A very delayed post on summer vacation which consisted of a few parts and which will hopefully get posted before our next vacation. This year we went on an Alaska cruise. More on that at a later time. This post is about Vancouver. Before and after the cruise, we spent a little bit of time in Vancouver. Our approach to city sight seeing is to walk everywhere, which we did. 
On our first day there, before catching the ship, we spent most of the day in Stanley Park. But on our way there, we stopped into a concourse shopping mall to pick up umbrellas and find somewhere for lunch. And we found a fantastic place … the best Dim Sum I have ever had. As a very in-the-moment kind of traveller, I have no idea what it was called or where it was. This is the same for the fabulous Chinese dinner we had when we flew back into Vancouver at the end of the trip and the pub lunch by the cruise ship dock and Gastown that we had the next day. Oh well. Everyone needs to make their own memories, I guess but I'll try to do better in the future.
After lunch, it was on to Stanley Park, with the umbrellas we didn't need for the rest of the day and very satisfied tummies. Stanley Park is beautiful. There is no other way to say it. And we only scratched the surface, walking about 6 km round trip through one section.
After a stop back at the hotel to change we popped over to Gastown and looked around. Very touristy but we found some great shops with Native Canadian art, spent some time talking to a man carving a totem pole and watched the clock steam away with all of the other tourists.
On our return trip from Alaska, we spent most of our time walking again, this time in a steady downpour. The purchase of the umbrellas was not a waste!
Our main focus this time was Granville Island. I love it there. Neat little shops to look around in, the food stands and the water. I found a great quilt shop and another place with art supplies that I wish I could live close to for their classes. I am pretty sure I could pick up some new hobbies there.
We went on one of the cute little people ferry boats just because and ended up touring another part of Stanley Park as we made our eventual way back to our hotel.
My favourite thing about the area, aside from these guys painted on storage tanks … a bakery that I read about on the internet when researching, Beaucoup Bakery. The peanut butter cookies are apparently the best things ever. Not that I would have any idea. I fully intended on the peanut butter cookie as we walked in but, on the counter, shouting my name, were chocolate rosemary cookies. I love, love love chocolate and can say the same about rosemary, although perhaps with a little less passion. Chocolate and rosemary together? Rosemary used in a sweet preparation? I had to try this mysterious combination. And it was fantastic. Super rich, almost like a brownie, with a hint of rosemary and salt that just make the cookie sing. 
I vowed that I would get creative, suffer failures, but work to figure out how to make them when we got home. And I did figure it out, but without any blood, sweat or tears. The recipe is online! And just as delicious made by me as I remember them being in the bakery. Thanks to the owner for sharing the recipe with Food Network Canada. And I should add that the bakery also makes good coffee and my husband quite enjoyed his chocolate croissant, but I'm glad I had that cookie. 
