Day 21: Last day of our adventure!

What3words: hopeless.bounty.hammer

Our last day today - where have the last 3 weeks gone? It only seems like 5 minutes ago I was writing the blog for day 1. Thank goodness I wrote them though or we would have forgotten some of our adventures already. We have had many more than I have included in the blogs - if I put them all in I would not have had anything to talk about when we got home.

I have only taken 6,000+ photos - the joy of having a sport mode setting on the camera that takes rapid shots - you'd think that in so many I would find one of myself that I liked - think again :)

So, our last day and we tried for culture.

We started off at Emily's happy place - a library. The Vancouver Public Library. What3words: cage.evolves.pipes) We both love being in a library - the smell of books and the typically old architecture is always worth a look - sadly this one is simply a glass box of books, built inside a beautiful curved exterior, so it did not keep our interest for long.

We did grab a coffee and a cinamon bun to share in a little Blendz cafe outside. It is a Vancouver firm that sells much nicer coffee than Starbucks. You can see the actual library, it is on the inside of the glass wall.

Next we made our way to the Vancouver Art Gallery (What3words: special.grant.filed)

I am a bit conflicted about it really - firstly because admission was so expensive, $61 for two of us, and I truly believe that art should be available to all, not just those who can afford it - but maybe I am biased because we have free entry to museums and galleries in the UK.

Secondly it felt even more wrong because it housed a collection called 'Uninvited: Canadian women artists in the modern movement'.

Some of the exhibits I just did not like, they tended to be from the 1920/30s, oil paintings that were just a little too drab in colour and representative rather than realistic, but there were examples of native beadwork that were just breathtaking in their intricacy.

I think this one was my favourite painting,

It is by an artist who came over here as a missionary's wife and in preparation she trained in basic medicine and dentistry so that by the time she got here she could be useful to the native people - both as a midwife and a dentist - but her husband used to leave her little notes all around their house that said 'first and foremost, you are an artist' - I just loved the support that those little touches must have given her.

We had a very late lunch in a streetside cafe; Cafe Artigiano (what3words: stow.provide.richly) and then had a wander through the streets in the general direction of our hotel, stopping in at a bar that was doing a happy hour on cocktails.... it would be rude not to!

As it is our last night, we opted for a fancy dinner at The Cactus Club (what3words: upset.jump.success) which was delicious!

We had a wander around the streets on our way back, it is a beautiful night, still really warm and we just soaked up the atmosphere. It is fairly quiet, but it is a Monday night after all.

It has been an absolutely fabulous trip - and I have learned some stuff:

1. There is no way that I can get into a Toyota Camry without banging my head (such a sloping roof!)

2. There is also no way I can close the door of a Camry without almost getting back out of the car to reach the handle

3. The risk of fire in Canada can go from the lowest to highest risk in one day (they have signs at the side of the highway to advise you of the risk)

4. Sometimes you just need to stop and listen to the silence

5. You only regret the things you didn't do, so I am glad we said yes to everything (except renting an extortionate canoe on Lake Louise!)

6. I am a rubbish passenger, but Emily is an excellent driver.

7. My daughter is very like me - but not so much so that we could not survive a 3 week adventure together (and enjoy it!)

8. Even though you co-create a spotify playlist, in advance, the person in the navigator's seat has control and can skip songs at will - I have not heard many of my choices.....

Emily has learned some stuff too:

1. She is not actually terrified of bears, she is terrified of being able to run faster than me

2. Even when people say it cannot be done, it can (pickle in a bag!)

3. You can never listen to too much Sam Hunt (please see No. 8 above)

Finally, signing off as we started, with a picture of a viewing tower - almost exactly the same as the one we were told to visit in Calgary....we did not go to this one - it was not even included on the bus tour :)

From where I have taken the pic it looks as if it is on top of a tower block - but it actually sits on top of a column, just like the one in Calgary.

We have gone full circle and tomorrow we head back to Toronto for some quality time with my Sister and her family - the adventure continues!