Destination: Vancouver B.C. - Part 1

Let's talk about Canada for a moment. I honestly knew close to nothing about our neighbor to the north before moving to Seattle. I mean Canada isn't exactly a hop, jump, or skip away from Texas. I tried to recall any kind of fun fact I knew about Canada during our trip, and wasn't able to come up with anything. I know. Embarrassing. Even after moving to the Northwest my knowledge about Canada is limited. But I can tell you one thing. It is one of the most BEAUTIFUL places I have ever visited. Exhibit A: 

Stanley Park

What I hear about Canada is usually in monologue form, (Jimmy Fallon's of course) and with the exception of the Rob Ford scandal, even jokes about Canada are pretty much non-jokes. Poking fun at how clean Canada is, or how nice the people are (which I can attest to) isn't really derogatory. Canada is just kind of hanging out on the world map, looking pretty. It makes for a fantastic vacation spot though. Hopefully the travel tips and pictures from our Memorial Day Weekend getaway to Vancouver will inspire you to put it on your travel bucket list!

THE MUSIC: J + H VANCOUVER PLAYLIST

Any good vacation has to be set to good music. Here's the playlist I put together for our trip for your traveling (or anytime) enjoyment. From Seattle the trip ended up being about two and half hours by car. 

1. Despues de las Seis - Augustin Pereyra Lucena
2. Choro Insolente - Augustin Pereyra Lucena
3. Wait 'Till You See My Smile - Alicia Keys
4. Strangers - Seven Lions, Myon &  Shane 54, Tove Lo
5. Close to You - Us the Duo
6. Peng! 33 - Iron & Wine
7. Little Secrets - Passion Pit
8. Come Back - Us the Duo
9. Step Out - Jose Gonzalez
10. Stay Alive - Jose Gonzalez 
11. The Wolves & The Ravens - Rogue Valley
12. All Night - Icona Pop
13. Dirty Paws - Of Monsters and Men
14. Futile Devices - Sufjan Stevens
15. If I Ever Feel Better - Phoenix
16. Like the Dawn - The Oh Hello's
17. Save the Night - John Legend
18. Wounded - Third Eye Blind
19. You & Me - Discolure, Eliza Doolittle
20. You Make Me - Avicci

You can also follow me on Spotify and find the playlist here


THE PEOPLE: FANCY MEETING YOU HERE

Sam and Matt enjoying Gastown

This is my second trip to Canada (the first being our Honeymoon) and the stereotype about everyone being friendly holds true. Even in a busy city like Vancouver we interacted with very friendly people the entire time, from waiters to shop owners, everyone made us feel like they wanted us to stick around :) And the nice thing about Canada is that no one can tell you're a tourist. I mean, we speak the language fluently. Another fun aspect of the trip for us was a coincidental run-in with some of our good friends, Sam and Matt. We spent much of our time with them and determined that Vancouver is a great place to take a trip to with friends. With all of the fun, late night eateries and activities in the city why not make it a group trip?  

Do you have any fun stories about traveling with friends? Have you visited Canada or hope to visit some day? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of our Canada adventure!