Vancouver BC

Days 8, 9 and 10 Vancouver British Columbia
The disembarkation from the Nieuw Amsterdam was like clockwork. I think within an hour of our colour and number being called we were off the ship, through Canadian Customs, met by the Rocky Mountaineer staff and in a cab to our hotel. In fact we were at the Holiday Inn by 10.00am, too early to check in, so it was stow the bags and off to see the highlights. We took a trip to the top of  Vancouver Lookout about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. After a 14 second elevator ride we were high atop the city looking out on a 360 degree view across the harbour, False Creek, the outer suburbs and the mountains beyond.
Next Day (Sunday) we had a tour of the Capilano swing bridge and Grouse Mountain. Both excellent tours that tested my vertigo. The Capilano swing bridge is as the name suggests, a swing bridge over a chasm to a river 75 metres below. Once across the bridge there are tree top walks and boardwalks all through the temperate forest. Huge Western Red Cedar trees and Douglas Fir abound. At Grouse Mountain you have to catch a Gondola to the top where all the action is. Grizzly Bears, Raptor birds and a lumberjack show are the highlights. The weather was perfect, so the whole of Vancouver was there. Huge lines for everything. We got back to the hotel at 5.00 pm where Matt and Chris were waiting for us. Great to catch up with these folks. We just picked up where we left off two years ago. Marvellous.
Monday saw us take a Hop On Hop Off bus around the city,  We covered Stanley Park, Granville Island and Canada Place. Stanley Park is a magnificent parkland which still has virgin bush right on the edge of the city. We stopped at the First Nations park and took in the Totem Poles donated to the park by the local First Nation people.
Granville island is accessed by cute little blue ferries. The island is home to a local market with a wide range of fresh food and handicrafts. Very nice fruit and berries, cakes and tarts. We had Bratwurst for lunch.
Finally Canada Place, home to the Flight over Canada ride, a 15 minutes experience where you sit in a simulated helicopter and fly over the Canadian landscape, through clouds, over mountain peaks, across cities and prairies and finally across the tundra to see the northern lights. A brilliant experience. You get misted with spray as you go through clouds and snow, you smell the prairies as you Cross wheat being harvested. Very well done indeed.

Tomorrow is the Rocky Mountaineer.