Alaska and the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver

Dan and I had an incredible two-week adventure traveling to Vancouver, Alaska, and the Olympic National Park. The first and last parts of the trip were just us, but we got to spend the middle section with my parents, sister, and cousin! I can't wait to tell you all about it. Here are the first few days in Vancouver:

Day 1:

We got an early start in the Capital One Lounge (my happy place) before our flight to Vancouver. How fun is this Bees Knees?

The Vancouver airport is stunning! So many cool water features and sculptures. We took the train downtown to our hotel (shoutout The Victorian!) and walked around the city, ending at Granville Island.

We ate a million samples at the Granville Market (pickles, pastries, alcoholic boba pearls) and settled on a fantastic soup from Chow Atchau. I wasn't feeling great, so I took the aquaboat back while Dan stayed and explored Granville Island.

I rallied for a quick ramen dinner and some of the best drinks I've ever had. I highly recommend the Radio Saigon at Prophecy Bar, listed as one of the top 50 bars in North America!

Day 2:

Today was a big day--we completed the Grouse Grind, which is a 2 mile hike straight up Grouse Mountain! But first, breakfast at Cafe Medina (delicious!). 

I was intimidated by this climb based on my research. The official signs didn't make me feel better. It was clear this was a hike for serious climbers. And while it was challenging, Dan and I were prepared for the challenge, finishing in 90 minutes and feeling great! 

It was cold and rainy at the top of the mountain, but we still made the most of it by watching the Lumberjack Show and meeting the rescue Grizzly bears (adorable and adorable). 

After taking the cable car down the mountain, we caught the bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It was a little pricy but so worth it! The bridge itself is so fun (almost 500 feet long and 230 feet in the air), but I was surprised how great the rest of the park is. 

We walked the tree tops, took a nature tour, met a banana slug, and saw a bald eagle. We capped the day off with a gorgeous and tasty dinner at Botanical. 

Day 3: 

Today we biked 17 miles through the city. We rented bikes from Spokes (highly recommend!) and went through Stanley Park along the Sea Wall. We saw the Totem poles, the light house, beautiful lakes, and gorgeous scenery. We continued past the park around Granville island, past the science museum, and back over the bridge. The path is paved the whole way with dedicated bike lanes. I loved it! 

We grabbed some veggie soup dumplings for a post workout snack before heading back to the hotel to clean up. We had a terrific dinner at Folke, an upscale vegan restaurant. We did the 5 course chef tasting, which came with a few extra snacks and a dessert course. My favorite was the potato rosti bite with scape aioli. Dan loved the flowering cauliflower with congee. 

We wrapped up our time in Van City with drinks at Keefer Bar. I loved the weird medical vibes of this place. Drinks were called prescriptions and had funky components. Not nearly as good as Prophecy, but lots of fun.

The next morning, we took a bus from Vancouver to Seattle to meet up with the rest of the family!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I just got back from an incredible trip with Zahara. She turns 11 this summer, and as a huge Harry Potter fan, I knew the perfect gift for her would be a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks in Orlando! It was even better than I expected!

We spent four days and three nights at Universal's Endless Summer Resort--Surfside Inn and Suites. The hotel worked out perfectly. Staying onsite at one of the more budget friendly hotels was terrific. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the staff was friendly, and the shuttles to/from the parks were frequent and convenient. We also loved cooling off in the pool after a long day at the parks.

Earlier this spring I enlisted my amazing sister-in-law Amy to help with the surprise for Z. Amy designed a letter from Professor McGonagall welcoming Zahara to Hogwarts. We printed a bunch of copies and put them around the fireplace.

It's hard to tell who was more excited--me or Zahara. We both were giddy with anticipation for our trip. We bought Harry Potter shirts and borrowed an interactive wand from a friend. We read blogs and books on how to best approach our time there. After all that research, I decided the best approach would be to go with the flow. I wasn't anticipating riding most of the rides and had no must-see attractions, other than the parks themselves. That attitude served us very well during our trip. It was one of the least stressful trips I've been on.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Universal Studios Florida

Diagon Alley is incredible. I honestly felt like I was in the books. The level of detail on every store front and display was awesome. Feeling the dragon breathe fire was a real experience! The Tale of Beedle the Bard was worth the stop. We did the Ollivander experience and there were only four of us in the room. Zahara and I both got selected by the wandmaker. Such fun! We didn't purchase the wands, but it was well worth the time.

We purchased a park-to-park ticket and I 100% recommend that! The Hogwarts Express alone is worth it. It's just a fun ride and is different in each direction. But more than that, we loved the freedom of being able to hop around and explore at our own pace. If lines were long in one park, we could just hop over to the other one.

The best thing in Harry Potter World was the frozen butterbeer. I can't describe how delicious and refreshing this drink is! We shared one a day and it was a highlight of the trip.

Seuss Landing was whimsical and more fun than I expected. We spent most of our time in the Harry Potter world, but we did explore the other parts of the parts too. The Cat in the Hat ride was adorable and the If I Ran a Zoo was fun. 

Minion Villain-Con ride was fine, but the line leading up to it was so clever. The posters, booths, and advertisements for bad guys was adorable. 

We did the Men in Black ride on the last day. I had fun shooting the aliens. Again, the line leading up to the ride was filled with fun scenes. I liked the breakroom and the supervisor's office.

The Bourne Stuntacular show was amazing. The effects were incredible. You don't need to have seen the movies to appreciate the show, but if you're a fan there are so many fun pop-outs. Warning for sensitive folks, Z hated the show because there were too many flashing lights, loud sounds, and 4D surprises. 

There's so much more to cover about our trip, but this is getting long enough. I'll report more in a second post. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible trip and I am eternally grateful for the one-on-one time with my favorite daughter :)

Food and Wine in Franschhoek

After an incredible stay in Hermanus we made our way 1.5 hours west to Franschhoek, an area known for their food and wine. But first, on the way, we stopped at Creation Wines for incredible views and delicious cheese. 

We got so lucky and even had a spontaneous tour of the winery from one of the vintners! It was really neat hearing about how they create, store, and distribute their wines.

We stayed on a working vineyard called Auberge Clermont. Though the grapes were dormant for the season, I loved walking around the property and taking in the views. 

The town was founded by French religious refugees in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Huguenot legacy continues through the French culture in the town, including the vineyards and delicious French-inspired food. La Petite Colombe is one of the top restaurants in Africa for good reason. Our thirteen course meal was full of whimsy, artistry, and delicious flavors! Look at the presentation of the snacks served to us while we waited for our table! 

This course was delicious. It was a freshly cooked bread with a smoked fish spread meant to look like caviar. So playful and tasty!

Every plate was just as meticulous as the last. And to top it all off at the end of the night they brought around a sweets trolly reminiscent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

 

The next day we devoted to wine tasting. We went to four different vineyards, all with very different looks and price points. You can take the wine trolly or hire a driver to go around the vineyards, but we found it relaxing just taking our time and moving on our own. 

Next up...Safari!

Read more about our trip:

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

Touching Down in Cape Town

Lion's Head Mountain and Cape Town

Whale Watching in Hermanus

Whale Watching in Hermanus

Though I was sad to leave Cape Town I was excited that the next leg of our trip was Hermanus, one of the top whale watching spots in the region. The drive up was gorgeous, and it was fun to stop and see some more penguins at Betty's Bay.

Betty's Bay on the way to Hermanus

Once in Hermanus, we started walking the Cliff Path along the harbor. We walked for hours, stopping to admire the views, and eventually making our way back to town for a delicious fish dinner.

The real highlight of Hermanus is the whale watching. We went on a tour (thanks to my generous in-laws!) through Southern Right Charters. I had no idea what to expect, but this 2 hour tour far exceeded my expectations! I couldn't believe how close we got to a pod of whales. We spent the majority of the time watching 4 whales (3 male, 1 female) play. There were at two other whales below the surface we saw occasionally. 

I brought binoculars for us assuming that if we even saw whales it would be in the distance. I had no idea these amazing creatures would literally be up against our boat. We could hear them calling to each other. We felt the spray from their blowholes. It was so special.

We ended our night at our gorgeous B&B right on the water. These sunsets are dreamy!

What an incredible couple of days. Next stop, Franschhoek for wine tastings!

Read more about our trip:

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

Touching Down in Cape Town

Lion's Head Mountain and Cape Town