Final day

Our last day of what seems to have been a very long holiday. San Francisco feels like ages ago! Having stored our luggage at the hotel, we headed for Stanley Park, a huge park close to downtown. There's a sea wall right round the edge, and we walked a fair chunk of it to see Vancouver's slightly less impressive version of the Golden Gate Bridge, Lions Head Bridge. Some people might prefer the green colour. For lighthouse fans (or maybe it's just me), there's an example you can walk right through.

In the afternoon, we went to the aquarium and saw among other things the beluga whales, and the sea otters. Then we went to the area of waterfront known as Coal Harbour, and watched the boats and sea planes until it was time to pick up our luggage and get a taxi to the airport.

There was a bit of a queue at the BA First class check in, but having access to fast-track security meant we were through very quickly. We're now sat in the lounge (although there's no dedicated First lounge in Vancouver), and the flight leaves in about two hours from now.

It's been a fantastic holiday. It was great re-visiting San Francisco, and finding that nothing seemed to have changed in the last few years. The Oregon coast was spectacular, with one amazing view following another; and Astoria was a really pleasant surprise, and certainly had the best hotel. The drive through Washington wasn't as interesting Oregon: lots of straight roads through trees, and often well away from the coast. But Seattle was good, even though it was the only place we got any real rain. Victoria was charming, a bit like an upmarket English seaside holiday, and the whale watching and sea plane rides were real highlights. I had no sense of what Vancouver would be like, but I can see why people enjoy living there. The city has a nice feel, and the mountains provide some dramatic scenery. We're looking forward to coming back here next February, when we ski in Whistler.