Sat 30/9 - Almost 5000 miles

4800 miles according to the in-flight display screen on my seat, is the distance from Heathrow to Vancouver flying via Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and then heading south west over Northern & Western Canada.

The Hoppa bus was already waiting when we went to leave the Premier Inn so we didn't have time to check out or leave our room keys behind - we just ran for the bus. Check-in using the automated machines at the airport didn't print any bag tags so we had to queue for a person anyway. Other than leaving my glasses case in my pocket when going through security (and needing to be frisked!) there were no hiccups. We had time for a coffee and cake before boarding started.

We had good seats at the front of the economy section with plenty of legroom. I checked and was pleased to see we have the same seats on the flight home. The flight was delayed by 40 mins at takeoff but this didn't seem to matter as we arrived on time anyway. On the flight we had chicken and roast veg with a side salad and a dessert. Later they served hot wraps before we landed - I had the meatball one and Margaret had the veggie option. In between times they dimmed the cabin lights and we tried to get some sleep. I think I managed to doze for a bit but it was noisy, even with ear plugs.

We opted for a taxi into Vancouver and the traffic was heavy on the way into town. We checked into our hotel (Sutton Place Hotel) and we're on the 14th floor - they have incredibly fast lifts that get you to the upper floors in no time at all and the floor to ceiling windows in the room are quite vertigo inducing. We got directions and some maps from the concierge and walked down Burrard Street to the harbour front at Canada Place where a huge cruise ship (Nieuw Amsterdam) was in port.

(Above: Vancouver Harbourside; View from 14th floor of Sutton Place Hotel)

We walked around the harbour area for a bit, soaking up the views of the tree covered hills across the bay and watched the harbour flight seaplanes taking off and landing. We decided to grab a meal at Mahoney & Son on the harbourside and were given a table in the corner away from the worst of the loud music (good music - but loud!) and with a view of the cruise ship. We watched it leave as we ate (fish and chips for me, chowder for Margaret) then we walked back up Burrard Street to the hotel, stopping off at Subway to get some rolls.

We were both worn out by the time we got back to the room at 7pm, Margaret especially. We showered and washed some clothes and eventually settled down to sleep at 8pm, which because of the time difference, equated to 4am UK time! Hopefully we won't wake too early and will get sort of adjusted to the new time zone. I fell asleep listening to the traffic 14 floors below, punctuated by the sound of police sirens.