Granville Island

The Mr. and I had a little getaway last week. We took off on Wednesday afternoon and made our way to Granville Island. It's a little Island near down town Vancouver that is almost impossible to find if you don't know where you are going. At least for us it was! We had maps as well as printed and verbal directions and neither of those helped. Once we were on the island, I knew I would love it there. We made our way to the Eastern edge of the Island where the Granville Island Hotel is located. It is the only place to stay on the small Island but it is a pretty neat hotel. It is right on the water and has a sort of style that is different than a normal hotel. The floors were marble, the furniture and rugs were deep dark colors and our room had a window that looked out over the park, marina and water.







After getting settled in our room, we walked to the Public Market, where we were blown away by what was available. Amazing cheeses, deli meats, sausages and dry meats, fresh ready to cook pork, beef, poultry and about every type of seafood imaginable. One place had all sorts of meats pre-marinated and ready to bake or grill, they looked and smelled amazing. It is so weird to see rows and rows of raw meats under a counter. It is so different than the grocery store where everything is either frozen or wrapped in plastic. I just couldn't bring myself to take photos of all the meat, so these pretty flowers and fruit will have to do. :)

Fresh pasta!

Flowers and tropical greenery were everywhere, whether in bouquets, potted or freshly cut for your own arranging. There were pastas, pastries, chocolates, cookies, fancy cakes and cheesecakes, candy booths, fresh local honey, organic vegetables and fruits of all sorts. Seashells, art, crafts, clothing, baby blankets and jewelry were also to be found. There are also tea shops, herbal shops and coffee bean shops.

The food court in the market is a fun place to eat, and we ate dinner there. They have lots of ethnic foods and there aren't any chain restaurants there, so they are all mom and pop type places. My favorite was the pierogies, smoked sausages and cabbage rolls because those are my favorite foods to eat home made at my grandma's house. They also had Chinese, Japanese and Indian foods. Lots of fresh veggies and curries, sushi, soups, sandwiches, organic salads like lentil, bean or couscous. It was just amazing. Can you tell I like food?! It was just neat to see all the foods from different cultures and it was so difficult to choose what you wanted to try first. I definitely want to visit Granville Island again... and again.