I awoke at 6.00AM and uncurled myself from the seat where I had spent the night, a seat which had cleverly managed to become only a fraction as comfortable as it had been before I had tried to use it as a bed. I already suspected that the observation car would quickly become one of the busiest places on the train, especially as it had been packed even before I got on board yesterday, so I decided to forego breakfast and haul my sorry ass - as they say over here -...

Okay, so I'm really excited to be setting off on my trip through the splendour of the Canadian Rockies and across nearly 3000 miles of Canada on the observation train, and I fully appreciate that the journey is going to take several days and that there will be plenty of time to take in the scenery along the way - but could somebody please explain to me exactly why we are setting off half way through the evening just as it's getting dark? Surely, all these tourist...

Note: This entry is a work in progress. When I have a few moments, I'll flesh it out and add more information about Butchard Gardens. For now, it gives a brief introduction to Vancouver Island based on the notes I made at the time, and should not be considered a complete entry. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, and is located on Vancouver Island - an island to be found just off the coast of mainland Canada which curiously has absolutely nothing to be ...

Having been in the city for a few days now, my favourite area of downtown Vancouver has got to be the interestingly named Gastown. The oldest section of the city, comprising just a few blocks along the riverfront, Gastown is a delightful collection of cobbled old world streets from another time - not a high rise office block in sight. In fact, nobody seems to have made any effort whatsoever to change the way things have always been here, and I simply wouldn't hav...

When it comes to describing Stuart and Emily's suburban home on the outskirts of Vancouver, I almost find myself lost for words. I think the expression I'm looking for rhymes with Plucky Dastards. Seriously, once you get out of the downtown area, suburban Vancouver - at least, the bit of it I've seen - is very much a collection of leafy tree lined avenues on gently sloping hillsides, filled with those curious gable-end houses with extra floors and attractive exte...