We arrived in Vancouver on Sunday 19 July (two hours after we left Sydney!), at 7:30 in the morning. We took the train to the suburb we are staying in. At the train station we were helped out by a friendly attendant. We now realize this is the Canadian way: people are ridiculously friendly and helpful.

Arriving on a Sunday morning, things were nice and quiet. We found a café around the corner from our accommodation that served delicious coffee – a great way to start our honeymoon!

We are staying in an AirBNB private suite which is in the basement of a beautiful old home. It is gorgeous and has a very comfortable bed, Netflix, bikes and is close to the train station and the city. Not bad for $120 a night! However, being in the basement does mean it has low ceilings and there is a beam that Courtney needs to dodge (he learned the hard way). Our hosts are very friendly and have helped us out with suggestions on things to do around town.

We are only three days in but so we have already been to the Food Truck Festival, visited Capilano and the Suspension Bridge, rode around and through Stanley Park and participated in a drumming circle on the beach, celebrating the sunset over the mountains.   All of these have been incredible.

We love Vancouver and can totally see why it is one of the most liveable cities around the world. It is close to nature (Stanley Park and Capilano are out of this world), the people are friendly, the drivers are courteous and the city is built for bike riders.

There is a lot to do if you’re interested in the outdoors and exercising. There is a focus on healthy food and lifestyle, which is great for both of us, and there are also SO many yoga studios! I can’t wait to attend a class in the next few days.

The city is environmentally conscious – we were stoked to see recycling bin attendants at the Food Truck Festival, a ‘no idling’ rule in the city and a focus on farmers markets and organic produce.

Something I look forward to exploring more is Vancouver’s social innovation and enterprise scene. Already after a quick search I have found a site called Social Enterprise Canada and a whole bunch of co-working places for social entrepreneurs.

Today we are going on a Food Truck walking tour in the city which will be fun, and we are then going to be meeting up with our friend Jen and a couple of his friends. He is going to take us on a walk through his neighbourhood on the North Shore which we are looking forward to.