Olympics 2010

It has been on our Bucket List for a long time and we can now cross it off- we got to experience the Olympics!  With this being our 10th year of marriage, we decided a while back that it would be great to celebrate by treating ourselves to a trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.  We started making preparations over a year and a half ago.  My sister was able to enter a ticket lottery for Canadians in which we got 2 events- curling and hockey.  Last month, we decided to splurge and buy some more tickets from StubHub.  I don't say "splurge" lightly- it was costly, but we really wanted to see short track speed skating.  We flew out from Fresno on Feb. 14 (we spent Valentine's Day and Vietnamese New Year traveling!) and were incredibly blessed to be able to stay with our friends, Thao and Peter's parents the entire week.  They were so generous and welcoming.  My sister spent the week with us, and my brother and sis-in-law, and Thao, Peter, and their daughter Sam were able to spend some time with us for a few days as well.  There is so much that I could blog about, but due to limited time and space, here's as short of a summary as I can write!

DAY ONE
*Robson St.

As soon as we met up with Sarah, Thao, and Sam, we immediately headed to downtown Vancouver.  Peter, Peter (aka: PT my brother), and Teresa met up with us on Robson St. and we walked around.  Robson St. is a major attraction in Vancouver.  During these games, a huge portion of it has been blocked off for pedestrian traffic.  It was crazy to be there- Canada just got its first gold medal in Canada earlier that day, so people were really celebrating.  All week long, the energy and patriotic pride was evident everywhere. 

*Olympic Cauldron

There has been major criticism regarding the cauldron- there is a chainlink fence surrounding the whole thing due to security concerns (the riots that happened after the Opening Ceremony).

*Olympic Superstore

Somehow, we managed to get into the Olympic Superstore without waiting in line (maybe because it was 11:30pm).  I wish we would've known how busy that place was so we could have gotten all our souvenirs that night.  There have been major lineups, with people waiting over an hour just to get in.

DAY TWO

*Vietnamese home cooked meals

We woke up to a huge Vietnamese breakfast courtesy of Peter's mom.  Every day this week, she has had iced Vietnamese coffees ready first thing in the morning for us.

*Skytrain
Jason LOVES using public transportation and we got to use plenty of it.     
*Yaletown

We took Skytrain to one of the live venues, Livecity Yaletown.  There were huge screens set up to watch the Olympics.  Unlike NBC's coverage here in the States, the games are being broadcast live in Canada.

*Waterfront

We walked along the waterfront to see the Athletes Village across False Creek (it is inaccessible by the public), inukshuks (rock sculptures created to stand as landmarks, trailheads)

*Sushi and Bubble Tea (We ate a lot of Asian food this trip!  Jason even tried pig ears and a calpis bubble tea drink)

DAY THREE

*Workout

Can you believe that we worked out while on vacation?!  Found a nearby community center and got free admission simply for being from out-of-town.  I wish Fresno had community centers- this one had gyms, an ice rink, a fitness center, library, and daycare.  It was a packed place!

*North Vancouver

Our friend, Bobby, drove us to Lynn Canyon, just north of the city.  We crossed a suspension bridge (not Capilano Suspension Bridge) and hiked to Twin Falls.  Next, we went to Cleveland Dam.  We also stopped by a salmon hatchery, but were too late by 20 mins.

*Curling: Canada vs. Germany, China vs. France, USA vs. Norway

Much to everyone's surprise, curling was a really fun event to go to.  If you still haven't figured out what it is, the best way for me to describe it is that it's like shuffleboard on ice.  There were 3 games being played simultaneously.  Anyway, Canada beat Germany, but Norway beat the US.  Imagine 5000 excited and screaming fans- trust me, it was fun!

DAY FOUR

*Dim Sum

We met up once again with PT, Teresa, Thao and some other friends for a late Chinese-style brunch called dim sum. Usually, I only get to eat it once in Edmonton- this year, looks like I'll get to eat it at least twice!

*Short Track Speed Skating:  Women's 500 M Quarterfinals/Semifinals/Finals, Men's 1000 M Qualifying Heats, Men's 5000 M Relay SemiFinals 

I don't have enough words to express how very cool it was to see this event.  It was awesome!  I get to say now that I saw Apolo Ohno and JR Celski race in person.  It was interesting to see how the events are run when the cameras aren't on.  There were strict guidelines about use of flash and spectator noise immediately before the racers are called to the start line.  Still, there were tons of false starts due to cowbells being prematurely rung or spectators yelling out loud.  It was also very cool to see an event from beginning to finish (the quarters, semis, and finals).

*Richmond O Zone

This was another live venue.  We went late at night to see if we could catch a great band.  We saw Hawksley Workman, a Canadian band.  Kind of weird, but they grew on us.

DAY FIVE

*Gastown

Another touristy area in downtown Vancouver.  We walked around before heading to Canada Hockey Place.

*Hockey: Canada vs. Switzerland

We knew we didn't have the best seats in the arena, but seriously, we were the very top row!  It worked out great because we still had amazing views of the action and were able to sit/stand however we wanted without getting in anyone's way.  The game was insanely close so it was exciting!  To be among the crowd when the game winner was scored in the shootout was amazing!

*Livecity Downtown Vancouver

We waited in line to get into Livecity, then waited in line to get into Canada House, then waited in line to pose with the Stanley Cup.  Unfortunately, our picture turned out blurry, but still- we got to touch the Stanley Cup!

DAY SIX

*Granville Island

This is another major tourist attraction in Vancouver.  It is a really artsy area.  The highlight is the Public Market, which is very similar to a Farmer's Market.  The place is packed with vendors selling fresh, local products as well as items made locally.  So cool!

*Russia House

Many countries (and every Canadian province) have set up pavilions around Vancouver to highlight their culture and bring attention to their nation.  Russia House set up in Science World, and since they are the next host country of the Winter Olympics, everyone wanted to know more about them.

*Commerical Drive

We stayed very close to this popular street that is filled with one-of-a-kind businesses and were able to enjoy several meals in restaurants in this area.  On our last evening, we were able to watch Men's Skeleton on a big screen before calling it a night.  

We didn't have internet access this past week- sorry to everyone who has been checking our blog regularly for updates! We have tons and tons of pictures- I tried to pick the best ones for our photo albums along the right side of our blog.  Hope this summary gives you an idea of how much fun we had on our trip!    GO CANADA, GO!