). The Hawksworth is in the Rosewood Hotel, which is where we stayed and I would highly recommend it to anyone planning on staying in Vancouver as it is honestly stunning. One of Vancouver’s highly sought after clubs (Prohibition) was right in the basement of our hotel so that was very convenient too.
I think that this sums up the first part (yes I have only finished the first part) of the trip and I hope that it has encouraged you to visit Vancouver so that you can fall in love with it too.
Our next destination was Tofino. I hadn’t heard of Tofino before so I didn’t know what to expect. We had to get a ferry to West Vancouver island and then it was about a 3 hour drive to Tofino. We were staying at the Wickaninnish Inn and had planned bear and whale watching on this part of the trip.
I know I won’t be able to do this place anywhere near as much justice as it deserves just through words but I will try anyway. The Wickaninnish Inn sits on Chesterman Beach, on the Pacific Ocean. Each room has a full panoramic ocean or beach view. Tofino gives you a sense of calmness that I’m sure you won’t find anywhere else. Dining in the Pointe restaurant with over 240 degrees of Pacific Ocean viewscape it was hard to concentrate and focus on any conversation.
People go to the Wickaninnish Inn during the winter and one of the attractions is to storm watch. Every room has a pair of binoculars so that you can sit on your balcony and try to spot whales or any other sea life.
I was lucky enough to have a hot stone massage (my fave treatment/massage to have) while I stayed here. I think you can imagine how relaxing it was considering the breathtaking views and the soothing sounds of the waves.
During our stay we went whale and bear watching… and we were fortunate enough to see both!!!
This was definitely an experience of a lifetime which I will never forget!
Now onto the last part of our trip… Banff. And if you’re still here reading this then thank you!
So… we woke up at the crack of dawn to board the famous Rocky Mountaineer. This is a famous train journey which make its way up into the Rockies with a panorama window view whilst you can sit back and recline in your heated comfy seat!
When nearing Banff, we were warned and educated on how to act in the very likely event of coming across a bear.
1. Make lots of noise to scare them
(and if number 1 doesn’t work then try number 2)…
2. Curl up into the foetal position on the floor and hope for the best..
As you could imagine, this was an exciting but terrifying thought. We had seen bears already but from a boat and a very safe distance away. In Banff we did bump into a bear but fortunately we were in a car and could admire it without having to worry about curling up into a ball!
Banff is famous for skiing and is meant to be even more beautiful in the winter. (We really struggled to wrap our heads around how it could possibly be even more beautiful).
After an interesting first night in the Fairmont hotel (a very famous hotel but is also known for being haunted and that’s another story…), we went on a walk into the town along the stunning waterfalls.
Walking into Banff took much longer than expected due to the breathtaking views, so once we got there we stopped off to eat at a cute little Greek restaurant called Balkan. The town was so pretty with lots of different independent shops selling all kinds of interesting bits and pieces. Naturally, we had to stop in the chocolate shop as I couldn’t resist the smell of the caramel popcorn coming through the doors.
On one of the days my mum and I arranged to go horse riding. This wasn’t like any other horse riding lesson. The horses took us up a trail to the edge of Sulphur mountain and through rivers. My horse, Spencer, had different ideas at times and decided to take the alternative route through the rivers!
This was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done and it was definitely one of my highlights from Canada.
After spending so long writing, and going through all of my photos choosing which ones to post, (yes there are even more than this), it is safe to say that I am now suffering from an even worse case of post-holiday blues. There was not a single thing I would have changed about this holiday. The places we stayed were insane, the things we saw were amazing and I got to experience it all with my favourite people. I had to pinch myself at several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming… as some of the views and places honestly didn’t feel real. Every memory from this holiday makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don’t think any other holiday could top this one but it can definitely try its best.
Oh, and if you ever get the chance to visit Canada then say YES and you won’t look back!!!
beautyandthetrail 