VANCOUVER and beautiful British Columbia (ongoing)

[Klazu]

The new Shipyards Christmas Market in North Vancouver brings some badly needed competition to December events. Downtown Vancouver has had a Christmas Market since 2010, but it has become what most consider a total rip-off with a hefty $21 (!!) entry price and crowds of people.

Location of the new market is fantastic in the Lower Lonsdale area and it is easy to get to by SeaBus from Downtown.



The market is definitely bigger than the one in Downtown and takes good use of the new Shipyards entertainment area.







We visited early in the season on December 1st, but already then the market was bustling with people, maybe thanks to the fantastic weather.







There is lots to see and do for all ages.







Skating ring is something other Christmas markets don't have and definitely a hit with the kids.





Food stalls can be quite expensive here as well, but at least the market is completely free to visit, which on its own already pays for the food.





We had a good time visiting the new market and are sure to be back in coming years. Competition has been sorely needed and the new event is pretty sure to be a success.

[Klazu]

And we are back to Tofino once again, for our sixth visit to the area. Our latest visit was over the Thanksgiving long weekend this past October and the weather was pretty favorable over those three days.

View of Downtown Vancouver from morning ferry.



There are no major hotel chains in Tofino area with one single Best Western Plus being the exception. Previously the hotel was old and worn, but it has been completely renovated during COVID and is now brand new.













Sunsets over Pacific Ocean are always beautiful.



Tofino has seen loads of development during the past decade with lots of holiday homes having been built. Today, there is a very active cafe and restaurant scene in town, especially during the summer season.











Tofino harbour is a starting place to many outdoors adventures.













Chesterman Beach is one of the many beaches in the area and very popular with surfers that flock to Tofino. The only downside is paid parking even in the off-season.

















One of the days was cloudy, so we decided to visit Ucluelet Aquarium. It's a tiny place with pretty expensive entry price, but also plenty of fun for small kids (that get in for free).









One only needs 30 minutes to see the whole place, but kids will still find it a fun visit.









In the afternoon the sky did clear and the sun came out.





All in all, it was another relaxing visit to the area, which is one of our favorite places on the west coast.

[Evo5Boise]

Great pictures as always.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

what language do you speak to child daily, finnish of english?

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by Murphy de la Sucre

what language do you speak to child daily, finnish of english?

Finnish at home. English at daycare.

[Klazu]

It took us 12 years, but we did recently visit Science World for the very first time and did like it quite a bit! The iconic dome structure was originally built for Expo 86 and is home to a pretty neat science exhibitions.







Science World is geared towards a younger crowd and it is no wonder kids will have a great time in there.













Many of the exhibitions are permanent but few of them change during the year, bringing something new to experience.







Triple-O's legendary budgers are served right on site.





The restaurant has a nice view of False Creek.









All in all, we have found it a nice place to visit and while definitely aimed at kids, there is still a lot to do. I was also surprised how much bigger the place is inside than from outside.

The only unfortunate thing is the "temporary" closing of the Omnimax theater located inside the dome itself. It has one of the biggest dome screens in North America and would be nice to catch some film in there. Hopefully it will come back!

[Klazu]

Christmas light installations and displays are always a fun sight to see at this time of year. We begin our tour in the Fraser Heights neighborhood in Surrey just before the dusk.









From there we are off across the Fraser River to Maple Ridge to check out few beautiful houses in there.





It doesn't matter how small your yard is if you are a Christmas light fanatic - there is always a way.





Finally, we are onto Coquitlam to check out few houses near town center.





Final stop is Lafarge Lake where the annual Christmas light event is one of the best free events in whole Metro Vancouver each December.















It was a nice tour of some beautiful light installations which at this point is an annual tradition for us.

[Klazu]

Probably the most famous Christmas light installation is in Metro Vancouver is Miracle on Rae Street in Port Coquitlam, which lights the entire neighborhood!





The entire installation has over 200,000 lights, which must be a record for any private person.







The house and the yard are not even that big, but there is so much to see and explore here. It's a true joy for kids.









The Brindley family has been putting up an installation for over a decade and it is well-known in Vancouver, attracting some 10,000 visitors each December.







Everything is done for charity and the Brindley's raise thousands of dollars for local food bank each year. Based on my experience touring many Metro Vancouver Christmas lights each year, Rae Street sits on its own level and much of what is on display also changes every year!

[Tvisforme]

Lovely colours on those shots. What do you shoot with?

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Lovely colours on those shots. What do you shoot with?

These were taken with Canon 5D Mark III, but since then I have upgraded to Canon R5 Mark II.

[mrnyc]

wonderful pix — really puts you in the season thanks.

i cant believe they are charging money for holiday markets now, thats just crazy. somebody is doing that at one around here in brooklyn and there has been a lot of complaint — i mean come on given you go to them to spend money anyway. so silly.

[Klazu]

After hearing so much good about AnnaLena, we were very excited to give it a try last night. It is a small restaurant located in the Kitsilano neighborhood and has held 1 Michelin star since the guide started rating restaurants in Canada.



Inside the restaurant it is very dark and moody. Thanks to the small size of the venue, it is not very loud even though it is likely going to be full house each night.







The only item available is the $154 eight-course tasting menu, which can be "upgraded" with an additional $100 to come with caviar, truffle and grade 5 Wagyu meat. In our experience the upgrade is not worth the price, since the base menu is excellent on its own.



Some items on the menu change every six weeks or so, but there are a lot of permanent items on it, like this "cheeseburger", which was very tasty start to our dinner.

red storm, mimolette, elk tartare, tallow caramelized onion





More appetizer goodness.

oyster, shaved foie
market crudo, cherry, smoked ponzu



pork & chicken liver spring roll, preserved apricot, basil emulsion



baby beet, roasted sunchoke, nước chấm



There were two main courses, both of which were excellent and very filling.

charcoal sablefish, mushroom broth, alkaline noodle



beef bavette, braised cheek, charred cabbage, vadouvan, madeira jus





Onto desserts and boy were they good!

goat cheesecake, sourdough, quince, white chocolate



carrot ice cream, orange, tonka bean meringue



Final bit was a specialty not on the menu. It was essentially the best tastes of an apple pie, served on top of a sneaker, because why not?



We enjoyed our dinner greatly and it is no wonder that AnnaLena has held a Michelin star since 2022. Normally even fine dining restaurants serve something that one doesn't care for, but everything on AnnaLena's tasting menu here was very good.

It is no wonder that getting a reservation at this small restaurant is such a challenge, but the experience will be worth it!

[Murphy de la Sucre]

What language does daughter speak to daily bases? Finnish or English?

[Klazu]

You did already ask that back in March.

Originally Posted by Klazu

Finnish at home. English at daycare.

[Klazu]

Burnaby's Brentwood skyline on New Year's Eve.

[Klazu]

Few more from New Year's Day. Cloud city.

[Klazu]

Over the holidays we did visit Vancouver's Granville Island to check out the pre-Christmas atmosphere over there.





While it was cold and gray weather outside, inside the Market Hall it was nice and warm, and business was clearly booming.







I don't know, but there is something special about Granville Island and tends to be a nice visit at anytime in the year.











On the way back, we opted to take the Aquabus all the way to Science World. Despite its rather high price, is such a nice way to travel especially in cold weather.







Small and colorful ferries crisscrossing the False Creek are a local icon.

[Klazu]

Squamish Canyon is a brand new nature attraction with a nice 1.5 kilometer walk through some beautiful forest floor.







The attraction opened already back in August, but the crowds have yet to discover it, as it is pretty hidden. We happened to come across it on social media and decided to check it out.











Building and elevated walkway in middle of forest and over a deep canyon cannot have been easy or cheap. What they have done is very impressive and well implemented.











We visited in mid-January when the creek wasn't at its full flow.







One of the most impressive detail is how they have had to work around an active Forest Service Road and have the route go under the bridge. How they managed to retrofit everything is beyond me.





Mamquam Falls has been featured a lot on social media in recent years and the falls can still be accessed without paying the entry fee.





Towards the end there is a nice little cafe and children's playground.









While not cheap, we thought Squamish Canyon exceeded our expectations and was a worthwhile visit. There isn't a lot of reasons to visit more than once, but it is worth seeing and the crowds having not yet discovered it makes it nice and quiet compared to some other Squamish sights.

[Klazu]

The recent farewell event was the final opportunity for people to walk across the now-closed Pattullo Bridge one last time.





There is still some ongoing construction on the new Riverview Bridge, like the unfortunate installation of an ugly suicide fence across it.







Thousands of people defied the pouring rain to walk across the bridge one last time.













The 89-years-old bridge is in rough shape.











On south side an off-ramp is waiting for the old bridge to be demolished first.





It is going to be interesting to see the old bridge get demolished this spring.





Few people are still having hopes for the old bridge to be repurposed, but while a cool idea, it is totally nonviable due to the condition of the bridge.



And there you have it. Farewell to the old legend!

[Murphy de la Sucre]

what is the font of "Klaus Johansson Photography" watermark?