The great escape

And it's about time.  I need a break from the LOOK AT ME! / ME FIRST! lifestyle of Vancouver BADLY.  Getting a break from Vancouver weather does not hurt either.  When I check out of my motel at 11 am it is 0 degrees Celsius. Some driving school in Vancouver must teach its students that the drivers in front of the student's car are most happy if they see nothing but the student's radiator grill in their rear-view mirrors.  And after the students have been inhaling full concentration exhaust for a while by driving that close to the car in front, they might even believe it once the exhaust has carbon-monoxided their brain ;-)

I also note that downtown Vancouver looks like on one of those first colour photographs taken in the 60s or 70s, with that slight brownish patina superimposed over the natural colours. The only problem is, I'm not looking at a photograph, I'm looking at the real thing.  All those new car dealerships have changed the face of the city in more ways than one!

Goofy Airport !

Vancouver Airport is ALL NONSENSE as usual.

Ever since we figured out that a wheelchair lets you skip the long line-ups at security and customs, Grandma is happy to be wheeled around. This year I noticed that the standard wheelchair is MUCH WIDER than last year.  When I mention this to a WestJet employee, he blames the ever increasing width of the passengers' rear ends.
When Grandma orders a steak in the Canucks Bar & Grill (the only 'decent' restaurant available in the secure zone, unless one wants to 'dine' at Tim Hortons), she is informed that it is 'airport policy' not to give steak knives to the guests.  Grandma assures me that the regular knives are sharp enough even for non-food-related purposes.  I guess we have to be happy that we don't have to drink our wine out of plastic glasses and don't have to use plastic knives to cut our food.

 

Grandma can't make sense of that knife-nonsense either !

While my grandmother is happy with her steak, my Fish & Chips comes in close to the bottom of all F&Cs I have ever eaten. Too bad the price comes in at the very top of all those F&Cs. $18 for an order of Fish and Chips that tastes something like fish sticks. When I mention to the waitress that this was probably the most expensive and worst Fish & Chips I ever had, the manager does the honourable thing and takes it off the bill. Thank you Canucks.

Then, mercifully, it's time to board the WestJet plane.