First of all,
welcome to the year 2013 everyone! Happy new year, although it is a little late. I wish everyone good health, and happiness in the upcoming year. I am playing a little bit of catch up today, to recap the Christmas/winter festivities during my break. Vancouver weather was a bit unforgiving the day my family and I visited the
Festival of Lights at Vandusen Garden (it wouldn`t stop raining) and when Jerkface and I visited the
Vancouver Christmas Market at the Queen Elizabeth Plaza downtown (it was really cold and it hailed). I tried to take photographs all the same, the majority of which sadly ended up quite blurry. But I did attend both events at night, so I apologize for the (lacking) quality of the pictures! Here we go :)
Vandusen Garden was transformed into a beautiful display of lights, and the enormous effort to set it all up is a good explanation for the ~$15 admission fee.
(There is family admission for two adults and their children under
19 available for $32.50, and children get to sit on Santa`s lap and take photos along with admission fee.)
There is BBQ food available for purchase, as well as the beloved hot
cocoa of the season to accompany the lively Christmas carols (most of
which are modern remakes of the classics) blasting on concealed speakers. I couldn`t take many photos whilst holding an umbrella trying to keep the camera dry and snapping photos one-handedly at the same time: I highly recommend picking a non-rainy day to attend next year because it will make your visit more enjoyable and allow for better photography, even if those nights are rare to expect in Vancouver.
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| These flowers are the tops of water bottles cut jaggedly in half with a light placed at the opening, these were genius! |
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| There was a light show on the water that I was unable to capture with one photograph :( |
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The rain ruined this adorable section of the exhibit: the ground was incredibly muddy! But in here you`ll find many gingerbreadmen :)
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Jerkface and I purchased tickets from The Red Pocket on a whim a few nights later for the
Vancouver Christmas Market downtown
(My bestie J introduced The Red Pocket to me, and it`s a great place to find deals in Vancouver: anything from all-you-can-eat hot pot or high tea to a wine tasting or a car wash, there`s probably a deal for it here.). I had had a brief conversation about German Christmas markets with my friend J who lives in Germany, and had only just said I really wanted to see what they were like, before I discovered Vancouver actually has one of its own. I doubt it resembles the real thing at all, but I wanted to see it anyway. We purchased a deal that included entrance for two and two carousel rides for a total of $8.
(Entrance fees were $5 per person, and a carousel ride was $3 per person, so it was almost like a buy one get one promo. All entries included a re-entry pass valid until Christmas eve with or without this deal.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the vendors actually spoke German to each other, that it was not a bunch of tables and tents pushed together, and save the hurricane potato stand that seemed a little out of place (recycled from the Richmond night market), it all looked amazing. The carousel was one where the horses themselves moved up and down, which I had never experienced before (usually the ground moves) and it surprisingly made a difference in a good way. It began to hail when we neared the front of the line up for the carousel, but it stopped hailing when the ride ended which was lovely timing. There was also an amazing display of ornaments and other Christmas decorations in a shop at the far end of the market, but unfortunately they did not allow cameras inside so I cannot even show you the masterpieces that I could not afford to purchase. They were remarkable.
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| The signage was a legitimate and sturdy thing, which was a good sign (Get it? A good SIGN? Sorry hehe) |
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| The decorations were great, there was a choir singing Christmas carols: it was all very festive. |
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| Despite the atrocious prices (no surprise really), I was devastated that they were sold out! |
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| A close up of the vendors.. I suppose you could call these cabins? Whatever they`re called, they look great! |
This winter, I wanted to be more involved in the festivities and events going on in the city. Last year I went to
Bright Lights in Stanley Park which I found amazing, save the miniature train ride that was really meant for children. It inspired the curiosity about what other events were being held during the holidays. This year I chose the Festival of Lights and the Christmas Market, and next year I will be on the hunt for more things to do! Perhaps something indoors next year, so it`s less cold for a change :)
As a UBC student I am back to school tomorrow morning, which is preposterous... But I am excited for the
3rd Annual Hot Chocolate Festival coming up at the end of the month.. YUM! Happy new year again to those who read to the end of this very long post!
Jerkface and I purchased tickets from The Red Pocket on a whim a few nights later for the Vancouver Christmas Market downtown (My bestie J introduced The Red Pocket to me, and it`s a great place to find deals in Vancouver: anything from all-you-can-eat hot pot or high tea to a wine tasting or a car wash, there`s probably a deal for it here.). I had had a brief conversation about German Christmas markets with my friend J who lives in Germany, and had only just said I really wanted to see what they were like, before I discovered Vancouver actually has one of its own. I doubt it resembles the real thing at all, but I wanted to see it anyway. We purchased a deal that included entrance for two and two carousel rides for a total of $8. (Entrance fees were $5 per person, and a carousel ride was $3 per person, so it was almost like a buy one get one promo. All entries included a re-entry pass valid until Christmas eve with or without this deal.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the vendors actually spoke German to each other, that it was not a bunch of tables and tents pushed together, and save the hurricane potato stand that seemed a little out of place (recycled from the Richmond night market), it all looked amazing. The carousel was one where the horses themselves moved up and down, which I had never experienced before (usually the ground moves) and it surprisingly made a difference in a good way. It began to hail when we neared the front of the line up for the carousel, but it stopped hailing when the ride ended which was lovely timing. There was also an amazing display of ornaments and other Christmas decorations in a shop at the far end of the market, but unfortunately they did not allow cameras inside so I cannot even show you the masterpieces that I could not afford to purchase. They were remarkable.
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