Whistle Stop

There is certainly nothing like learning to ski in Whistler, which is exactly what Lewis ended up doing.

On Thursday morning we made our way on our first ever Greyhound bus to Whistler, due in part to the uselessness of our rental not being allowed past a specific snow line however we were thankful we did as the road was far too beautiful to have concentrated on driving.

We were dropped off in Whistler Village and were overwhelmed at how quiet it was, happy days! We picked up our skis and made our way to the massive, glaring, wafting-in-the-wind, bright blue Ski School banners.  Here we were boldly told by Dave (a Max4 instructor) that there was not a chance that we would be allowed to remain together as I knew how to stand in skis and Lewis did not.

I was swiftly taken to another group consisting of three females who all looked like startled rabbits – Lewis’ group were undoubtedly worse – where they were informed I was a European skier and that they were not to worry too much about me. Hoot! Thankfully two of them got over their fear pretty quickly as we were taken to the top of Whistler mountain – Lewis only made it half way – where we were told just to ski down so ‘Paul’ could monitor our skills. I say ‘Paul’ because for the life of me I cannot remember my instructors name… the shame.

The day was amazing, the weather was fantastic and I was taught how to carve properly – I have picked up some very bad habits apparently.

As myself and an Aussi woman skied off the mountain, we stopped at the half way point for a breather where we (I) were accosted by a very happy and bounding Lewis who was delighted with his progress that day. He skied down the baby hill with the magic carpet without falling. Success comes in a variety of forms I think we can all agree.

By the end of that first day Lewis was absolutely buzzing and prompted us to book skis and return on Friday for more ski fun, however this time it would be lesson-less… we were going solo.

Friday morning brought with it an apprehension I have rarely seen in Lewis, the fearless winter climber that he is! We made our way there via bus again, picked up our skis and got on the gondola to take us to the halfway point which is still a 30 minute journey.

It was an absolutely fabulous day, with fantastic weather and a bit of a wind that kept you nice and cool. Most amazingly Lewis skied off of Whistler Mountain into the village on his second ever day of skiing. I have never been so impressed.

Guess what his new hobby is… yipeee!!!

Vrooming Through Vancouver

Holy cow it has been a crazy few months!! I guess the fun and the surprises are just beginning!

Towards the end of November, Lew and I set out on the very first jet-set of our adventures. We flew into Vancouver for a long weekend... from London...
It is safe to say the flight was almost as long as our stay but my goodness it was worth it!

We landed in the chilly land of maple syrup and maple leaves and just about fell in love (as was hoped) from the get go. From the waterfall to the jellyfish floating past us in the airport we were welcomed by all - even the immigration officers who we had been told to fear.

Hop, skip and a sky train later we arrived in Downtown Vancouver. Oooft. Hello big glass buildings and Gucci store! We tottered for ten minutes and arrived on the doorstep of our hotel - The Empire Landmark Hotel and we were in luck, as we got a gorgeous balcony room on the 32nd floor with stunning views over Stanley Park and the west coast.

Over the three short, but glorious sunshine days, we managed to cram a lot in and tried our hardest not to let jetlag set in- although I did attempt to get Lew to have meaningful conversations at 4.30 in the morning with me as I was failing to keep jetlag at bay. Seems his sleep talking is really coming on leaps and bounds as he doesn't remember a thing about it.

Downtown is fantastic and we strolled around Stanley Park while there was a half marathon going on. We were thrilled with how sporty and outgoing everyone was, we cannot wait to get super fit and take to their lifestyle!

Of course we did the tourist thing and did a lovely hop-on hop-off tour with the Vancouver Trolley Company with two of the funniest guys we have heard. Not only did they tell us some fascinating details about the history of Vancouver we also got an insight into the hilarious gossip we may become interested in.

As with all trips they are over too quickly, but we can be very thankful that this was just a little teaser session... we are returning in February for the first 5 month stint.

I am so excited, I know Lew is too, but I am almost bursting with anticipation and cannot wait to just get up and go.

In the meantime we must sort health insurance, pack our belongings, give old stuff to charity, cancel direct debits, set up Canadian bank accounts, buy a car, apply for an international driving permit, sort flights..... and the list goes on.

But my goodness, am I raring to go.