Tuesday 6 August 2013

Vancouver - July 2013 Recap 1

I have returned from one my best visits to Vancouver that I have ever had! My Dad, 3 older Sisters and my little Brother all reside in and around the Vancouver area so I try to visit them when I can. It's so hard to be so far away from Family! This post will be picture heavy so you can continue on after the jump.

This visit was AWESOME

I left last Saturday and landed in Vancouver around 8PM local time -  I had the luck to sit next to the stinkiest guy on the plane for the better part of 5 hours - UGH! Two of my Sisters and my Niece picked me up at the airport and we headed over to Angela's place for some apps and to relax. My body clock was 3 hours ahead so we kept it chill and I tried to get a good night's sleep because in the morning we were headed to Whistler!

 Six hour layover in the Toronto Airport

 Still waiting......*sigh*

The next morning we picked up some food and got ourselves organized to hop on the Sea to Sky Highway, one of the most picturesque and breathtaking drives in the world.


View from the car on the Sea to Sky Highway

*As a side note, all of my readers know I LOVES to eat! I have three very important meals that I HAVE to have every time I am on the left coast:

1) White Spot burger - Triple O Sauce is the draw
2) Fish & Chips - Halibut is my fav which you can rarely find in Ontario
3) Sushi! - Nuff said

So we crossed the first item off my list my stopping at a White Spot on the way to Whistler in beautiful Squamish, BC.


 The White Spot and the Chief in the background

Angela had organized this whole trip to Whistler including the hotel, the dinner and a terrifying but thrilling Zip Line Tour, provided by Zip Trek Eco Tours - more on that in a minute.

We arrived at the Delta Suites in the afternoon and checked into our suite which was SWEET! We were at the end off the hall so we had front and back balconies, a full kitchen, a living room a bedroom and bathroom and a whole separate other bedroom and bathroom as well. Much needed when you have 4 women in the same hotel room!


 View from the Front Balcony

View from the Back Balcony

Peak to Peak
 Our Suite!



We walked around the village, relaxed and made our own cheese and meat plate with wine and it was truly BLISS!

 The Olympic Rings

 Walking in Whistler Village

My Sisters, Laura Lee (Lolly) and Angela

The next day we were up early to get ready to Zip Trek over Whistler Mountain. I have to admit, I don't love heights so I was a little nervous but excited to be outside my comfort zone. I kept telling myself "This is a once in a lifetime experience, so enjoy it!"

We arrived on the mountain and got geared up.

My Sister Bonni, me and Lolly - We are ready!

This post will be picture heavy so you can see more after the jump!



We did a Test Zip Line down the bottom of the Whistler Ski Hill to get our feet wet; not so bad.


Weeeee! I got this...

Then we piled in a bus and made our way up, Up, UP the mountain, past the Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge track to arrive at the first Zip Trek Eco Tours destination. We trekked up what looked like a huge tree fort to the first zip line post while the guides gave us a brief description of the Flora and Fauna  in the area. It was really cool to learn about the forest's ability to be a self sustaining environment and how nothing goes to waste. We could learn a lot from Mother Nature!



So we had our first "real" zip line over the Fitzsimmon's Creek  that flows along Whistler Mountain. It is situated in this canyon and as you zip line over the creek, you get a thrilling view ZOOMING across this landscape.

There were five lines in total and the last one was a "freestyle line" where the guides showed us how to go upside down. I am telling you, when I saw pictures of people going upside down at the Zip Trek registration center, I was thinking "There's no way in hell I am doing that" but......


 That's my Sister! Zip lining with no fear!

BOOOOYAH! (that's me)

Holy Moses! I still can't believe that I did that! My brother-in-law says that I missed my true calling, if you catch my drift hahaha!

Rock Out!

Zip Trek also believes in not impacting the environment around them in each of their beautiful locations; they promote sustainability and learn to work in harmony with their environment. This was an amazing experience that I will never forget! The staff at the Zip Trek Eco Tours were excellent, professional, fun and they really made the experience what it was, which was incredible! I would do it again in heartbeat!

We capped off the day with lunch at a the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub at the base of the Mountain, located in the Pan Pacific Hotel. I had a fresh Spinach and Pear Salad topped with mustard vinaigrette, candied pecans and shrimp. It was fabulous but sorry, no picture :(

We then walked around, in and out of stores (Whistler ain't cheap!) and then returned to the hotel room to shower and change for dinner.

Dinner was at Umberto Trattoria, a Tuscan fine dinning restaurant tucked away in Whistler Village. We started with one of my all time favorites, Beef Carpaccio!


Then on to the main course which was Lobster Gnocchi, just about as melt in your mouth as you can get!



And dessert, we earned it!

Lemon Tarte and Creme Brule



Coupled with a beautifully rich Merlot - Cab Sauv blend, this was a meal to remember! The perfect ending to a truly memorable day.


Thank you for reading! More of my adventures in Vancouver will be on an upcoming post this week, stay tuned!

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