What to do on the weekend? – Snowy Ideas

This weekend will be breezy with a good chance of snow in Vancouver! So, what’s there to do?

One thing that’s always a good idea is a trip to Whistler. Come with us on our day trip to guarantee a snowy weekend in the mountains of BC. Whether you want to ski, snowboard, ride a snowmobile, go dogsledding, tubing, snow shoeing, ice skating, zip lining, or maybe explore the village with less action loaded activities like the peak 2 peak gondola, a day at the Scandinavian Spa, a visit at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, or other indoor activities like Ax Throwing, or an Escape Room adventure. Whistler offers so much, I’m sure there’s something to do for every preference and budget. Sometimes I like to just sit at one of the many great cafes, drink a hot beverage and warm up from strolling along the snow covered village paths, really can’t go wrong with that! Saying that, make sure you dress warm enough, the air is always a little colder up North than it is down here in Vancouver! I recommend multiple layers of warm functional wear. Also don’t forget to pack according to the activities you’ve planned, e.g. want to go to the spa? – Bring a Bikini. I sure am excited for our Canadian Winter adventure. 🙂

If you choose to stay here, there are multiple other things you could do. How about you visit one of the local mountains, like Grouse? There you also have the chance to go ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or just sightsee what the mountain has to offer e.g. the Light walk which I would recommend after dark and imagine there’s actually snow falling while you walk through this magical winter wonderland! You can easily get there by public transit. There’s also a cafe at the top where you can warm yourself up with a hot beverage and some food. 🙂 On your way you could also stop at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park which lights up your gloomy winter days with many colourful installations along the trails! Perfect for some nice Instagram shots, or to get a little happiness boost during this dark and cold season. 😉 If there’s actually going to be snow, then I imagine it to be extra pretty!

If you’d rather escape the cold temperatures this weekend why don’t you go to the movies? My recommendation is to check out some of the movies VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) is showing. I assure you it’s different from watching the same old Hollywood Blockbusters. VIFF shows extraordinary films that can be entertaining, educational, empowering, encouraging and much more. You’ll find local artists, artists of colour and you’ll probably walk away thinking about what you’ve watched for a little while after your visit. ‘VIFF encourages understanding of the world’s cultures through the art of cinema.’ Since they are a not-for-profit organization you’d also support what they do by going to one of their movies. Why not try something new and different? Maybe you’ll like it. 🙂 And did I mention their delicious popcorn? I usually get it buttered and I feel like I can smell it right as I’m writing this. 😀

Let me know what you’ve been up to at our next Pub Night! Can’t wait. 🙂

See ya,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

No weekend passes where Vancouver doesn’t have something to offer!

This weekend the VMF Winter Arts is starting and they have a lot of cool things for you to discover! You should join us for a guided art walking tour through the city which reveals some inner workings of the festival and showcases many AR and light installations as well as murals and other public art. After that we’ll head over to the Vancouver Art Gallery where we’ll experience local poetry, music and food from across the Afro-Caribbean and African diaspora. There’ll be live performances, a bar, cafe, food trucks, market vendors, and a UV Face Paint & Sparkle Station. 🙂 For those of you who want to expand their horizon further, there’s the VMF After Dark x Afroqueer YVR: Black Rave taking place, starting 9.30pm, letting you dive into the world of Black underground dance culture and music. Make sure not to miss it!
https://www.winterartsfest.com/

All the beer lovers listen up, I’ve got a great idea for you this weekend, or actually for the whole month of February. You can take part in Tasting Passports along TransLink’s Dine the Line to collect stamps at up to 64 participating businesses for a chance to win a great prize after only collecting 6 stamps! There’s many different trails depending on the region you prefer. Within each Ale Trail there is an array of craft breweries, restaurants, tap houses, liquor stores, outdoor activities, sightseeing, accommodations and more. Not only will you drink and dine, but further you can use it as a great way of exploring the city! Pick up a passport at any of the participating locations which you’ll find on their website and ask for a stamp with your purchase. I linked you a trail I think looks pretty cool, but feel free to browse and see what you might like:
https://bcaletrail.ca/ale-trails/brewery-creek-vancouver/

Since the weather will be pretty decent this weekend (for a winter day in Vancouver) why don’t you explore one of the many great walking or hiking trails in the area? Make sure you take a hiking buddy with you! Let me give you some suggestions:
The classic would be a walk around the sea wall in Stanley Park, it never gets old and every time you’ll discover something different. It’s also great to adventure on one of the many paths that lead through the park. 🙂 Another one of my favourites is the Pacific Spirit Regional Park near UBC. You have many options on trails and beautiful views of the ocean along the way. It’s also great to explore the huge campus nearby with its beautiful Botanical Garden. Want to have a nice view over the city? Queen Elizabeth Park has the highest point close to the city offering an amazing view of Vancouvers skyline. If you want to go further out, Jug Island Beach Trail is another good one! It’s not too long and leads through the forest to a hidden pebble beach where you can spot some starfish if you’re lucky. Once you’re done take a walk around the pier in Port Moody, or check out one of the many craft breweries around.
Make sure you have the proper clothing, and if you end up adventuring on your own make sure you let someone know where you’re going and when they should expect you back. 🙂

Whether you decide to have cultural, culinary, or outdoorsy weekend, I wish you loads of fun and stories to tell at our next pub night!

See you then!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to Do in Vancouver – hockey edition

Learn more about ice hockey – a summary of the basic rules – Go Canucks, go!!!
What’s Canada without hockey? There’s definitely something missing.
As indicated in the last blogpost; today’s posting is all about understanding (ice-) hockey 🙂
Taught by an expert like me 😀 just kidding but I’ll try my best

Let’s start with the basics 🙂 What is ice hockey (known as hockey in Canada) anyway?
First a historical fact but no worries I’ll keep it short. This sport was originally developed from field hockey in the second half of the 19th century. Hockey is a game played on ice between two teams of 6 players each, one of which is the goalkeeper. Of course, the teams consist of more players, substituted during the game. This normally happens every few minutes. Which means that hockey is definitely a really fast and intensive sport. The players use long curved sticks to hit the puck, a small rubber disk (weighing exactly 166 grams), to score goals.
As many of you may know the puck is really small. One surely wonders if it’s possible to follow the puck as a spectator in a big stadium at all? I think it’s kind of easy. Where there is the crowd of players there must be the puck 🙂 Also how do you know a goal has been scored? As in many professional sports you will see a light flashing behind the goal. So, everyone can see that a goal has just been scored. The game is played in three thirds of 20 minutes with breaks between every third. The time will be stopped in every interruption during the game. Additionally, there is a change of sides after every third. That’s why a game usually lasts much longer than 60 minutes (normally about 2-2.5 hours). Which also means you can enjoy watching longer than expected 😉 and don’t forget to join singing the national anthem at the beginning of every match.

The Rink: Have you ever taken a closer look at the hockey rink? It’s full of coloured lines with different meanings. The two lines on each end where the goal is located are called the goal lines. Unlike in soccer the players are also allowed to play behind these goal lines. The blue lines divide the surface into equal thirds, called zones. The zone right in front of the teams own goal is the defensive zone.
The opposite one is called attacking zone or offensive zone. Between the two blue lines is the neutral zone. The dots with circles around them form the face-off circles, which can be used as a start point after an interruption.

Penalty: In hockey, penalties or even brawls are certainly not uncommon. However, the use of the body is an important part of the game. Thus, it is allowed to “check” a player of the opposing team.
But of course, there are rules 🙂

A really common penalty is caused by using the stick inappropriately. This must never be held above shoulder height, especially to hit someone in the face. Also not allowed are fouls such as elbowing, fighting (when players drop their gloves and throw punches at each other), kneeing (fouling an opponent with the knee), slashing or tripping which can cause an opposite player to fall by using a part of the body or the stick or charging which is taking a long run at someone or specifically targeting the head with a hit. Penalties can be 2 minutes for a minor or 5 minutes for a major (or 10 minutes for fighting… or a game misconduct for something very serious); 5 minutes major penalties do not end when the fouled team scores as it does with a minor penalty… it keeps going for the full duration. Sometimes you will receive a double minor with is 2+2 minutes… this is often the case when someone gets a “high stick” to the face which is 2 minutes and another 2 if they drew blood during the hit. Crazy.

Powerplay and Man-Down: Of course, such a penalty situation is only bad for one team. The resulting overpowering situation for the other team is called powerplay. A good chance to score a goal. The penalized team is considered a “man-down” or “two-men down” if the play results in a 5 vs 3 scenario when they are double penalized

Offside & Icing: If a player enters the offensive zone before the puck that is considered offside. And I think that’s way easier than in soccer 😀 BUT if you shoot the puck the full length of the ice it is called icing and the play is called back to the defensive zone of the team that “iced” the puck. However if a team is a man down due to having received a penalty they are allowed to ice the puck so you will often see them shoot the puck the full distance to get it out of their defensive zone during the penalty.

So that’s it for now I hope I could give you a good first insight into the Canadian national sport.

Have a look at the upcoming season schedule. There are only 4 days left till the first game of the year.
Find further information on https://www.nhl.com/canucks

Cheers,

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

What to Do in Vancouver on a rainy day

Why is our beautiful Vancouver also called Raincouver?
Of course it is because there are many rainy days during the rainy season (most rainy between October to March). However, that doesn’t mean there’s not much to do on these days. I’ve compiled some inspirations of fun things to do in Vancouver on a rainy day.

First start with a trip to Gastown on a rainy day. Isn’t it cosy choosing one of the cute little cafes to have a great chat with friends while drinking hot chocolate and watching the rain running down the windows. As I mentioned in one of the previous blogposts; I can highly recommend trying the nutella latte 😉 In the evening it’s also a nice place to drink and eat your way through the many restaurants and bars. Maybe it would be cool to go bowling, play pool, or sing your favourite songs at a karaoke bar afterwards?
Yaletown about 20 minutes walk south of Gastown also has a lot of nice cafes and restaurants and even a billiards room.

Shopping. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking of a great indoor activity? For me it’s definitely shopping 😉 Besides the many stores on Robson street the malls such as Pacific centre or Hudson Mall are also worth a visit. If you want to head to Vancouver’s shopping HQ you may want to think about taking a Skytrain to Metropolis at Metrotown (it’s in Burnaby about 20 mins from downtown). Maybe you can spot a great offer and brighten your rainy day 😉

A rainy day is definitely a day for all our museum and culture lovers. Learn about human ancestors at the Museum of Anthropology or have a look at interesting work from famous painters at Vancouver Art Gallery. Of course there are many more places to explore like the Vancouver Maritime Museum or the Police Museum.
Also our sports enthusiasts will find their proper place with a visit at BC Sports Hall of Fame.
I’m curious about your experiences after you’ve visited one of these places.

Skiing. In the first moment this might sound a bit weird because nobody wants to be on a ski slope in the rain, i guess. But maybe it’s a good way to escape the rain. While going on top of the mountain you will also go above the clouds which means no rain anymore; there’s still the possibility having a snowy day but I think that’s ideal for skiing.

Watch hockey. Since the hockey season as well as the rainy season starts in October this is definitely a good coincidence to go watch a hockey match on a rainy day. For more tips about how hockey works and further information for the upcoming season you have to be patient.
As a hint i can say; have a look at the blogposts next week.

If you still want to stay outdoors you can just buy a cute umbrella and rubber boots and go for a walk. It certainly won’t be as crowded as usual.

Have great Weekend 🙂

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

What to Do in Vancouver – sports edition

There is definitely more than hiking and ice-hockey in Vancouver 🙂

Let’s have a look at a variety of different kind of sports you can try when you’re in Vancouver. But where is the best place to do your favourite sport or try something new? Of course you can easily grab your running shoes and go for a run through the city or Stanley Park. This is also an amazing place for inline skating (rollerblading) or riding a bike. But for now back to the best place to start… A good possibility are the community centers which are located all over the city – also a great way to connect with other people while getting fit and active. Additionally you can use local fitness centres.

Outdoor (water) sports: I can highly recommend trying to stand up paddle at Sunset Beach. It looks harder than it actually is. However, it is definitely advantageous if you have a good sense of balance. In Addition, Vancouver offers many opportunities for water sports such as canoeing, kayaking or sailing. It’s so much fun trying water sports with amazing views of the skyline and the mountains.

Ball sports: There are also many opportunities to play or just watch soccer in Vancouver.
Since this sport has one of the longest playing season it’s a great way for people looking for an “all year sport”.
For those interested in tennis there is also the possibility to try racquetball and squash.
Raquetball is a raquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball. You can play on an indoor or outdoor court.
Side fact: It burns a lot of calories 😉

Hockey: Yes, Canada definitely has a thing for ice hockey; but have you ever tried ball-, broom- floor- or field hockey? Join a hockey club and find out how much fun playing in a team can be. Of course there are possibilities where you can ice skate as well. Some indoor ice rinks are even available all year.

Ultimate frisbee: Have you ever played frisbee in a professional team? Give it a try and join the Vancouver Ultimate frisbee team for playing something that might not be that well known and common in Europe. There are plenty of options finding a team suitable for all ages and levels and to play in every season.
Also another popular activity is disk golf; just like golf except with specially weighted frisbees; amazing fun!

Of course there are many other sport activities waiting for you to try them out…have fun 😉

Cheers,

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com