Five Wonderful Whistler Days!

Last week, we got to spend 5 days in my favourite place in Canada! I hope you're not sick of Whistler pictures yet because I'm certainly not sick of taking them! Byron's dad and brothers came to visit and so  they treated us to a fun little ski/snowboard break while they were here! 

As the only skier in the group, I took up the position of resident photographer since I had to do something to fill the time that they spent faffing with their bindings every day! 

The weather started off pretty overcast.  The first day we arrived it was raining in Whistler village, and the views up the mountain were non existent.  There wasn't much fresh snow falling either but that didn't stop us having fun...

I like to think they were talking tactics here! but in reality...Kevin was probably checking which chairlift we were headed to next because in our early days we had a few miscommunication problems and people ended up going different ways...and sometimes getting lost! Fortunately as the week went on we improved with this and were able to stick together better! 

After our first day on the slopes we headed to Dusty's.  A restaurant just behind our hotel, that specialised in BBQ - a Braithwaite fave!

I went with my must have - a pulled pork burger! 

and By and Ja got some brisket sandwiches which were equally as tasty!

Cam and Kevin went for ribs...what else! It was definitely a delish intro to the foodie side of things at Whistler!

On the second morning, once the boys had adjusted to Canadian time (sort of) we decided to make the most of an early start.  When we got to the top of the mountain the sun was peeking through the clouds behind the groomers that were parked up for the day.  It was a cool scene!

and we didn't pass another person on our first run of the day which was pretty sweet! 

I insisted on taking this touristy pic with the Canadian flags!

and by the end of the day they were getting pretty good at posing for my pics!

and then, finally, on our third day the clouds parted to reveal BLUE skies! and the sun came out! and it was amazing! 

We also found our best powder that day after taking the Harmony chair up to Symphony bowl. 

  

We found this cute tea hut at the top too!

We skied down through Symphony amphitheatre which is pretty cool because you can just make your own tracks wherever you please.  We then started to ski off piste towards the backcountry to find the best deepest snow...and we pretty much stayed there the rest of the day! With views like this wouldn't you...

At the start of the day no one else had discovered our secret place yet and so we pretty much had it to ourselves and were putting down fresh tracks.  Of course, it didn't last that way for long but we enjoyed it while it did! and then we moved onto some awesome gladed runs, skiing and boarding between the trees and over little jumps and twists and turns! I even surprised myself at just how far I've come...but had a fair few crashes too to remind myself I haven't been it at for that long! but after my first day of not falling over once I realised falling over wasn't a sign of bad skiing but a sign that you were taking risks! So from then I took more risks and had more falls, but definitely had more fun! which is what counts in my opinion!

Here is a little 30 second vid I made of the boys putting down their tracks off piste.  It's no go pro standard by any means but a fun way for you to see how out on our own we were!

Blue skies certainly bring the chill factor with them though.  It was -12 at the top and some of those high chairlifts were pretty chilly with the wind blowing in your face! Fortunately we were well prepared and our face masks kept us warm! 

I loved the reflections you could always see in Jarryd's goggles! 

This sunbeam came down to reveal glistening little droplets, it was so beautiful! My little point and shoot camera didn't capture it too well but you get the idea! I think it's when the moisture in the air freezes...whatever it is, I was loving it! 

Couldn't you just stare at that view all day long!

After a perfect day on the slopes, we hit up the tube park! We have wanted to do some tubing since we arrived! 

It's a pretty cool setup with tons of tracks, unfortunately we got there pretty late in the evening and they had closed all the lanes except one! So there were some pretty long queues for that one lane! 

They asked you at the top before they flung you down if you wanted a spin or not before being released...all of us young'uns opted for spins! and wow! the ride was definitely waaaay faster than I anticipated!

but sooooo much fun too! By nearly lost his hat on his tube down, so he had to take it off mid spin! I know this pics a bit blurry but I feel it captures the fun!

After we'd worked up an appetite we headed into the village to find some dinner.  Whistler has tons of gourmet restaurants to choose from...but sometimes you just can't beat burgers and shakes at Splitz grill! Although they wouldn't be considered 'gourmet', they are in my book!

I stuck to the legendary Splitz whilst the boys were far more adventurous with their salmon and bison burgers! and I introduced everyone to the best shakes in B.C (that we've come across so far!) Double thick Oreo...and Chocolate/Peanut Butter.  You know they're good when you've been tubing in the cold, and then wondering around the village in -2 trying to remember where Splitz is and you have to drink them with your coats on! and you still enjoy them! haha

For our final day on the slopes, we headed back to our fave spots of Symphony bowl and the gladed runs off Adagio.  

For our last lunch we grabbed a quick bite on the mountain, to ensure we didn't waste any precious skiing time and also because you can't come to Canada without trying two super Canadian dishes: beavertails and poutine! It's the classic tourist meal! and it's not a proper trip to Whistler unless you've indulged in both! I think the boys were suitably impressed with their peanut butter drenched beavertail especially since it was covered in reese's pieces - they are serious reese's fans! 

I snapped this shot on our last run of the trip.  You can see Whistler Creekside below and our hotel very far in the distance! This is the run we used to ski down at the end of each day which would land us right at the door of our hotel which was pretty sweet! 

On our last ski day we stayed on the mountain for as long as possible and so when we skied down it was just us a lot of the time! It was always nice to get back to our suite...turn on the fire and put our feet up with some hot chocolate and cake! and then we'd promptly head down to the hot tub and soak our aching bones! It was a daily routine I could certainly get used to that's for sure!

On our last night, we did indulge in some gourmet food at Rim Rock Cafe.  

It was a rather upmarket affair and so I didn't think it was appropriate to be snapping pics, needless to say my maple roasted pork chop was amazing and most of the boys got fancy seafood dishes which they enjoyed.  I managed to sneak the worst shot in the world, due to the poor lighting, of my root beer! but it had to be done because this is the best brand of root beer I have ever tried! Check out the head on that!

On our final morning before heading back to Vancouver, we had a blissful lie in which was pretty nice after all our early starts! I picked up the camera to take a few pics around the suite.  This was our view from our balcony of the run we used to ski down at the end of each day...plus we all know I love a bit of icicle action!

There were just enough sofas that we could all collapse and sprawl out after coming in the door each evening! They served us well! 

By whipped us up a special departing breakfast...

of a giant stack of pancakes, with bacon and maple syrup of course! and we sadly made our way back to Vancouver!

We stopped off to check out Shannon Falls along the way, which was a good thing because as soon as we reached the shores of Vancouver it rained non stop until they all went home! so we got to squeeze in a little bit of nature for them! 

The whole Sea to Sky Highway that runs between Whistler and Vancouver is just covered with provincial parks and waterfalls and areas of outstanding natural beauty - I know it's going to be so awesome when summer rolls around! 

Until then, as long as your bundled up good it's still nice to get out and about to see them!

and that was the end of our Whistler fun with the fam! Well done if you made it to the end of this post, it was a rather long one!

Nadira's North Wales Adventures!

On Thursday my friend from uni, Nadira, came to stay! Her timing couldn't have been more perfect...on Wednesday I did my last exam and was ready for some serious celebrating but unfortunately my partner in crime Byron had left the day before to go back to Milton Keynes to start the job hunt and so if Nadira hadn't been around this weekend it would have been a very lonely celebratory one indeed! 

I met Nadira when I was in my 2nd year at Reading Uni as she was on the same corridor as me in our halls of residence.  In my first year I had been rather unfortunate with the people I ended up sharing a corridor with and so I was definitely hoping my 2nd year experience was going to be better! and thanks to Nadira, Nicola and Leanne it definitely was! 

Last time I saw Nadira was over some rather delicious milkshakes and burgers at Tinseltown last September.  I was just about to head to North Wales and we put a date in the diary for when she was going to come and visit me - May 18th.  There have been many offers of people saying they were going to come and visit us whilst we have been here but most of them come to nothing...there is nothing I love more in a friend than a person who keeps their word! and keep her word she did - she even arrived a day earlier May 17th so we had 3 wonderful days to have as much fun as possible! 

Let's face it - any weekend that starts off with a whole box of delicious cheesecakes is going to be a great one! 

So let's let the pictures do the talking (and please excuse my Morticia style hair - I had an accident with a bottle of hair dye!)

Our first stop was Bodnant Garden, an 80 acre National Trust property full of amazing beautifully landscaped gardens.  I was a bit worried it wasn't going to be amazing, many of the attractions we have checked out around here have been slightly disappointing but I needn't have worried because Bodnant was pretty spectacular! 

It's always good to have helpful gardeners willing to move their wheelbarrows out the way just to take a nice picture for you! 

Here I am in front of the rather impressive Bodnant Hall which was built in 1792.

I also tried to get a little arty with some of the amazing flowers on display, but my manual lens work does need a little work clearly! 

The beautiful Nadira colour co-ordinating perfectly with those red flowers in the background! 

Bodnant has some amazing flowers! apparently they come from as far flung places as North America, China and even Japan

and everything is just laid out so beautifully too! 

This place was called The Pin Mill, I liked the reflection of the building in the large stretch of water in front of it.

and I absolutely loved the roof of the Old Mill - the yellow was so vibrant! 

Nad smelling some of the pretty flowers! 

These were our favourite, we had never seen any like it before.

The website describes spending a day at Bodnant as a 'feast for the senses' and that is exactly what it was! 

Everywhere you looked there were vibrant coloured flowers popping out at you! The fuschia pink flowers which dominate throughout the gardens are called Amoenum.

We sat on this bench for a while admiring the waterfall below, and the railings proved handy for snapping a self timer pic of the both of us! 

It wasn't just the flowers that amazed us at Bodnant, the trees were also spectacular! Here's Nad trying (and failing) to hug the whole circumference of this one! 

and check out the size of that one!!! to the right you can see a person walking along just to put it into perspective! 

Towards the end of our visit the sun came out! which was amazing! when we arrived it was drizzling and we had umbrellas up so we were more than ready for some sunshine! (and some much needed warmth!)

We asked a very nice French man to snap this picture for us just to prove that for a short while at least the sun did make an appearance! 

and here's a shot to prove it, probably the first one where we both actually have our coats off!! (and gloves Nadira!)

and what's even better than finding a great attraction in Wales that actually turned out great? a great restaurant too! I had read all about the Dutch Pancake House but as I'm such a fan of My Old Dutch in London I was a bit hesitant to try it out but since there aren't many other options we gave it a try! 

and I've got to say if you've got a spare 3 hours then by all means give it a try, haha...no jokes, the service was terrible and there was only one other table occupied! who knows what they do when they are busy!

but we sort of let them off because we were having so much fun chatting away, and because the pancakes were actually surprisingly tasty! We shared a savoury cheese and mushroom one...

and the coconut and pineapple one for dessert was pretty spectacular too! 

I'm a sucker for details so I loved these little clogs that they used to serve you the bill! 

As we drove back home along the scenic route, Nad wanted to stop for a shot with these sheep who were just roaming free...

she decided that as much as you hear people joke about it that there really are SOOO many sheep in Wales! the rumours are definitely true! 

and we ended the day with a jumping shot taken at Synchants Pass, and of course a big slice of cheesecake when we got home!!

Stay tuned for the next part of our adventures when I actually discover another tasty place to eat - 2 in a row! I know, I even surprised myself!