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12th July

After another great sleep we awoke to yet more rain so after breakfast packed up and headed back into the National Park and did another the Schooner Bay walk. Although it was only 1km each way, there were a lot of steps - 323 each way, some up, some down. The beach was lovely and the tide was out so we were able to walk out to a pretty little island, where we spent a little time exploring. This was a very 'Enid Blyton' sort of beach with lots of rocks, pools and islands. Great fun but still raining hard. Then we drove on to Wickanninish Beach and looked around the interpretive centre. We had planned on taking another walk but the rain had got plain silly and we didn't fancy driving to our next destination in soaking wet clothes, so we reluctantly left this beautiful area. 

Our next destination was Parksville on the east coast of the island. The drive was very scenic and we were lucky enough to see a bear at the side of the road. We stopped in Port Alberni for a drink in a little café/bike shop. Once past there, the weather brightened and by the time we reached Parksville, it was beautifully sunny. We stayed in a log cabin at the Tigh-na-mara resort (I've always wanted to stay in one, near a lake or the sea) and this was perfect, overlooking the sea. The cabin was huge with a full kitchen, dining area, L shaped sofa, jacuzzi bath in the main room and a separate shower room. And wood everywhere. The resort has a lovely spa (but expensive) and excellent restaurant, but we decided to take advantage of the kitchen and went shopping for supplies. A week of superb restaurant meals was taking its toll on our wallet as well as our waists! So we bought food for 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners along with champagne, wine and raspberry wheat beer, the food being ridiculously cheap but great quality. The cabin was so comfortable, it was very relaxing to stay home that evening. 

13th July

A lovely sunny morning so we decided against spending any time indoors in the pool or spa so we went for a long walk along the beach and were rewarded with the sight of a bald eagle. The beach is vast and very safe. The tide goes out for miles and the beach was popular with families building sandcastles and moats, but there was masses of room for everyone. There are a number of resorts along the beach but ours looked the nicest, with the wood blending in with the trees very discreetly.

View from our cabin - north

View from our cabin - south

The beach

Natural beach art

Sunrise from our cabin on 14th July

We had a light lunch back at the cabin and then a look at the well-stocked shop before a walk along the beach in the other direction. The tide was still way out but there were lots of little pools full of seaweed and tiny crabs. We dined at 'home' again - and very well too. 

14th July

We were up early and I saw the sunrise which was beautiful and we were away soon after 8am. We drove into Nanaimo and dropped off the car at National and were given a lift down to the ferry terminal. We had messed up a bit on the ferry tickets, but to cut a long story short, there are several routes between the island and Vancouver and it depends on where you are staying as to which is the most convenient. Our best route was Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay in Northern Vancouver, but that seems to be less well-known - but very cheap (Can$10 each) so it's not a disaster if you need to change routes. Our crossing was calm and uneventful and very comfortable and we found a taxi right away at the other end. 

Our hotel for 3 nights in Vancouver was the Pacific Palisades and we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite, which was a first for me. It is a very modern hotel with lots of modern art adorning the walls and even has its own gallery. It was a bit noisy, but that's inevitable in such a busy part of the city. After unpacking we walked to Canada Place overlooking the water and then on to do a little shopping. The city is huge and very attractive. We were back in time for the free glass of wine in the gallery before dinner. That night we ate in the hotel's restaurant, Zin and it was absolutely superb. Very imaginative cuisine and delicious. 

15th July

We breakfasted in Zin - I've never seen breakfasts like these, amazing. It was a bit rainy so we set off for Stanley Park and the Aquarium, which is within the park. It was very busy but a wonderful place. We watched beluga whales and sea otters as well as thousands of fish and other sea creatures, spending 3 hours there. Then we walked to the seawall and followed the walk - all 6 miles of it. The park is on a peninsula with coast all around, including beaches. The weather was much more comfortable for walking, with the odd spot of rain. We didn't have time to explore the interior of the park - another time perhaps. 

	Stanley Park seawall walk	'girl in a wetsuit'	Lunch

We'd enjoyed our dinner so much last night that we ate in Zin again. You can dine really early in Canada and the US which is good if you skip lunch, which we usually do after hotel breakfasts, so we had eaten and were back in our suite by 7.30pm!