Saturday 20 May, 2023. Melbourne to Vancouver

A big thank you to Sally and Joe for getting me to the airport in comfortable time. Both flights went smoothly and I was very relieved when my case appeared at Vancouver Airport, as for weeks  I’d been imagining it going off somewhere else, never to be found.

My “chauffeur” was waiting for me, holding a sign with my name on it. What luxury to be driven the half hour to the hotel by a very pleasant young man who was happy to answer questions. He is a Somali immigrant and had me laughing about how he spent his first few years in Alberta, freezing through 6 months of winter. He said his body was shivering with cold the whole time so he moved to Vancouver.

My hotel is a block or so from the water and I am in “a room with a view” - between two tall buildings. The travel agent had booked me into a Harbourside restaurant, the Cactus Club, for a four course dinner, so three hours after landing, there I was, nobly working my way through a  delicious meal. My lovely waitress allowed plenty of recovery time between courses. 

I asked her about a strange mountain that looks like cat’s ears poking up from behind another mountain. She said it’s called the Lion and is popular with walkers.

I couldn’t resist trying the cocktail pictured on the drinks menu, a Frozen Cosmo. Very good and very dangerous but I restrained myself and only had one, as well as a complimentary glass of bubbly. My excuse is that they will help me sleep tonight and also I wanted to make Karyn proud of me. There is something about Canada and cocktails!

Only a five minute walk back to the hotel, where I am sitting up in bed and looking forward to some shut-eye. A fine start to my big holiday.