Airport Emotions
This year has seen me taking a fair number of runs to the
international airport in Vancouver to welcome friends and family who have come
to visit us in
our Canadian home.
There’s nothing quite like waiting behind the glass panels in the International Arrivals lounge looking to spot that familiar face.
Flight delays or your own timing of the journey to the airport can leave you with some time to fill. Iona Island, a very short distance from the airport, makes an ideal retreat to pass some time. It is a 4km spit that juts out into the Georgia Strait. http://www.geog.ubc.ca/richmond/city/Iona.htm. Many wouldn’t think of Richmond as picturesque but, as ever in Vancouver, this is still a scenic walk. Depending on wind direction, you may find yourself walking directly under the flight path, which adds its own entertainment factor.
Alternatively, a short drive will take you to South Terminal – home to “The Flying Beaver.” http://markjamesgroup.com/flyingbeaver.html There’s a great little pub at this location where the charter seaplanes take off and land giving fantastic views to watch all the action whilst enjoying a meal and beverage. They also do a cracking fish and chips, but please note this is a bar, so children aren’t allowed.
Of course you could always just hang out in the arrivals area. You can’t help but smile as you watch others greet their nearest and dearest and it only heightens your own anticipation of seeing loved ones again. The flip side of all this however is that there’s a goodbye in the not too distant future. After a recent visit from my sister I was feeling particularly sorry for myself so if you too are hit by the goodbye blues at Vancouver Airport here’s a few ideas to help lighten the mood while you’re in the Vancouver area – most of these suggestions have a bit of a girly bias but hey, blokes don’t get emotional anyway. Do they?
- Rent a cruiser bike and cycle round the Stanley Park Seawall.
- Go for a swim at Jerico Beach (or if it’s too chilly, opt for the heated outdoor pool at Second Beach).
- Bye a latte and a trashy magazine and read celebrity gossip as world goes by.
- Pop in to a nail bar for an instant manicure.
- Visit the Shiatsu Massage Centre at Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver for some R & R. http://www.shiatsupractor.com/en-nv
- Book yourself on an afternoon whale watching tour – get out on the water and feel amazed at the sight of orca’s round our B.C coastline.
- Browse the market at Granville Island, stopping off for a play at the ball room in the Kids Only Market (no, you’re never too old!)
- Go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard – oh so not good it’s really good – be really daring and take a packet of “Nerds” sweets and ask then to blitz it, trust us, it’s seriously good.
- Drive up Cyprus Mountain to the look out point, drink in the view and remind yourself why you moved to Beautiful British Columbia. You may even see the plane leaving the airport and can wave off your family. Be content in the knowledge that they’ll definitely want to come back.