Vancouver, B.C.

We spent another Thanksgiving in Canada! 

Last year we went to Victoria (post linked here) and this year we visited Vancouver. Evie's first time in Canada😊

To be honest, it wasn't the best trip. We probably shouldn't have gone since we were all sick. Brady and I felt awful the entire time. We were living on coffee and pseudoephedrine. Evie was actually the healthiest out of the three of us after having croup last week.

We cut the trip short by one day. We drove up on Wednesday night and came back Friday night. It's so much better to travel with a baby at night! Evie did great - slept nearly the entire time. 

We visited our favorite brunch spots - Jam Cafe and Twisted Fork. This is what we look forward to most when we visit Vancouver. Is that sad? 

 First things first

 Brunch buddies

 First time in a booster seat

 She's so grown up (she was stalking the ladies next to us)

We lucked out with the weather on Thursday - no rain and even a bit of sunshine! We strolled the downtown area, shopped, walked along the water. Then we went back to the hotel so Evie all three of us could nap😴

 We're in a clapping phase

 Beautiful walk

 Stroll through the marina

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park was celebrating their Winter Lights Festival. Brady and I visited Capilano in the summer of 2015 (post linked here) so we had an idea of what to expect. This was crazy. I couldn't believe how many lights there were - they covered so much ground and reached the tallest trees. It was impressive. Definitely the highlight of the trip!

 Little bear is ready to see some lights

 Picking out Christmas ornaments

 I loved how the lights reflected off the water

 The suspension bridge

 These cuties

 Family photo

 Canopy walk

 They didn't skimp

 My girl

Vancouver, B.C.

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the holiday weekend in Vancouver and had a lot of fun... despite the weather, which was a rain/snow mixture all of Saturday. The weather was better on Sunday - clear skies, but very cold.

We pretty much spent the entire trip eating and walking. This whole trip was the result of our obsession with Jam Cafe and Twisted Fork - we have been talking about these brunch spots since Thanksgiving when we visited Victoria, B.C. and ate at Jam Cafe for the first time. 

We went to Jam Cafe on Saturday morning. The wait was 90 minutes (and you have to stand in line!) which nearly ruined the experience because the weather was so miserable and my feet were numb by the time we sat down to eat. However, the food (and apple cider) will make you forget about the awful wait time. 

Still smiling... the beginning of the wait

Poor choice of footwear

Bloody for Brado

That apple cider 👌

The Vancouver location is just as good as the Victoria location

We share the charlie bowl and cinnamon swirl pancakes

We went back to the hotel after brunch to warm up. I ended up taking a nap. We ventured outside for a bit of shopping. I forgot my rain boots so we stopped by Nordstrom for a new pair before heading to dinner at The Flying Pig. The food was so good and we really loved the atmosphere. The Gastown area is really cool - lots of trendy spots. We bar hopped around the area before heading downtown for the NYE events - concerts, fireworks, food trucks. Vancouver puts on a good show for NYE!

New boots

The Flying Pig in Gastown. Brady telling me to get out of the street. 

Pork chop with poutine and veal risotto were delicious

Gastown aglow

JT

Don't who this guy is, but everyone was impressed 

Mini donuts and hot chocolate at midnight

Concert time

The fireworks were so good!

A bit hazy

Sunday started with brunch at Twisted Fork. A 30-minute wait was much more reasonable (and they'll text you when you're table is ready). The food and french-press coffee were just as good as I remembered. We spent the afternoon walking around the waterfront and Stanley Park before heading home. 

Still one of my favorites

French press

Banana stuffed french toast and Croque Monsieur 

I'll live here 😊

Wintery views

Symmetrical cityscape

The beginning of sea-to-sky

I love BC

Blustery 

Brady always manages to find the woods...

...then take a wee

Be back soon, Vancouver

Victoria, B.C.

We spent Thanksgiving in Canada.

We took the Clipper from Seattle to Victoria on Thursday morning. It was a 3-hour trip and probably the worst possible weather - there was actually a gale warning. Fortunately (and surprisingly), I didn't get sick and slept through most of it. 

We spent our three days in Victoria strolling the downtown area - mainly eating and shopping. We quickly became obsessed with Jam Cafe and ate brunch there three out of our four mornings. We've never done that before. We're usually ones to try a new place for each meal, but Jam Cafe definitely deserved a three-peat.

Architectural appreciation

PNW views

Apparently everyone loves Jam Cafe - there was a line down the block every morning 

The food and decor are equally amazing

Day 1

Bloody mary... I miss alcohol most when on vacation

Day 2

Day 3

The Empress

Bard & Banker - reminded me of my dad

Brasserie L'ecole

The most amazing dates I've every tasted

Moules frites for me, beef tips for Brady

Obligatory beaver tails when in Canada

The Drake Eatery

Pub food

Canoe Brewpub

Sharing dinner

Live band - New Souls was so good!

Beautiful walks every night

Brady dragging me into breweries 

Festive boats

The holiday parade :)

Santa!

We rented a car on Friday to see a little more of Vancouver Island. We took the scenic route to The Butchart Gardens, which was beautiful. The gardens were incredible - a definite must-see.