Vancouver, BC

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We have arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. We’re excited to finally be here at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, which is just a short distance from the Canada Place Pier. It is a beautiful, classic hotel from a bygone era. Wide hallways, chandeliers, high ceilings, antique lamps, embossed carpeting and enameled steel bathtubs. Breakfast at Griffin’s was a wonderful experience.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that we are without luggage? All of the plane and schedule changes resulted in our luggage staying in Seattle overnight. Our luggage finally arrived at the Vancouver Airport at 10:30 am. I agreed with the airline representative’s recommendation to have it sent directly to the Volendam Cruise ship – I won’t get my luggage until well after 2:00 pm, but l’m good with that because I know where it is! This is the first time I’ve been without my luggage at the beginning of a trip. It is good to be flexible and adaptable, or uncontrollable events could quickly sidetrack your vacation.
We’re on the Holland America Line Volendam Cruise ship now. We’re hanging out, having just finished a lunch of roasted salmon, cream spinach, almond rice, pineapple, cantaloupe and New York cheesecake. We’re looking out into the bay watching air taxis take off and land. It’s raining today in Vancouver and a wall of fog has just blocked our view of the surrounding mountains.