Creating Memories: A Weekend on Granville Island

by Lu Sobredo

The LU TRAVELS ABROAD BLOG doesn't just cover stories about travel experiences in Europe; granted that was the inspiration for creating a travel blog site and a corresponding travel Facebook page.

I was able to travel abroad this past summer after almost three years of limited mobility. It came as no surprise that I quickly warmed to the idea of a trip across the border with my husband. A planned business trip for him; not a planned trip for me. Obviously, the travel fever of summertime lurched into fall without much objection from me. Thus, a photo essay: Creating Memories: A Weekend in Granville Island, images from our jaunt in late September to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.

Although I did not plan to join my husband on this travel, I was grateful I did. Once again, I felt the thrill of preparing for a trip outside the country, even though the other country is pretty much next door. The recently renewed US Passport was definitely getting its intended use. I repacked the small suitcase that came with me to Europe this past summer. I chose to take with me only lightweight items to wear, perfect for layering. It was wise to anticipate that we would encounter mostly intermittent cold and wet weather. After all, the Pacific Northwest is known for its precipitation, a welcome change for someone from a drought-stricken California.

This photo essay is a celebration of another milestone for my health journey. I am celebrating my new normal, living and continuing to travel with a chronic illness. Additionally, visiting Granville Island meant reuniting with a place where my husband took the family for a driving vacation on a budget in the summer when our son was turning seven. It was a place where we spent a few days before we headed to Victoria for our honeymoon more than two decades before. The unplanned trip was overflowing with memories of utterly moving significance. It was like unexpectedly opening a gift box bursting with surprises.

The flight to Vancouver got us reacquainted with airports, train stations and taxi rides similar to some of our routine in Europe. I have now come to accept that train stations are different from country to country. However, there seems to be an uneasiness that sits in the pit of my stomach, which goes along with purchasing train tickets, using a credit card at stand-alone kiosks, and facing an uncertainty on which train station to disembark. I swear, it was like learning the process all over again. Tourists asking each other what-to-do, how-to-get-somewhere, etc. was common place. Realizing that the feeling of uncertainty and newness is part of the adventure, I took things in stride. Knowing full well, I was traveling with a seasoned traveler in my husband, I was able to exhale and release anxiety that tended to creep up every now and then. Once I concentrated on living in the moment after reaching our hotel in Vancouver, I excitedly took photos with my iPhone as if it was my first time visiting the place.

I am delighted to share these photos. I know that our preferred travels are usually a month long or longer. But a weekend proved rejuvenating without having to spend too much. Airfare was at low season rates and so was the hotel accommodation.

Vancouver Skyline from Granville Island. Photo ©James Sobredo 2016

Caribbean Lobster at the Sandbar. Photo ©James Sobredo 2016

The Photographer Chatting about Photography. Photo ©James Sobredo 2016

I had so much fun taking a leisurely stroll, aided by my trusted walking so I could be one with the place. The following displays tickled my fancy, so here they are...

Fresh Cut Flowers for Miles on End, ©Lu Sobredo 2016

Glorious Colors

Aromatic Freshly Baked Goods, ©Lu Sobredo, 2016

“We are surrounded with delicious baked goods, inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the invigorating scent of fresh flowers and fresh fruits. Why should we live anywhere else?"

—New friends, a local couple we met at a cafe at Granville Island Public Market.

The lively chatter of the marketplace, the sun-drenched peaches and nectarines, deep red apples and shiny green avocados were a feast for the eyes, nose and ears. Who could resist? We walked away with armful of goodies and treats to take back to the hotel. The weekend experience stirred our senses. The grandeur of the place and the camaraderie we encountered, rare gifts from our weekend in Granville Island.

© Lu Sobredo, Photo Essay, Written: October 26, 2016. Guest Editor: Adrian Sobredo

Comments

Travel and Why Not?

By Lu Sobredo WELCOME to LuTravelsAbroad Website! What's new with me? TODAY I am exploring possible format/design for my LuTravelsAbroad website, for my Blog and Facebook page. Tickled to be launching a new venture. I have this incredible feeling of drive from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. A similar feeling that came over me when I finally realized I will travel abroad again. Travel while disabled, you might ask? Why not? Mother & Son: Midnight in Paris, ©James Sobredo 2004 WHY A TRAVEL BLOG The Travel Blog and Facebook web presence is meant to be a self-help travel corner, and a vehicle for opening up about my personal health journey. When preparing for the 2016 travel, some websites and travel blogs were a great help. While in Spain as I focused on the moment and less and less on what discomfort to anticipate, I gradually experienced the thrill of traveling. It was then that I began to envision creating a one-stop self-help corner for peopl...

Ten Essentials for Autumn Travel to Spain

TEN ESSENTIALS FOR AUTUMN TRAVEL TO SPAIN By Lu Sobredo The warm weather hasn’t completely waned, but there are signs of the new season including a little chill in the early morning air. As of September 22, 2021, North America is officially into autumn and I am thrilled! A year and half of waiting for COVID 19 infection cases to decline in the U.S. and other parts of the world has been challenging. But survived, I did! So did my circle of friends and family. I feel for those who did suffer much and lost loved ones or colleagues to the indiscriminatory virus. Diligent adherence to health protocols have helped and I wished many more would take the risks seriously by getting vaccinated, continuing to mask up and limit exposure by distancing or gathering responsibly in small crowds. I feel fortunate to qualify in the late summer for a third vaccine. Being someone diagnosed with an autoimmune illness renders me high risk to infection. On August 31, 2021 I walked into a pharmacy and took con...

Finding Philippine Art at the Asian Art Museum

by Lu Sobredo Viewing Philippine Art at the Asian Art Museum. ©Lu Sobredo 2017 "Celebrate the rich diversity of Philippine art with 25 compelling works recently added to the Asian Art Museum’s collection. Expressive indigenous carving, jewelry and textiles; Christian devotional statues from the Spanish colonial period; postwar genre and landscape paintings; and contemporary works come together in this intimate exhibition to tell fascinating and complex stories of the Philippines.” ~ Asian Art Museum Introduction I’m surprised to be hanging out on a Thursday afternoon at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in the middle of summer. Most times, I am there either appreciating some permanent exhibit or being drawn to a special exhibit or event. Sometimes, I could be found simply sitting at the museum Cafe sipping green tea and lingering over an apple almond tart. It is at these moments when I am moved to write. The writing I do these days is for my blog. ...

Through His Camera Lens: Lights, Landscapes and Life Abroad

by Lu Sobredo ~Celebrating the many dimensions of my husband James Sobredo: his interest, talent and heart as reflected through his camera lens. Introduction Yes, my son and I, and sometimes our friends take very good pictures with our mobile phones. But the person, whose camera lens I totally rely on to document life's moments and special places, is my husband James Sobredo. Being around him and his photography partner and close friend, Steven Montalvo when on their photography shoots, is both meditative and exhilarating to watch. As if their eyes are connected to their hearts. And after many hours and enormous patience, they might be happy with the outcome. I know I am. Folks have asked me why I find blogging so much fun? Other than the fact that: My family actually have visited the amazing places I write about. I get to meet fascinating people and who have become part of my family’s life. As strange as this sounds, it’s even fun to awkwardly attempt speaking a d...

Great Friends Make Great Medicine

GREAT FRIENDS MAKE GREAT MEDICINE By Lu Sobredo There is a new drug in my health journey: a daily dosage of friends. When added to my pharmaceutical regimen, it seems to magically expand the time between flare-ups. Closest Best Friend, My Beloved: Our 26th Wedding Anniversary at The Kitchen in Sacramento. ©James Sobredo The stores were about to close when I was struck with a yen to pick up bowtie pasta at the Italian Deli in my neighborhood. It’s not every day that I make an impromptu dash to the store. Once there, it’s never just bowtie pasta that finds its way into the shopping cart. Just ask my young, adult son who drove me there. It wasn’t going to be a quick trip after all. I ran into my primary care doctor and his lovely wife at the grocery store. She has a PhD and rightfully has the title of Dr., I thought to myself. My M.D. asked about my recent visit with my neurosurgeon. Aside from a chronic illness, I also had a mass in my r...

Walking the Camino de Santiago: Pilgrimage on My Terms (Parts 1 & 2)

By Lu Sobredo PART I Introduction Walking near the border of France and Spain through the Spanish Pyrenees to the city of Santiago de Compostela was not the vacation I envisaged, not for my first trip to Spain in 2010. However, my husband James, the avid adventurer had other ideas born out of an earlier visit to Madrid and Seville in 2006. It was a decision that turned out to be monumental for the family and deeply personal for me. Mother and Son Bonding on the Camino. ©James Sobredo This essay is sprinkled with practical hints from lessons learned in the pilgrimage. It is a personal reflection of the whole experience. It is about the physically challenging, emotionally invigorating, and spiritually uplifting journey. It was an experience made increasingly significant because of a life-changing diagnosis that followed three years later, a diagnosis that has rendered me chronically disabled. I sincerely hope this serves as an important reminder to all: act no...

Top 10 Restaurants We Love in Spain

By Lu Sobredo Gastronomy and Spain have become synonymous. Writing this photo essay makes me think of scrumptious meals. My mouth is literally watering with great longing to return. Since starting my blog in 2016, my husband and I are often asked for recommendation of places to eat when in Spain. I have given recommendations in a private message through my travel Facebook Page: Lutravelsabroad . And I do it happily. But there is no reason to keep our recommendations private. When one finds a gold mine, I believe it is important to share the wealth. My family and I have managed to partake in culinary feasts on a budget when traveling. When we do some modest splurging, it is all planned and calculated into our travel expense. Why not live a little while we still can? If curious, you can still access my first Blog post on the subject: Happy Eating on a Budget in Spain . This earlier essay takes you from the Madrid area and Barcelona, to the Galician region in Santiago...

Search This Blog