Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Oh yes there is, and it's called Grouse Mountain.
But let me back track. I arrived in Vancouver on Sunday afternoon and was met at the airport by Miss Frani who I haven't seen in over a year. We navigated the buses back to her place where I dumped my heavy backpack and we then headed out to Stanley Park where Frani is volunteering for Theater Under The Stars' production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
It's a neat concept, there's a permanent building with a stage there and a couple of FOH structures, but over winter it's all locked up and in summer they hire in all the fencing and lighting towers etc. The sun doesn't go down here till after 9pm and so it doesn't really get dark till very late. Which means putting on an outdoor show that starts at 8pm, it won't get dark until the second act. I haven't seen that musical before and I quite enjoyed it. I bought myself a souvenir - a Theater Under The Stars blanket, because by interval it was getting cold and I thought it would be a useful blanket to have.
On Monday schedules moved and jostled. Frani had to work so she headed off to work and I headed off to Downtown Vancouver for a look around. Not long after I had arrived Downtown and I have procured myself a Tim Horton's donut and hot chocolate (apparently Tim Horton's is THE place I had to try in Canada - sugary goodness) Miss Frani called to say her casual work for the day had been canceled. She made her way in to town and we decided to go 'do' Grouse Mountain.
Now Grouse Mountain is in North Vancouver. We caught the bus, the sea bus and then another bus to it. There's a track, the 'Grouse Grind,' to the top that could take anywhere from 40 mins for the uber fit to 2.5hrs for the not so fit. Frani was happy to do the trail in her sandals with her handbag. It's mostly steps after all. Only, steps isn't the right phrase.
Deathly vertical killing stairs might be more like it.
I didn't do the maths till later, but it's a 2.9km walk which climbs about 850m - 900m in height. Sounds like not much, but f*ck ME! Seriously my knees were not happy and my asthma decided to remind me with a vengeance that I didn't bring any kind of puffer with me (stupid I know). So it was no walk in the park. I was reduced to scrambling on my hands a few times to help drag my fat arse up the 2,000+ steps. A lot of it was psychosomatic, I knew I *could* do it, my body and brain just didn't really *want* me to do it.
I think in the end it took about 2.5 hours, not sure, we lost track in the end. But I made it, I got to the top. And I bought the t-shirt.
Coming back down was easy - the Gondola. I kind of think we should have cheated and taken the Gondola up but that's only hindsight. Anyway, on the way down the views were spectacular.
So having completed the Grouse Grind, I am currently stll paying for it. My knees were really sore and stiff for a couple of days, but the really debilitating thing is all the dust I would have breathed in during the climb, and the exertion, has triggered some serious allergies. My ear didn't pop properly on the way down in the Gondola and I thought it would sort itself out. Today is Thursday, 3 days later and for the last 2 days I have been taking a combination of antihistamines and Sudafed sinus medication and it just won't clear. It's driving me nuts and really impacting on what is comfortable for me to do. At the moment sitting and watching movies or sitting and watching Tilds play Volleyball is the easiest thing for me to cope with. It's a total bummer.
So today I will go to the doctor and see what else can be done. It may have developed into an ear infection now. but my sinuses are still going crazy. I think I'm allergic to Vancouver and it makes me sad :(
Frani did take me to her favourite Sushi place, Tsunami Sushi, which instead of a train is lots of little boats, cute! We also went to De Dutch Pannekoke Haus for pancakey goodness. We saw Harry Potter 6 yesterday since I'm such an invalid. I did love the movie though.
My friend Tilds from Uni lives here too and I've caught up with her over the past 2 days. She plays beach volleyball a couple of times a week so I moseyed along to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is held not at a beach but at a carpark which is filled with sand! Very crazy. It's also the time when I really noticed the sun staying up so incredibly late, it was after 8pm and the sun was still well in the sky! Yesterday I went to her other game which was on Jericho Beach. Beautiful beach, spectacular backdrop and lots of stuff to photograph.
One of the beautiful things about Vancouver is the Mountains that are a constant backdrop. Just stunning. I can't even begin to imagine what they are like with Snow on them.
We've wanted to go to Whistler and were going to go yesterday but couldn't get any accommodation for the night. We might try to go tomorrow, but I have to admit, with ear issues, the altitude might get to me. I'd love to go to Whistler, so we'll see what the doctor says today first.
It has meant I've had a couple of chill out days which is good, because I don't want to burn out and not enjoy myself.
Sunday is the Virgin Festival at Deer Park with Matilda and then I fly out to New York on Monday. I'll be really unhappy and uncomfortable if I have to fly 5 hrs with my ear like this.
I'll try and put more pics up on flickr soon.
But let me back track. I arrived in Vancouver on Sunday afternoon and was met at the airport by Miss Frani who I haven't seen in over a year. We navigated the buses back to her place where I dumped my heavy backpack and we then headed out to Stanley Park where Frani is volunteering for Theater Under The Stars' production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
It's a neat concept, there's a permanent building with a stage there and a couple of FOH structures, but over winter it's all locked up and in summer they hire in all the fencing and lighting towers etc. The sun doesn't go down here till after 9pm and so it doesn't really get dark till very late. Which means putting on an outdoor show that starts at 8pm, it won't get dark until the second act. I haven't seen that musical before and I quite enjoyed it. I bought myself a souvenir - a Theater Under The Stars blanket, because by interval it was getting cold and I thought it would be a useful blanket to have.
On Monday schedules moved and jostled. Frani had to work so she headed off to work and I headed off to Downtown Vancouver for a look around. Not long after I had arrived Downtown and I have procured myself a Tim Horton's donut and hot chocolate (apparently Tim Horton's is THE place I had to try in Canada - sugary goodness) Miss Frani called to say her casual work for the day had been canceled. She made her way in to town and we decided to go 'do' Grouse Mountain.
Now Grouse Mountain is in North Vancouver. We caught the bus, the sea bus and then another bus to it. There's a track, the 'Grouse Grind,' to the top that could take anywhere from 40 mins for the uber fit to 2.5hrs for the not so fit. Frani was happy to do the trail in her sandals with her handbag. It's mostly steps after all. Only, steps isn't the right phrase.
Deathly vertical killing stairs might be more like it.
I didn't do the maths till later, but it's a 2.9km walk which climbs about 850m - 900m in height. Sounds like not much, but f*ck ME! Seriously my knees were not happy and my asthma decided to remind me with a vengeance that I didn't bring any kind of puffer with me (stupid I know). So it was no walk in the park. I was reduced to scrambling on my hands a few times to help drag my fat arse up the 2,000+ steps. A lot of it was psychosomatic, I knew I *could* do it, my body and brain just didn't really *want* me to do it.
I think in the end it took about 2.5 hours, not sure, we lost track in the end. But I made it, I got to the top. And I bought the t-shirt.
Coming back down was easy - the Gondola. I kind of think we should have cheated and taken the Gondola up but that's only hindsight. Anyway, on the way down the views were spectacular.
So having completed the Grouse Grind, I am currently stll paying for it. My knees were really sore and stiff for a couple of days, but the really debilitating thing is all the dust I would have breathed in during the climb, and the exertion, has triggered some serious allergies. My ear didn't pop properly on the way down in the Gondola and I thought it would sort itself out. Today is Thursday, 3 days later and for the last 2 days I have been taking a combination of antihistamines and Sudafed sinus medication and it just won't clear. It's driving me nuts and really impacting on what is comfortable for me to do. At the moment sitting and watching movies or sitting and watching Tilds play Volleyball is the easiest thing for me to cope with. It's a total bummer.
So today I will go to the doctor and see what else can be done. It may have developed into an ear infection now. but my sinuses are still going crazy. I think I'm allergic to Vancouver and it makes me sad :(
Frani did take me to her favourite Sushi place, Tsunami Sushi, which instead of a train is lots of little boats, cute! We also went to De Dutch Pannekoke Haus for pancakey goodness. We saw Harry Potter 6 yesterday since I'm such an invalid. I did love the movie though.
My friend Tilds from Uni lives here too and I've caught up with her over the past 2 days. She plays beach volleyball a couple of times a week so I moseyed along to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is held not at a beach but at a carpark which is filled with sand! Very crazy. It's also the time when I really noticed the sun staying up so incredibly late, it was after 8pm and the sun was still well in the sky! Yesterday I went to her other game which was on Jericho Beach. Beautiful beach, spectacular backdrop and lots of stuff to photograph.
One of the beautiful things about Vancouver is the Mountains that are a constant backdrop. Just stunning. I can't even begin to imagine what they are like with Snow on them.
We've wanted to go to Whistler and were going to go yesterday but couldn't get any accommodation for the night. We might try to go tomorrow, but I have to admit, with ear issues, the altitude might get to me. I'd love to go to Whistler, so we'll see what the doctor says today first.
It has meant I've had a couple of chill out days which is good, because I don't want to burn out and not enjoy myself.
Sunday is the Virgin Festival at Deer Park with Matilda and then I fly out to New York on Monday. I'll be really unhappy and uncomfortable if I have to fly 5 hrs with my ear like this.
I'll try and put more pics up on flickr soon.