Day 1: Beautiful British Columbia

Kirsten here ~ Today went very well.  As Tony mentioned in this morning's post, our power was out when we got up, so we were showering and packing the last minute toiletries by candle and flashlight.   Just as Tony was loading the last of the luggage into the car, the power came back on, so he was able to reset the timer on the lights, and we were off.  There was very little traffic and we were at LAX in plenty of time.  Got some coffee and breakfast, and passed the time until we boarded.  The flight was uneventful, and we arrived in Vancouver slightly ahead of schedule.  It was not crowded at all.  No lines to have our passports checked, and declare that we had nothing to declare.  The Vancouver airport is lovely - fountains and plants everywhere.  Seems to me that the city is very proud of its efforts to be green.  Also, there were folks everywhere in the Olympic blue and green vests smiling and saying hello and offering to direct us if we needed it.

We got some lunch and picked up our rental car, and then drove to downtown Vancouver to pick up some of our tickets that were being held for us.  The downtown area is crazy busy, but in a good way.  Crowded with people at the shops and restaurants, carrying their national flags, wearing crazy colored wigs, laughing and singing... It's a very festive atmosphere.  We saw the Olympic torch, but couldn't get a great picture with only the cellphone camera.  The traffic was slow moving but organized.  The whistle-blowing cops smiled and nodded hello as they directed traffic.  

After that we drove to our home away from home.  Our hosts, Shawna and Ren, were waiting to give us a tour of the house and the neighborhood.   It's a lovely home in North Vancouver (or "North Van" as we locals like to call it!)  only 20 minutes or so from downtown.  A split-level with three bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs.  We are sharing the home with friends of friends, Bob and Steve, who are planning on seeing as much hockey as possible over the course of the next week.  

After Shawna and Ren left to begin their own vacation (Have fun in Kauai, guys!) we headed out to find some dinner.  Chose a place that does a terrific Memphis Barbecue (cuz that's what you expect in Canada, right?) and enjoyed our dinner thoroughly.  

We're heading to bed now, and looking forward to the fun beginning in earnest tomorrow.  Tony and either Bodie or Julianna will be going to a hockey game with Bob and Steve.  They'll be seeing the Men's Switzerland vs Norway, so if you're home during the day watching the game, look for them in the crowd!