Travel Tuesday - Whistler Weekend and Spa Scandinave

This year we Vancity Girlfriends decided to have the Girl's Weekend Getaway in Whistler, BC.  Our hotel of choice was Pinnacle Hotel in Whistler because it had a kitchenette with a stove, fridge, microwave, and dishwater for our bottles of wine and tapas dinner.  Having a kitchen is a fabulous way to save money and cook at home.  

Pinnacle Hotel also has a jacuzzi tub which we did not use (except for storage) but if you wanted to return for a romantic weekend away, it is all ready for you.  It was the perfect affordable Whistler home for a girl's getaway.  We arrived on Friday night and tried to open a bottle of wine which was corked and were not successful even after efforts of attempting a YouTube experiment with a shoe and wall.  Perhaps we were not British enough to pull off that YouTube trick of opening a bottle of wine without a working corkscrew.  Alas, luckily we brought several bottles of wine and gave up.  We started with an easy individual sparkling wine bottles instead.  

The next day we slept in, had breakfast, and walked around the village before we got ready to take a taxi to the Spa Scandinave.  This is a real time saver and super cheap because from our hotel to the spa it is only ten minutes.  We could relax and treated ourselves.  Spa Scandinave is amazing.  There are hot pools, cold pools, saunas, relaxation areas and then you do it all again.  We went in the afternoon and it was really hot so definitely remember to hydrate and drink lots of water.  Once you enter the spa there is no re-entry so be ready to take it easy and relax.  Spa Scandinave is a silent spa so there is no talking allowed.  Since I'm an introvert this was my dream place.  I would definitely return but go back on a  summer evening when it is not so hot.  




Upon returning to the hotel after hours of afternoon relaxation, we put together our own tapas plate of crackers, cheese, grapes, prosciutto, and pepperoni.  This paired well with a bottle of white Greek wine.  

I love these Girlfriend Getaways that we do every year.  Whistler is a beautiful resort and I love it more and more every time I go.  

Vancouver Event: Gingerbread Lane at the Hyatt Hotel

Even though Christmas Day is over, you can still enjoy the festivities and the holiday spirit with different attractions in Vancouver.  

Gingerbread Lane at the Hyatt Regency Hotel conveniently located beside the Burrard Skytrain Station downtown Vancouver is open today and tomorrow for everyone to enjoy the gingerbread houses displays.  Secondary schools and culinary schools compete for first, second and third prizes in the friendly gingerbread competition.

The large display this year is a replica of Gastown and the Steamclock.  If you want to take a break from the hectic malls and shopping on Boxing Day, then step inside Gingerbread Lane for a little bit of Christmas to help you relax on a bustling day.  Hard to believe that these culinary creations are edible.  Enjoy!

Vancouver Event: Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just wanted to share a place that I went to on Christmas Eve.  I had family in town from overseas and they had heard about Capilano Suspension Bridge so we decided to take the free shuttle that leaves from Canada Place downtown Vancouver (close to Waterfront Skytrain Station) to the tourist attraction.

We decided to take the 3pm Capilano Shuttle so we could see their special holiday Canyon Lights during the day as the sun is setting and at night.  We were very lucky that we decided not to get a coffee and instead went to stand in line for the shuttle a bit early.  Good thing we did because they only had only 30 spaces as there were three other stops that had passengers waiting.  We were one of the last ones on the bus.  

When we arrived it was still light out and we decided to get our coffee first and warm ourselves up before we went across the Capilano suspension bridge.  It was nice to have a warm drink by the heat lamp before our winter adventure began.  

We walked across the Capilano Suspension Bridge along with lots of other tourists and visitors.  I never knew that this was one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vancouver.  In the summer, they have buses leaving Canada Place every 10 minutes.  Now I have to admit that I am afraid of heights and going there was facing my fears straight on.  I'm glad I did.  The scenery is breathtaking and beautiful.  During the walk, I held on tight and took one step at a time, probably with the look of fear on my face, but I did get better with practice.  I think that there were so many tourists, some young, some old, and none were scared of crossing that bridge gave me courage.  

Once on the other side we did the Treetops Adventure which is walking along the bridges among the trees.  I did much better at this since they were shorter distances and as it got dark we could only see the lights of the bridge instead of what what down below.  Then we continues our trek on ground as they had Christmas tree lights along all the walking trails.  

Cliffwalk Adventure

Then we went across the other side to do the Cliffwalk Adventure which are bridges against the cliff of the mountain walking up to the top.  All of the bridges were lit with Christmas lights.  More festive lights were on the trees as we walked back down to the gift shop.  

They did have quite a lot to do and see and the walking around alone took us two hours easily.  So it was worth the $37.95 per adult as the entrance fee.  Since I was a BC Resident I received an annual pass at guest services so I can return anytime to the attraction.  With a free shuttle I may bring other friends or visitors who come to Vancouver.  

Canyon Lights is still lit up until January 3rd, 2016 so if you still have time to check it out:  https://www.capbridge.com/visit/

Vancouver Event: Bright Nights at Stanley Park

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

In October Vancity Girlfriend Carolyn was asking me to pin down a date for Bright Night Christmas Train at Stanley Park.  (Or maybe it was her son Toby ;)

Of course I agreed as I haven't been on the Christmas train in years.  I find it difficult to go to these family friendly events without a kid.  Sometimes I borrow a niece so it's nice to be invited to experience excitement through childhood eyes.  Secretly I am a child at heart and love these events.  

Bright Nights Christmas Train is taking a short train ride through a Christmas lights wonderland (I can't say winter wonderland because there is no snow).  A portion of the proceeds for this event goes to the BC Firefighter burn fund to help burn survivors and their families.  

When you first arrive you can see all of the Stanley Park trees covered in Christmas Lights which is quite a beautiful sight.  Then you can walk to the barn which is essentially Santa's workshop where kids and adults alike can talk to Santa and get their picture with Santa for $10 cash.  Luckily the mom had it all planned.

Now getting on the train these days is completely different from what I remembered years ago.  The last time I went on the Christmas train on a blustery day, we just bought our tickets on sight and then stood in line.  The experience now is waiting in line for 1/2 hour so you can be first in your time slot before you can get on the train.  It helps if there are fewer people in your party because they will ask and you can get ahead sometimes.  That's what happened with us and we had 4.  Before that they were asking for 2 to get on an earlier train.  

Bright Nights is a beautiful sight and I loved all of the Christmas Lights.  I guess I don't have the patience of a parent and didn't like waiting in the light rain for an hour even though I appreciated the festive scenery.  Also since it was the last weekend before Christmas, the place was packed and crowded to the brim.  If you choose a time earlier in the season, it may be less packed but that is hard to say.  I'd definitely want to go after sunset to see the bright nights.  Kids love it!  

Travel Tuesday - Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui Avenue of Stars

The last time when I went to Hong Kong which was in February 2015, I visited Tsim Sha Tsui and was surprised at how much it had changed during the past six years.    

Firstly there was a new attraction called the Avenue of the Stars where you can take pictures with statues of famous movie stars including Bruce Lee.  There are also over 70 tablets of the stars with their hand prints.  Growing up in Canada,  I don't actively follow Hong Kong movie stars but my Mom does and walking the Avenue of the Stars is like going to Hollywood.  I could tell someone was popular by the number of people who crowded around a "star" to take pictures with the tablet.  Tsim Sha Tsui Avenue of the Stars was packed with tourists, my guess from the fact that they were speaking Mandarin, is that many were from China and I had never seen it so busy.  It might have also been the time of year that I visited because it was Chinese New Year. 

Tsim Sha Tsui promenade is quite beautiful and a great attraction in itself to take photos of the scenery and boats that pass by the river.  Hope you get the chance to visit Hong Kong one day to see for yourself!

Travel Tuesday: Bow River Walkway in Calgary, Alberta

Last week I went on a road trip and the final destination was Calgary, Alberta.  I don't remember the last time I was in Calgary downtown but I had one full work day (7 hours) to explore the city on a sunny day.  That's when I discovered the beautiful spots where I could practice my photography along the Bow River walkway downtown Calgary.  

They have two pathways one for pedestrians and one for bicycles but you have to beware since the bicycles can get on the wrong path.  In April it was the changing of the seasons and you can see the river still had patches of snow amongst the running water.  The willow trees were beautiful and centre bridge was a nice focal point for my photography.  

As a beginner photographer I was told to just practice, practice, practice.  That's exactly what I did along my walk on the Bow River walkway in Calgary, Alberta.  It's scenic and I had fun exploring the beauty of the trees, bridge, and river.  What I love about nature is that it stands still while you try to figure out the composition.  

Bow River, Calgary AB

Centre Bridge, Calgary AB

Trees along Bow River Walkway, Calgary AB

View along Bow River, Calgary AB

Bow River Walkway, Calgary AB

Memorial Plaque Close Up, Calgary AB

Trip Advisor members also give the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta a high rating as an attraction to see when you visit.  It has 4.5 stars with 114 reviews at the time this post was written.  

Trip Advisor Bow River Attraction, Calgary AB