How was the weekend?

Do you ever feel like the city life is getting too busy and you really seek some quiet time in nature? I do. This weekend, in alignment with Earth Day, I decided to spend my free time reconnecting to nature. Thankfully Vancouver is the perfect place for that. Only a short bus ride and you are surrounded by lush rain forests with big trees, streams, waterfalls and lakes.

I went to the North Shore where I explored a new area. I’ve been to Lynn Canyon many times before but never headed towards Rice Lake which is close by. It was very peaceful and quiet around the lake, I’d definitely recommend taking a hike through the forest and watch people fishing on the lake when you get a chance.

I didn’t just go for a stroll though. I as on a mission – a mission to restore a natural BC rainforests environment on grounds that were fruitless from too many footsteps walking over it. Why restore the environment? Because it’s healthy for the forest and its habitants like birds or frogs for example. We recreated the natural vegetation by planting over 200 local plants in hopes they will grow and nourish the environment around. This initiative was lead by professionals of course that guided us volunteers through the do’s and dont’s, explained what’s important and made sure we had some well deserved coffee breaks in between. It was a lot of fun volunteering for the environment, I felt like a kid again, playing in the mud. 😀 There was nothing else that mattered in this moment and it really gave me a felling of being connected to nature and myself. I can only recommend you try it for yourself some time, there’s probably a bunch of programs online that you could volunteer for. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much and in the end you’ve done something great for the Earth. 😉

Sunday INTERNeX went to explore yet another beautiful area in the forests of BC. Our adventure in Capilano River Regional Park was definitely worth the visit. Right upon arrival we were blessed with misty mountains views reflecting on the lake. We saw the impressive Cleveland Dam and then headed straight into the woods. Everything around was covered in green moss and decorated with a variety of other wild plants. It’s almost like walking through a fairy tale forest with all its magic. The path lead across wooden bridges with streams passing by and along the powerful bursting river with its turquoise-green colour. There were a lot of pretty viewpoints and the hike itself was not too hard either, so even if you’re not that experienced I believe you could enjoy this little walk in nature with a hiking buddy. Take in the fresh air, meet lots of doggies on the trails and do a little picnic break on one of the benches along the river, you’ll thank yourself after for this refreshing experience. We all enjoyed it for sure. Before going home we made a quick stop at the Londsdale Quay Market in North Vancouver to grab a little snack as a reward for getting out of the house on a rainy Sunday. 🙂

How about you? Did you make it outside this weekend? Did you do anything for Earth Day, or did you enjoy it from the comfort of your bed? 😉

Let me know all about it at the next Pub Night!

See you then,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

I don’t know about your weekend, but mine was a blast!

On Friday we celebrated St. Patricks Day from early afternoon till late at night! Our first stop was an Irish bar on Granville Street where most of the action happened. We dressed up in green with lots of accessories like tattoos, stickers, head bands, hats and shiny necklaces, just like it’s supposed to be. 🙂 We enjoyed some drinks like a classic Guinness, Irish music and good pub food before we were eager to swing our legs. With every sip deeper into the cup, we wanted to dance more. What better place to let out that St. Patrick’s Day energy than at a club? With a mix of DJ and Live Music we celebrated till late at night, made new friends and some lost their voices over singing too loud. Overall I think it was a success. 🙂 Did you celebrate St. Patricks Day? What else did you do?

Saturday was definitely a day to recover for me since I’m not used to going out that much anymore. 😀 Sunday though we went on a little hike at Deep Cove which is in North Vancouver. I still felt the consequences of Friday night, so we took it slow and only went on an easy to moderate trail that led up to a nice viewpoint over the inlet and some lush areas around. The exercise was definitely worth it and we rewarded ourselves with some doughnuts after. They were still nice and warm when we ate them, and I gotta say it was one of the best doughnuts I’ve ever had (wanting one while I’m typing this). I highly recommend checking out the area with its cute local cafes and shops, and don’t worry you won’t miss the doughnut place, it’s the one with a long queue in front of it. 😀 In summer Deep Cove is also a great place to go kayaking or stand up paddling, can’t wait! 🙂

Sorry if you’re craving doughnuts now, but that’s another reason to go out and explore this week. 🙂 I hope you had an amazing weekend!

Let me know all about it next Pub Night!

See you then,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

The weekend was really great for me. On Friday a few of us went to an Australian Bar and Krystelle made us try a lot of her favourite Aussie foods, e.g. Kangaroo meat, a Chicken Schnitty, or Vegemite, which is a spread that you put on a toast with some butter. The taste is very specific, not for everyone. 😉 She told us it’s usually a breakfast meal. For dessert we had Fairy Bread which basically is toast with sprinkles on it, and Pavlova, probably my favourite food that night. It’s Meringue filled with cream and topped with fruits, it was soooo good! Have you ever tried any of these? If not, you’ll have the chance not at this weeks, but at next weeks pub night! We’ll be going to the Moose Down Under, try more Aussie Snacks, Beverages, and give our best at the Trivia. Who’s in?

On Saturday we went to Belcarra for a little hike to Jug Island Beach. The silence in nature was beautiful, so was the break at the beach. Larissa saved a starfish, we had some snacks and relaxed by the water, taking in the views of the beautiful mountains around us. The hike was moderate, but it felt very short, I guess everyone was just really fast and advanced, seems like we need to do a harder hike next time! A bunch of us went down to the pier and spotted some more Marine Life, before we headed back home. My evening just ended with a Barbecue on the balcony, pretty relaxed. 🙂

BUT, this week there’s a lot going on. We have our Rockies trip on Friday already. Who’s excited for more breathtaking mountains, gorgeous lakes and wildlife??? Also, a new INTERNeX PR Intern will be joining our family and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Since I’ll be gone for another work trip, Ida will be taking over for me here in Vancouver. More about that in our following blog posts, so make sure you stay updated. 😉

I hope you have a great start into this week and we can chat more at Wednesday’s Pub Night at the Beaver Taphouse. See you there at 7pm.

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

Summer is hiking season and what better way to explore nature in beautiful British Columbia than with a nice walk? That’s why INTERNeX has planned another hike for the weekend to Jug Island Beach near Belcarra Regional Park. The path is 5.1km long and a rather moderate route with many incline/decline switches. It takes around 1.40h to complete, but we’ll have a nice lunch break at the beach across from the Island. If you want you can even take a dip in the water. 😉 It’s a popular area for birding, fishing, and hiking.

If you want to keep it chill check out Bard on the Beach, a not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare Festival, offering plays, related dramas and special events in two modern performance tents. Productions include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Harlem Duet”, and “Romeo and Juliet”. You can get tickets as cheap as $27! If you are under 22 you get a youth discount, so it’s definitely worth checking it out. I know that Tim was already there, so maybe ask him how he liked it. 🙂

If you don’t like cultural program too much you could go around and explore another area of Vancouver. Have you been to the Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf? It’s in Richmond, has a lot of good restaurants, as well as a pier with a fish market and some free museums about the history of this cute area. I recommend trying Steveston Pizza co.! Their Pizzas are packed with delicious toppings and come in a tall box, super special and I bet something you haven’t seen before. Thank me later.

Whatever you end up doing, I’m sure it’s going to be great weekend! Enjoy the sunshine and as always, let me know how it was when we meet again next Wednesday for Pub Night!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

It was long, but felt so short. 😀

On Saturday INTERNeX went on a little hike in Lynn Canyon, over the Suspension Bridge, through the lush forest, along the river and multiple waterfalls. It was a hot day, but the trees gave us a nice cool shade, so it wasn’t half bad. Another thing that cooled us down was the natural pool with its refreshing water, some just dipped their feet in, others were full on cliff jumping! Tim and Daniel had so much fun jumping that they stayed longer while the rest of us went on with the hike. On our way we saw more people cliff jumping from a different spot, it looked quite dangerous, so we were holding our breath for the jump. Fortunately nothing happened! The guys seemed to have experience. I could never imagine jumping into the water from such a height. Maybe because I’m afraid of heights? What about you? Are you into the thrill and adventure? Would you do cliff jumping? After the adrenaline kick from watching them jump, we had a hard time getting up the last couple of stairs before ending our hike, maybe because I told everyone there were no more stairs coming, but then oooppssiieee, surprise, more stairs! In the end they forgave me (I think) and we went back downtown. I don’t know about you, but I always feel weird being back in the city after a day in nature. It’s so calm and peaceful, versus so fast and exciting.

Exciting was also the Pride Parade on Sunday. We met on Davie street and walked all the way down to English Bay where we found a great spot to watch the parade. Again, it was a hot day but we had some trees covering us with shade and the firefighters in the parade were sprinkling everyone with water which was super refreshing. The display went on for 2-3 hours and it was so fun cheering everyone on, seeing all the different groups showing colour and celebrating diversity! There was lots of music and performances, good vibes and great people. We started collecting stickers, buttons, and other things they gave away. After a while people went and grabbed some food, while others went to the after-party at Sunset Beach. There were food trucks, two stages with live music and other booths around the area, the perfect set up for an awesome day.

I would tell you more, but this week is really busy at INTERNeX, so I’ll stop writing for today. I have to introduce you to a lot of newcomers on Thursday, so keep posted! 😉

We can also chat more tomorrow at Pub Night, 7pm at the GPO Kitchen and Bar, so you can tell me about YOUR weekend! 🙂

See you there!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂