ALASKA TRIP - VANCOUVER - MONDAY, MAY 7TH, 2018 - MEETING A PLANE FROM GERMANY

I will add this on every post, just to let anyone who doesn't know, that we are actually back home.  I am now sharing my journal from the beginning of May.  If you want to see all the posts written so far, you can click on the label below this post entitled, Alaska Trip May 2018.

Vancouver - Meeting a plane from Germany

Monday, May 7th, 2018

7.12 a.m. I had a text message and photos from our niece this morning.  They have started their journey.  Truly hard to believe we will be seeing them soon.  Their plane lands at 3.40 p.m.

2.34 p.m. we are at the airport and right now I am sitting at a table at Starbucks.  You can see Gregg in the photo below, identified by the white arrow, waiting in line to order our drinks.  I get my usual coffee and he gets his iced tea lemonade.

We came very early.  Our family's plane doesn't land until 4.00 p.m. now.  No way were we not going to be waiting for them when they came out of customs.  Gregg is at a charging station a hundred yards away. We forgot to bring an extra charger and are sharing the one we have. I have never seen so many pet carriers for sale.   We heard a few dogs barking in their crates waiting to be boarded.  One of the baggage crew wheeled one by me as I was walking around.  I can't remember what he said but it was to do with the little dog. We both smiled sympathetically for him in his crate.  I told the little guy it wouldn't be long before he was with his humans again, and exchanged another smile with his carertaker.

Before we left for the airport we found another great garden, but another jewel was a wonderful restaurant next to it, called Seasons in the Park, completely by happenstance.  We had originally gone looking for a Japanese Garden, couldn't find it and decided to head to our second choice on the list, Queen Elizabeth Park. 

The above photo was on the front of the menu, and the tidbit below was on the back.

This is the view we took near the statues they were talking about.  We didn't explore the garden as much as we wanted to.  In fact we never got beyond the statue, but the view was breathtaking.

We found the statues after our meal.  

I read an article recently about people putting themselves in danger to get a selfie.  After I had taken this one and brought it up on my laptop screen, I noticed the young lady standing on the wall with a selfie stick.  I remember there being such a steep drop behind her!  Her knees are strong and not aching I suppose.  I couldn't even make the hop onto that low wall, let alone look over that wall to the drop below.  

Bronze statues have always been a favorite of mine, there's something about them that really appeals to me.  They have a warmth to them and this one in particular I can relate to its subject most definitely. 

We didn't realize that we were also going to find a very nice restaurant. 

There is a plaque on the grounds saying this is where Bill Clinton met with Boris Yeltsin for the Vancouver Summit on April 3rd, 1993.

They also had the most beautiful flowers on the grounds. 

This will be a very nice place to bring our niece and nephew tomorrow.  Coming a few days early was turning out to be a great idea. We don't have a lot of time left in Vancouver but I think they will enjoy what the city has to offer.

When we saw they had a meat and cheese plate on the menu, we ordered it but added a mushroom and truffle soup.  Both were delicious.

(taken inside the restaurant. I noticed the chandelier immediately.  It was quiet inside this particular area, so my cell phone came out.)

The people sitting at the next table were from Germany.  We overheard one of them tell our waitress that they had flown in for the marathon.  When she asked his friend if he had run also, his reply was "No, I am older than he is.  I had a beer instead."  Smiling here.

8.59 p.m. Well, we have now had several hours with our niece and nephew. After picking them up at the airport we took them straight back to the hotel. We settled suitcases into their room and not long afterwards met them at the elevator.  As they were very tired but wanted to try and stay awake, we suggested a meal in the hotel restaurant.  It was by now dinnertime.  After our meal we popped into the bar for a cocktail, where we found our Irish barman, a friendly fellow from Gallway.  As we have family in Ireland we found a common bond and the four of us chatted amiably with him for a while, until his next customer showed up.

Time to call it a night as by this time it was very hard to stay awake.  We said goodnight, gave each other a warm hug and arranged to start our day at nine the next day.  We told them if they needed more time, no problem.  That's how we roll.  Also, tomorrow we change hotels to be nearer the ship.