Vancouver Visit with Mark and Claire

During our Vancouver visit, our days were so full that I did not even attempt to blog; on our return, we needed a couple of days to take care of things that had piled up in our absence and to begin preparations for Christmas.  Today I'll share "the rest of the story". Fair warning,  I will probably be wordy, as I am wont to do, and there will be lots of photos, but full photo collection will only appear on a Picasa album to follow later.

Our first two nights in Vancouver were spent at the FairmontPacific Rim Hotel , courtesy of Mark.  The room Mark had reserved for us there was extraordinary, with a beautiful view over the harbor, and he had also arranged to have this “light snack” waiting for us when we arrived in the room  – both lovely and delicious!  Just about everything on the plate was made by the restaurants at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, where they make their own food from scratch (including the meats on this platter) like some high-end restaurants might, but unlike most hotel restaurants do.

This change to "from scratch" preparation that Mark and his Executive Chef instituted a year ago is unique among hotel restaurants, and is making a significant impact on how hotel food is perceived here, making theirs truly destination restaurants for the discerning public not just for hotel guests.  The photos I took of our room at the hotel don't do it justice, nor do those of the view overlooking the harbor and Canada Place on the lower right in the photo below (on the lower left is the green-roof of the convention center).

We spent the first two days exploring Vancouver and eating wonderful meals, mostly incredibly fresh and well-prepared seafood, which is difficult - if not impossible - to come by in Richland/Kalamazoo, MI.

Our first evening in the city, Mark and Claire took us to a sushi restaurant where they often meet up with each other and with friends after work.  The next day, we walked around Gastown a bit, past the famous steam clock and had lunch at the aptly named "Meat and Bread" restaurant where I had the best pork sandwich I have ever eaten and John had an outstanding beef sandwich).  Later that afternoon we attended the Cirque du Soleil show "Amaluna". Having never seen one of these performances before, we found it breathtaking, tho' Mark and Claire have seen others that they said were even more spectacular.  

Before the performance began.

Following the performance, Mark had arranged for us to eat at the Lobby Lounge and Terrace at the Pacific Rim, where - following cocktails - we had the freshest, sweetest, most varied, lovely, and massive sushi platter that I have ever seen or tasted.  (Forgive the superlatives - there is just no other way to describe this experience.)  As though that was not enough, the sushi meal was followed by a beautiful tray of varied deserts - my sweet tooth was in heaven! Unfortunately, I was too busy savoring the meal to take photos of the food, although John did get a couple of the sushi, and a lovely hostess took a photo of the four of us enjoying our time together.

In the afterglow of having decimated the sushi platter!

The following day we traveled to Vancouver Island by ferry.  We were fortunate during our visit that although this particular time of year can be extremely wet and blustery in Vancouver, our days were reasonably mild (cool, not freezing), if overcast and slightly damp. Although you won't see much sunshine in the photos from this trip, we never had to resort to the full rain-suits and umbrellas we had brought with us. At 290x50 miles (460x80 kilometers), the island is the largest Pacific island east of New Zealand, with much to see and do.  Since we only had three days available to spend here this trip, and on two of those we would spend 1/2 a day just traveling to and from the island, we limited our experience to the towns and surrounds of Tofino and Ucluelet.  As before - we feasted on seafood in much simpler, homier restaurants than in the city, and prepared simple breakfasts and snacks in the condo that we rented. I don't really have the words to express the beauty of this area, the massive old-growth forests with lush growth of ferns and moss,  the rocky coast, sounds of sea pounding on rocks and cliffs, so here are some photos that say more than I am able to.

Condo with hot-tub on porch, where we listened to wolf serenades in the evenings.

Now THAT'S a tree!

Lighthouse...and is that sunshine?...

The wind was THIS strong....

The rugged beauty of this area is remarkable and addicting - we will definitely be back for a more extended time in the future.

It was a gift to be able to spend these three days with Mark in unhurried communion with nature and relaxation.

Two more memorable meals our last days in Vancouver were at Chewies Oyster Bar, and Coast, one of the restaurants that Claire manages.  

While this blog entry may sound more like a restaurant reporting than a vacation description, the best aspect of this trip was the time we were able to spend with Mark and Claire.  Since both John and Mark live at such distances from us, our time with them is precious and much appreciated.  Of particular importance to us was the introduction to Mark's world - the culinary world - about which we know so little, and want to learn so much. We reveled in this time together, being introduced to his world, his daily experience, and look forward to return trips which enable us to delve deeper and experience more.