Canada > Flight to Vancouver

It’s Sunday morning, quarter to seven. I am picked up and driven to Schiphol Airport. The roads are quiet at this time. In the terminal, I meet Theo, who is already waiting at the check-in counter. We check in for the flight to Frankfurt and the connecting flight to Vancouver. We join the line for customs. Due to the new and stricter regulations, the inspection takes much longer than usual. Still, we have enough time to grab a coffee. The flight to Frankfurt goes smoothly, and we land in Germany on schedule. It feels a bit odd to fly first to Frankfurt and then a few hours later fly over Amsterdam again. We are picked up by bus at the plane and taken to the transfer hall. It turns out to be quite a walk to Terminal A, but we arrive at the gate just in time for boarding. The flight to Vancouver takes a little over ten hours. We depart around noon and land at half past one, but with a nine-hour time difference. At Canadian customs, I am asked if I am traveling alone. No, I’m not. Then where will I be staying in Vancouver? I honestly have no idea. Explaining that it’s a round trip including Vancouver, Clearwater, Jasper, etc., seems to suffice. Finally, she asks if this is my first time in Canada. Yes, it is. After a few stamps, numbers, and circles on the immigration form, I can proceed to the baggage claim.

Canada - The skyline of Vancouver

Gerard is less fortunate—his passport is no longer valid for six months, and he must report to immigration. In the airport hall, we meet Julie and Graham. They drive us in two minibuses with tinted windows to downtown Vancouver. Even though it’s Sunday, there’s a lot of traffic, and many red lights slow us down. Around four o’clock, we arrive at our hotel near Gastown. After a brief freshening up in the hotel room, we get to know the rest of the group, and Graham and Julie explain the trip and the itinerary. We quickly head into the city before it gets dark, as it’s not ideal for taking photos once the light fades. We walk toward the station and the harbor. On the corner stands the Harbour Centre with its distinctive round observation deck on the roof (closed on Sundays). We turn right and stroll into Gastown. Through a charming shopping street, we arrive—almost before we realize it—at the famous steam clock. We try to photograph it both with and without flash. Meanwhile, we wait until six o’clock for the clock to “chime.” Precisely at six, the steam whistles play a melody, and the clock chimes six times. At six, all the shops close as well, so we decide to walk back toward the harbor. From there, we have a beautiful view over the bay and the illuminated city of Vancouver. Actually, after six in the evening on a Sunday, there isn’t much happening in downtown Vancouver. We walk among the high-rises and office buildings back to the hotel. In a pub, we order a beer and decide to have dinner there as well. Meanwhile, we watch the hockey game on the many TV screens. Judging by the cheers of the other patrons, the home team is doing well. We are too tired to follow the game closely. By 8:30, we are back at the hotel, and by nine, the lights are out. By then, it is already six o’clock in the morning in the Netherlands.