Vivacious vancouver

We drove across the bridge the next morning to visit Vancouver's northern shore and experience the amazing temperate forest hidden away from the city's crowds.

The prime attraction across the bridge was another bridge - the Capilano Suspension Bridge that hangs over the lush forest.

It swayed and rattled, and unnerved many visitors, while a serene brook meandered below. We'd traversed a suspension bridge before, so we knew how to balance on it.

The other attraction was the "cliff walk", the concept of which is similar to that of the Grand Canyon Skywalk in Arizona in the United States. The only difference is that from the cliff walk, one can see forest below, while Arizona's skywalk offers views of rock formations.

Riding a cable car or a gondola over the mountains offers convenience and exceptional views. The beauty below and the joy of reaching a mountain without having to climb a single step were quite pleasant.

The gondola took us to Grouse Mountain, which is basically a ski resort. But it can be visited year-round. There are plenty of attractions for all kinds of visitors. For us, the wind turbine and the animal refuge center were interesting, apart from the sweeping vistas of Vancouver.

I expected the wildlife refuge to be more interactive. Rather, the fact that its endangered animals are protected gave peace of mind.

We returned to the city, hungry. Vancouver is multicultural and offers a plethora of cuisines from around the globe.

We'd enjoyed our fair share of Chinese, Japanese and Indian fare.

We wanted to try something different - Ukrainian. We dined on salad olivieh, borscht (beetroot soup), cabbage rolls and perogies (dumplings).

The feast, like the rest of the trip, was simply mind-blowing.