Bucket list meal at Vij’s

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When the opportunity to visit Vancouver turned into an upcoming reality with the purchase of plane tickets, the first thought that crossed my mind: I have to have a meal at Vij’s. My love and I have a passion for seeking out and finding great food on our travels, and we knew Vancouver was going to be an exceptional food city. But a stop at Vij’s was tops for us. The “best of lists” for Vancouver and our love of Indian cuisine was only partially behind it. The main reason was the restauranteur himself, Vikram Vij. His inventiveness, commitment to local ingredients and to preparation techniques honed over time, and his personal dedication to this restaurant (he greets guests personally!) meant that we knew we would be in for a special evening.

The experience begins in line waiting for the doors to open at 5:30. There are no reservations, all guests are equal, much like you were visiting him at his home. Drinks and snacks are offered while you wait for the restaurant to open. Can you tell we’re a little excited?

Us waiting for the doors to open

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Vancouver public art

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Vancouver is rich in public art.  Eight days in the city (with a few of those for professional commitments) only allowed me to scratch the surface and take in a few pieces.  What I did see made me smile, and in a few cases made me reflect.  Here are a few highlights.

Probably the piece I was most interested in seeing was the Terry Fox Memorial outside of BC Place Stadium.  Like many Canadians of my generation, he was a hero to me.  His resiliency, determination and sheer stubbornness in the face of immense obstacles, let alone his athletic achievement (the equivalent of running a marathon a day for 143 consecutive days), inspired awe.  Seeing this memorial in Vancouver was a highlight of the trip for me:

Terry Fox Memorial

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Street food, Vancouver style

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Great food, enjoyed outdoors, is one of life’s true pleasures.  Since the weather on our Vancouver trip more than cooperated, we got to try a number of different food trucks that inhabit the downtown area.  First up on my list was a stop at Japadog only a few hours after we landed.  Probably the most widely famous of Vancouver’s street food, this place smells great from a block away:

Japadog cart on Burrard

There’s a long list of hotdogs from which to choose, all having some form of Japanese twist on the traditional tube steak.  It’s a difficult decision, especially if you think you’re only going to be able to squeeze one of these in on a trip.  I settled on the Kurobuta Terimayo dog that is an amazing all-pork dog dressed with Teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo and seaweed.  The verdict: unusual and delicious:

Japadog

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Day trip to Whistler

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With our body clocks saying it was noon, we picked up the rental car in downtown Vancouver on Sunday morning at 8am feeling fresh and ready to head up into the mountains. A couple of outstanding coffees acquired (conveniently right next door to Avis), we pulled out of the city in a sexy Fiat 500 with a sunroof. Fifteen minutes outside Vancouver, we’re on to the Sea to Sky Highway and more than an hour of views like this:

Sea to Sky Highway

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Vancouver had me at hello

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Almost immediately after stepping off the plane in Vancouver over a week ago, the city felt like a fit.  The travel weariness of an early morning wake up and a long trip across the continent couldn’t stop a wide and giddy smile from planting itself on my face.  In my mind I had high expectations for Vancouver, and after a week visiting this amazing city, it more than lived up to what I had hoped.

Snow capped mountains, deep blue waters, lush green spaces even in the heart of the city.  Laid back, friendly people.  Amazing craft beer.  Delicious food from every corner of the world, much of it available in food trucks surrounding our apartment.  Stunning architecture and public art.  I fell in love with Vancouver over eight days of experiences in and around the city and felt completely at home unlike anywhere else I’ve visited.  More to come over the days and weeks ahead on this great trip.  For now, this picture of the Vancouver skyline from Stanley Park.  A picture I once only imagined, now burned into my mind with so many other great memories.

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Vieux-Québec: les rues

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My favourite activity during my recent trip to Quebec City was just wandering around inside the walls of the old town.  The street scenes in Vieux-Québec are unlike anything else in Canada.  You feel transported to Europe if you let your mind wander along with your feet.  Here are some of my favourite scenes as I wore down my shoes over five days:

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West coast dreaming

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I’ve always had a long distance love affair with Vancouver. We’ve never met, but it has inhabited my dreams for years.

I’m not terribly proud to say this, but as a soon to be 39 year old I have yet to visit the west coast of my own country. That’s going to change in less than two weeks as I present at and attend a medical education and technology conference in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Another part work/vacation trip; this one I’ll have my love along with me.

This has been an unusual trip to plan for. We’re going to do a road trip to visit Whistler (we can’t resist the allure of mountains after Banff, Switzerland and Norway), but aside from that there’s not the normal hit list of sights to see on our itinerary. As we both read about Vancouver, what we wanted to do was to just live there for the eight days. We chose an apartment over a hotel, our travel itinerary is heavy on exploring and wandering and light on museums and attractions. We want to shop at markets, linger in parks, visit a few neighbourhood restaurants and drink in the experience of being there.

With high expectations, here’s to dipping my toes in the Pacific in about two weeks.

A Québécois delicacy

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Pretty high up on my “must do” list for Quebec City was a return to a fast food chain I spent some time frequenting in my younger years: Chez Ashton.  Poutine, one of the significant contributions of Quebec to the world of food, can be found in all kinds of elevated forms – with lobster, with fois gras, with heirloom potatoes and grass fed dairy cattle organic cheese curds, or a host of other riffs on the basic dish.  I have nothing against those.  In fact, I’m a big fan of many.  But the truest interpretation of the dish is the variety made in casse-croûtes across la belle province.

So, harkening back to my younger days where a poutine and a Pepsi at Chez Ashton held a dear place in my heart, my first meal on my return visit to Quebec was exactly that:

Chez Ashton poutine

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