September 3, 2025

Victoria > Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Good morning. Technically this is our last day of the Cosmos Tour. The tour goes on for two more days, but we aren’t interested in any of the excursions being offered on those days. Tomorrow there are two excursions. One of Whistler and the other for a Grouse Mountain and Capilano Bridge Tour.

It was years ago, but we took a dinner train from Vancouver to Whistler and back. It was only a five- or six-hour train ride but through very beautiful company. We stopped in Whistler for maybe an hour. It might be nice to visit Whistler again, but it should probably be for more time than would be allowed on the Cosmos itinerary. At this same time, years ago, we went on a Grouse Mountain and Capilano Bridge tour. Again, very nice but don’t need to repeat ourselves.

Thursday, the 4th, there is a repeat of the Whistler Day trip but again, want to go back but for more time than is allowed. So, this is our last day of the Cosmos Tour and most of it is spent getting from one place to another.

This morning baggage call was 08:00 with an 08:30 departure from the hotel. Based on this we will probably be taking a 10:00 ferry to Vancouver. Indeed that is what happened. We got to the ferry terminal just after it had gone 09:00. We got off the motor coach and walk around a bit before it was time to reboard the motor coach and drive aboard the ferry.

This morning we are on the ferry “Coastal Celebration”; on the way over we were on the “Spirit of Vancouver Island”. While they are both ferries, they aren’t of the same design. There is no “private” area on the Spirit of Vancouver Island like there was on the Costal Celebration. Accordingly, we sat in the main dinning room. We got a tea and coffee and sat and played a game of Canasta during the crossing.

Again, the crossing took about ninety minutes. Upon arrival in at Tsawwassen we loaded back onto the motor coach and headed into Vancouver. We made our first stop at the cruise terminal. Some of the other guests were taking an optional cruise to Alaska. There is a Holland America cruise ship, the Zaandam, which sales in Inside Passage and Pacific Coastal routes. This is where some of our fellow guests disembarked to.

The motor coach then continued on to Vancouver and made its way into Stanley Park. Stanley Park is Vancouver’s largest urban park, covering just under 1,000 acres of land between the City of Vancouver and West Vancouver. The park features a large forest, a fantastic and world-famous sea wall, multiple beaches and stunning views and more. There are many landmarks to check out in Stanley Park, and the one chosen by Cosmos was amount the most famous; the First National Totem Poles not far from Brockton Point. On our way there we did drive by the Lions Gate Bridge.  

The Lions Gate bridge is often described as the most beautiful bridge north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The Lions Gate Bridge brought Vancouver into the automobile age and heralded the era of auto-dependent suburbs when it opened in 1938. The Guinness brewing company was the primary financier, which is why it is painted Guinness Green, intent on providing access to its British Properties development in West Vancouver. Bisecting Stanley Park for the bridge’s causeway was the most controversial issue, but the proponents’ promise of jobs was too good to turn down, as the city was mired in the Great Depression. In 1933, the Park Board voted in favor of it, with only one commissioner opposed.

Lions Gate Bridge in background

The idea to build a bridge across First Narrows was investigated as early as the 1890s, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that plans began to take shape. In December 1933, approval for the building of the bridge was reached through a city-wide vote. Construction began on March 31, 1937 by clearing ten acres of Stanley Park to create the right-of-way. Upon completion in November 1938, the Lions Gate Bridge was recognized as the longest suspension bridge in the British Empire and one of the biggest construction projects undertaken in Canada during the 1930s. Despite its great size, the open steelwork of the twin towers gives the structure a weightless quality that blends well with its picturesque setting.

The bridge was remarkable because of its length and the technical innovations in cable use and construction. Alfred J.T. Taylor, a prominent engineering contractor and industrialist who had substantial land holdings on the North Shore and who assembled the financing for the project has been called the visionary behind the project. The Guinness brewing company acted as the primary financier, intent on providing access to its British Properties development in West Vancouver.

Named in honor of a pair of pointed peaks along the North Shore Mountain range known as ‘The Lions’, the south entrance to the bridge is graced by two monumental Art Deco lion figures which were the last great public work of Vancouver’s foremost sculptor, Charles Marega.

The provincial government purchased it in 1955, its “Year of Bridges”. Other projects in the region included the Second Narrows and Oak Street bridges plus Highway 99 and the south arm crossing that became George Massey Tunnel. A third lane was squeezed onto Lions Gate Bridge to accommodate the increasing traffic volume. It ceased to be a toll bridge in 1963. Overcrowded for decades, the bridge narrowly avoided demolition in the 1990s, instead being refurbished by the provincial government.

We drove by English Bay an say the 1972 bronze sculpture “Girl in Wetsuit” by Elek Imredy. Apparently there was some controversy here over the sculpture. It appears to be a a replica of Copenhagen’s The little Mermaid. The creator said it wasn’t, that it was a whole new idea. Not possible. They look too much alike. The Little Mermaid was designed in 1909.So I am inclined to agree that it is just a design very similar to and probably based on the Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid.

Little Mermaid Copenhagen

The Girl in a wetsuit Vancouver

Finally, we were off to out hotel, the Sandman Suites on Davie Street. Davie Street is an interesting choice for Cosmos. Your see, Davie Street is a major street in the West End of Vancouver. One end of which is Stanley Park, the other end at False Creek. Its major claim is that it is known for being in the heart of the city’ yes LGBTQ+ community, also known as Davie Village. There are rainbow crosswalks, very diverse restaurants, bars and shops, and what one might characterize as a vibrant atmosphere.

The Sandman is part of a chain and is actually very nice. More importantly there is a Starbucks on the corner. We got off the motor coach for the last time and headed up to our room. They have a fairly complete kitchen, and a washer/dryer combination machine. We have 17:15 dinner reservations at the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant on Hastings Street.

We got settled in the room. Took a little rest, then got ready to go out to dinner. We took an Uber to the restaurant. It isn’t far from the hotel, maybe 2 km, but we weren’t really in the mood for walking. It was somewhat difficult to find the entrance to the restaurant but we finally did. We checked in with the hostess on the ground floor and then got into the elevator and too the ride up the 167-meter tower to the restaurant.

The views of Vancouver from the restaurant are great. The revolving part takes about an hour but in that time, you get a 360-degree view of the city.  The food was even very good, which they often aren’t in tourist attractions like this. Mary had lamb chops. The portion was huge and they were very flavorful. For me there was a New York Strip and Brussels sprouts with bacon.

During our time up there, we saw the Regent Silver Seas Ship the Explorer at the cruise terminal below us. It is the same ship we will be on in Japan next spring. After dinner we walked outside and found a cab to take us back to the hotel.

It has been a lovely day. We are sorry we missed Zibby and her husband who happen to be out of town this week. Maybe next time.

Buonanotte e ciao,

Enrico e Maria