So here we are. After a 4.30am start yesterday (I think), short bumpy flight to Heathrow and then a loooonnnng not-as-bumpy flight to Vancouver, we've arrived.

At the minute we're in Richmond due to a bit of confusion over timezones when we originally booked the trip. The last time both of us went away it was east, but we stupidly forgot that we were going west. It all got sorted though, so we've spent a night and a fairly dazed morning here. We decided to go to Tim Horton's for a coffee and something to nibble while we figured out how to spend our day, and it was pretty good. I can tick "Visit a Tim Hortons" off my list now.

I've learned a few things about Canada so far:

1. Everything is bigger. The cars, roads, trees, scenery... Although in TH a "medium" coffee is more like a "small".

2. When someone is being friendly, it does not necessarily mean that they want money.

3. Food courts are a baffling yet exciting experience (we don't really do those in Britland).

4. When you descend over a Canadian city (might extend to US cities too, not been there yet) before landing, the first thing you think of is SimCity.

5. Ice hockey is king. I knew that anyway, but when you walk past a hotel bar and all of the guys there are cheering at the hockey game instead of football (soccer) it's rather different. Nice different though, I like ice hockey.

6. After a post-flight nap and a shower, you feel more ready to face the world. It's nice to know that constant truths really are that no matter where you are.

I'm looking forward to heading into the city "proper" and wandering around looking for interesting things. It feels slightly limbo-ish where we are at the minute, but we'll see what happens :)