We’re spending a few days in Vancouver. The Vancouver. The Canadian city in British Columbia. Not to be confused with the large Canadian island, Vancouver Island, just a few miles away, or the American city of Vancouver, Washington, which is a suburb of Portland, Oregon.

We like to come up to Vancouver a couple of times a year. It’s only 140 miles from Seattle, but you have to cross the U.S.–Canadian border and the highway runs out about ten miles from downtown Vancouver, so it always takes at least three hours to drive up.

This time, we’re staying on the edge of Stanley Park, one of Vancouver’s greatest assets. Stanley Park comprises the western half of the downtown peninsula. Thankfully the city’s founders had the foresight to set it aside as a park.

Today, we spent the afternoon walking past marinas and along part of the seawall. This evening, we joined a local friend for dinner. Tomorrow, we might visit the UBC Botanical Garden. Wednesday, we’ll return to Seattle.