North to Alaska: Vancouver

The first entry in a series describing the Alaskan cruise (and land tour to Denali) that I took with friends in August of 2008.

We all decided on Princess Cruises and that we wanted to sail south to north. Princess was great but I don't know whether South to North of vice verse is better. Going the northerly route put us in College Fjords in the evening instead of the early morning. Other than that I'm not sure if it matters and sometimes wished we were going North to South so that the last flight was shorter.

Our cruise sailed from Vancouver, BC and we arrived a day early to do some sightseeing and to make sure we didn't miss our ship. Vancouver has a lot to offer. It is a beautiful city and honestly the people were very nice. In two half days of sightseeing we only scratched the surface.

We arrived around noon, Pacific Time, and started sight seeing by 2:00. The first afternoon a number of us visited Stanley Park. Stanley Park is on a peninsula sticking out into Burrard Inlet and by one account is one of the best urban parks in North America. There is a seawall path that surrounds the park as well as numerous sights to see within. As it turns out a lot of enthusiasm with little knowledge can get you in trouble. We ended up walking the sea wall for a bit longer than we expected because there is one stretch without paths into the inner part. After a cross country flight and a 4 km walk I was pretty tired and did not do much else in Vancouver that day.

Girl in a Wetsuit (with sulfur depot in the background). They originally wanted a copy of the Little Mermaid statue from Denmark but could not get permission. Another artist created the Girl in a Wetsuit instead as a modern variation.

The next day we had until 2 or 3 o'clock to get on board so we checked our luggage at the hotel and went out sightseeing. This time I set out alone wanting to be sure to see the sights at the top of my list. I took the seabus across the inlet to North Vancouver and then another bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge. There for around $30 you get to cross the bridge and walk a kind of "sky walk" in the trees. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

The construction is pretty high tech but it does swing like crazy

I want this tree fort on steroids

I got back to Vancouver in time to go up to the Vancouver Lookout for some panoramic views of the city.

View of the Diamond Princess from the Vancouver Lookout

Click for the rest of the pics:

Vancouver, BC