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I expanded my list of countries visited to include Canada yesterday! The Whites are in town from Texas, and we decided to take a day trip up to Vancouver. It was fun to drive according to kph and see things written in French! We started off at Granville market- so much to see, so many beautiful foods.

We left Seattle around 7:30am, so by the time we got to the market around 11, we were sufficiently hungry. Kelsey and I split a piece of Italian focaccia and Thomas had a multigrain mini baguette while we explored and admired the pastries, fruits, pastas, and cheeses. There were some bagels that looked absolutely delicious, I wish I would have bought some to bring back to Seattle to enjoy for the next few days. We walked around the outside of the market as well, and ended up kind of behind a yacht repair shop.

Next stop: lunch. Parking is basically almost impossible around the city and the signs are hard to decode, but we snagged a roadside spot and set off to find an Indian food restaurant that was recommended, only to find it closed. So we started walking along one of the main streets to one called Vij’s. We sat outside in the heated enclosed area, where they provide blankets on the back of your chair! We used them, it was chilly. The food was tasty, we shared a red bell/portabella mushroom curry dish and a lamb with coconut something or other dish. Both came with naan, and we ate every bite. (except maybe one or two of the beet salad….it wasn’t our favorite.) We were tempted to get some authentic Indian chai, but knew about a legit Italian bakery that supposedly had the best pastries around, so set off to find it instead. The neighborhood was beautiful, lots of colorful houses, almost colonial style, with steps that lead up to a porch and the front door, and plenty of autumn leaves.

It was a nice walk, though by the time we were back at the car, our toes were thoroughly frozen. On to the bakery, where parking was an issue again. We got lucky and found a garage for only $6, so we parked there and stayed for a while, then walked to the bakery where we each got a cappuccino. I tried the biscotti (what a treat!) and Kelsey and Thomas split a chocolate croissant. We sat and warmed up for a while, intending to head out to Stanley park, but were thwarted by the rain instead. So we walked the few blocks to the Vancouver Public Library, which was an architectural delight and quite fun to explore.

We perused the English fiction, the teen hits section, and then went all the way to the top to see rare books and photographs. Kelsey pulled out an old microfilm and we read the Canadian paper for December 8^th, 1941.

By that point, it was 5pm and pitch dark, so we headed off to find some dinner. More trekking through the rain, this time to Chinatown. We wanted to find some good, dirt cheap no-joking Chinese, and we did. For $8 we all three spit some fried rice, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken, and broccoli chicken.

It was tasty and authentic. We almost got some classic Canadian poutine as well, but (a) were full and (b) decided to get out of Chinatown pretty quick, as it started looking kind of sketchy.

After the walk back to the parking garage we were cold again, so we went to Café Artisaino, where we all three shared a chai to warm up.

We drove through Stanley park, though it would have been nice to see in the daytime. We got some sweet views of the Vancouver city lights from the overlook, and caught a raccoon trying to break into a trashcan for some dinner.

The drive home was rainy, the kind that is already back on the windshield the second our wipers wipe it off, and full of good conversation. All in all, it was quite the adventure of a day. Multicultural, good food, and lots of walking.

Just the way I like it.