The Tall, Bronze, and Laughing Madmen of English Bay

I did not expect to be back in Vancouver so soon, a mere 3.5 years since our week-long Alaska cruise (chronicled here) that sailed from Canada Place. Of course, I loved Vancouver on my first visit - the walkable downtown, hip Yaletown, the dramatic setting (island surrounded by mountain ranges and water), the greenish modern condo buildings with floor-to-ceiling windows - the list goes on and on.

Remarkably, the Winter Olympics didn't really whet my appetite for a return visit. That's because while I find most fast-paced winter sports exciting and envy the graceful athletes going about their business, I'm totally inept at them, and would rather skip the slopes and head straight to the lodge for some apres-ski (or "no ski") hot chocolate.

View of downtown Vancouver from Granville Island

Anyway, I did make it back to Vancouver, since O. and I thought it'd make a great city pairing with Seattle on our Pacific Northwest road trip. In addition to its own merits, O. wanted to cross the border into Canada to garner the first immigration stamp on his heretofore unblemished machine-readable, chip-embedded passport, a plan that failed miserably as the border agent waived us to continue onwards after only perfunctory inquiries and nary a glance at our blue-covered documents.

Cod, salmon and flounder lunch at Tony's on Granville Island

We decided to take the "hop on, hop off" trolley for a couple days sightseeing, hitting such classic, not-to-be-missed attractions as Granville Island, Stanley Park, and Chinatown. Ok, the latter is somewhat missable, but the first two definitely are not. I loved Granville Island the first time around, and more so this time. The food at the public market and restaurants is fresh (if somewhat pricey), the views of downtown are amazing, and the general vibe is that of relaxed enjoyment.

In the mood for some exercise, the next day I walked along the seawall from the hotel to Stanley Park. It took me a bit longer than expected, what with all the stops for photos of Granville Island, the beaches on English Bay, and surrounding scenery. As I went away from the seawall towards Robson St. for lunch, I stumbled upon a small park where a group of fourteen tall, bronze statues were huddled together in a circle, with their faces contorted in different states of hysterical laughter.

Ecstatic, playful, overjoyed. Megamillions jackpot winner. Those adjectives came to mind as I scanned each bronze face, and I wondered, what do these statues represent? A small plaque provided the answers: The sculptures were part of the Vancouver Biennale public art exhibition with assorted artworks placed strategically in outdoor spaces all over town.

The laughing madmen, as I took to calling them, are officially called "A-maze-ing Laughter", by the Chinese artist Yue Minjun, and depicts his own iconic laughing image, with gaping grins and closed eyes in a state of hysterical laughter". And if you cynical types thought they looked TOO happy to be true, the plaque continues on to say, "The laughter appears to be convulsive, intense, and manic, but also insincere and forced".

Regardless, the laughing statues' hilarity proved infectious, and lifted my mood throughout the day. Made me doubly glad I was back in Vancouver.

Can't afford Europe? Quebec City is a hop, skip and jump away

If you're bemoaning the weakness of the US dollar vis-a-vis the Euro, unwilling to endure the enhanced TSA "pat down" molestation, or your inner Francophile is itching to parler Francais, then consider a quick getaway to the walled, UNESCO World Heritage site of Quebec City.

 The cradle of French civilization in the New World (i.e. North America), Quebec City's center is compact, easily walkable, quite photogenic, and full of nice little shops and restaurants. And yes, the language. Most Quebecois' first language is French (though most speak decent English as well), so first-time visitors could be forgiven if they think they've actually crossed the Atlantic.

Let it snow, let it snow...

My first trip to Quebec City was five years ago on a day-trip from Montreal. Who can forget the towering Chateau de Frontenac, walking along the Terrasse Dufferin promenade, and browsing the shops at Quartier Petit Champlain? Alas, an afternoon was too short to fully appreciate the charms of Quebec City, so I vowed to make it back someday.

That someday turned out to be the 4-day long Thanksgiving weekend here in the US. As you can see from the snow, perhaps it wasn't quite the most ideal time to visit, but with familiar sights like the majestic Chateau Frontenac perched on top of the cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence river, and the huge colorful mural depicting Quebec City's history, it felt like visiting an old friend's home.

Chateau de Frontenac

Exploring the Quartier Petit Champlain area in the Lower Town is always a pleasure, especially with all the holiday lights on display. Some new experiences for this repeat visitor include taking the ten-minute ride by ferry to Levis, situated on the other side of the St. Lawrence River, for a few drinks at the Corsaire microbrewery, and venturing outside the walls of Vieux Quebec to explore the food shops and restaurants in the St. Jean Baptiste neighborhood. One particularly great find was Le Billig, a creperie-bistro serving Breton cuisine where I had a sumptuous lunch.

Mural depicting Quebec City's history

If you're worried about the language barrier, suffice it to say that all the Quebecois locals and service industry staff whom I encountered spoke English well, suffered through my valiant attempts (somewhat successfully, I hope) to render basic greetings and phrases in their native tongue, and displayed none of the snobbery towards non-French speakers that I had been advised about.

festive Quartier Petit Champlain

Overall, I was quite pleased with my quick getaway to Quebec City, despite the frigid temps and occasional snow, and extremely delighted at my choice of accommodations, the Hosteling International Quebec City hostel (aka Auberge Internationale Quebec City). Not only was the hostel's location central, but it was kept quite clean (a must!) at all times, and offered activities that provided travelers opportunities to mingle. Surely a traipse across the pond could not have proved equally memorable.