Fall in Vancouver

I was in Vancouver for a conference this week and managed to enjoy the city a great deal. Despite experiencing not so friendly weather, I had a fabulous time! What made my trip more enjoyable and easy was the people I met. Every one was super friendly, nice and very helpful; from the immigration officer at the airport and volunteers in every station to the bus driver and people in the street and at the restaurants.


Finding something to eat was a little bit of a challenge but I managed to eat well and was happy with all the vegan food I tried and a few tea houses I visited. As shopping was not in my agenda when I travel (shopping for tea and teaware is the exception), I avoided the malls and clothing stores event though my hotel was located right in the shopping district. 

Let me bore you with my day-to-day activities in Vancouver :-)
Saturday, October 23: LA to Vancouver on Alaska Airlines. With the help of a very nice volunteer at the VYR Airport, I took Canada Line to the City Center then walked about 3 blocks to get to the hotel. Checked into Hyatt Regency Vancouver was easy. 30 minutes later I was already in a taxi to SAWA Tea Lounge for lunch and tea! After checking out the area near the restaurant, I took a bus back to downtown Vancouver then walked around the area to check on dinner options before heading back to hotel. I did some work a little bit, then went to the Urban Tea Merchant to check their teaware. Their teas are from The O Dor, which I am not a big fan of so I didn't try their teas. Dinner was the vegan version of Tagliattele Funghi and bruschetta from Italian Kitchen. 

Sunday, October 24: Had a great session in the morning at the conference. After light lunch at the hotel, I walked to Canada Place then along the promenade walkway by the harbour, passed Cardero's Restaurant where hubby and I had our first lunch in Vancouver 7 years ago. When hubby and I did this walk,  the place was busy, lively and packed with people. This time it was really quiet, damp and raining. But it's still beautiful. Lunch was veganized items from Vietnamese Restaurant CHAU Kitchen & Bar. After lunch I strolled down Robson Street toward Stanley Park. The walk could not be more perfect! I very much enjoyed the vibrant Fall leaves, damp streets, the drizzle and colorful storefront and signs of ethnics restaurants on both sides of the street. What a treat for the eyes! Stanley Park was too cold and damp for me so I went straight back toward downtown along Robson Street again and grabbed soy milk and some snacks from Whole Foods before stopping by Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar for a pot of hot tea. Dinner was a takeout from Panz Veggie Restaurant. 

Monday, October 25: A long day at the conference but had really fabulous sessions. Dinner was delicious Indian vegan food at Salam Bombay.


Tuesday, October 26: Had great session throughout again ended with group dinner at Dockside Restaurant at Granville Island. 


Wednesday, October 27: Morning session was again superb. The conference ended before noon. I planed to have lunch and tea at SAWA Tea Lounge again. But this time, instead taking a taxi, I walked to the foot of Hornby Street then hopped on the boat over the Granville Island. SAWA Tea was not too far from Granville Island. After lunch I went back to Granville Island to visit Public Market and picked up some marinated olives - one of which was huge distinct bright red olive and giant emerald green olive - (which I later learned that they are from the family of Bella di Cerignola Olives) and artichoke which were delicious - all from Duso's Italian Food. 

Before leaving the market I grabbed a bar of handmade dark chocolate (71%) from artisan chocolatier Wim Tas of ChololaTas. It was the only dairy free bar available at the store. The taste was strong and intense but good! This bar is thick so I will enjoy one section of it at a time.


Wanted to check out the neighborhood near Granville Island, I walked west a couple of blocks then stopped by T Tearoom for a cup of tea. Went back to Granvile Island to enjoy warm Vancouver while watching boats, people and kids chasing seagulls at the deck before heading back slowly to hotel. I did some work a little bit in the hotel room until dinner time. Too tired to look for new restaurants that offer vegan options, I went back to Chau Kitchen & Bar for dinner.  

Thursday, October 28: After breakfast, I walked around the hotel for some fresh air then picked up some fresh fruits and bread from Urbane Fare. Checked out, took Canada Line back to the airport to catch the afternoon flight home. It was an enjoyable and a fabulous trip. 

French Riviera and Monaco - Part 1

Antibes and Cannes
Greetings from Paris! Writing a quick recap of our weekend from my hotel room before I forget all the details about it. 

What a wonderful time we had this past weekend. My husband and I, my sister, her husband and their adorable children left Bergues early morning on Friday to catch our morning flight from CDG Airport to Nice. As soon as we exited Nice Cote d'Azur Airport, we were greeted by gorgeous weather, perfect blue sky, beautiful beaches - felt like we're at home in California! After we checked into  La Perouse, we headed straight to Antibes, located halfway between Nice and Cannes. 

We enjoyed our walk from the harbor -filled with multi-million dollar yachts- through the old town while snacking some baguettes that hubby bought from a bakery that seemed to be popular amongst locals which turned out to be really good baguettes.


Had a decent lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, Chez Helen (for my husband an me), my sister and her family enjoyed their lunch at a nearby restaurant because their kids couldn't find anything they wanted at Chez Helen. 

A visit to Le Marche Provencal - covered farmers' market in the heart of the Old Town was the highlight of the day for me. Marche Provencal was a fabulous market of local specialities; fresh cheese, olives, fruits, vegetables, honey, potpourri, spices and herbs, etc. 

This gentleman sells the best olive tapenade ever. And it was vegan! He assured me (well he told my niece as I don't speak French) that he wasn't using any animal products in the recipe. The black one especially is to die for! Bought a lot of them (me thinking enjoying it with fresh baguette) in case I can only eat salad when we go to restaurants during our stay in France. 

After a quick trip to see the exterior wall of Musee Picasso, we didn't have the time to explore and to see inside, we left Antibes and continued our drive to Cannes. 

Cannes, here we come! We did what most tourists do; strolling along the Promenade de la Croisette, home to many designer boutiques and run into the Palais des Festivals et des Congres - where the Cannes International Film Festival takes place.

taking some pictures ...

Enjoying the narrow streets of Rue du Suquet and Rue St Antoine in the old quarter. 

We also walked up the hill around the fortress of old Cannes and enjoying this beautiful and breathtaking panoramic view of Cannes from the top of du Suquet.

After a long walk around Old Cannes, we went to the beach so that my niece and nephew could play a little bit. 

It was already late by the time we arrived back in Nice so we went straight to get some food. Unfortunately finding a table for six on Friday night in Nice proved to be challenging. Every restaurant was packed with people and the wait was long! We ended up eating at Cote Sud, a restaurant with the shortest wait. The food was not good at all. Hence it had the shortest list - I assumed. Oh well. Since we had a really nice time today, our dinner experience will be soon forgotten.