Did you stay warm this past weekend, or did the snow get you? For me it was little bit of both. INTERNeX went to Whistler on Saturday for a fun day trip. When we arrived the streets of the little village were mostly snow free. A bunch of us went straight up the mountain for some skiing and snowshoeing while others went to grab a coffee and explore the area.
As the caffeine kicked in our group was excited to slide down the small snow hill nearby the Olympic Rings, but soon we longed for bigger, better, faster, so we decided to go Tubing! A quick free ride with the gondola led us to the tubing lanes. Luckily, it wasn’t busy so we got right into it! There were single and double tubes to choose from and a ‘magic carpet’ carried us up the hill. It was actually my first time tubing and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed! The staff gives you a nice spin and down the hill you go! I was screaming of joy and felt like I was on a roller coaster. If only we had some goggles though! Snow blowing into our faces as we crashed down the hill made it hard to look around, but honestly the feeling itself was already worth the experience.
After we let out our inner child we went back into the village for a round of ice skating. I heard someone kissed the ice quite a few times. 😀 We rewarded ourselves at a Happy Hour with food and drinks, recharging the energy we’ve just spent out in the snow. A few adventure junkies still haven’t had enough though and therefore went on a snowmobile tour, how cool, is that? I heard it was totally worth it, you explore the nature while going up to 45km/h on the snowmobile which apparently is harder to drive then it first seems. Hungry from all the action we had our early dinner due to the snow storm that was rolling in.
By 4.30pm the first empty streets were filled with snow and it kept on snowing causing many small accidents on the Highway leading to major delays and a little bit of concern which is why we had to leave Whistler as early as possible in order to get everyone back home safe and sound. Thankfully our driver was very experienced and we were back in Vancouver early enough to avoid any snow craziness. Apart from that I believe we had a really great trip! I’m already looking forward to the next one. 🙂
Allover I’d say we stayed warm through all the activities, but the snow got us in the end by forcing us to rush home earlier than we wanted.
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. 🙂
What a packed weekend! We did lots of things from Thursday until Sunday!
Let’s start with Thursday. I went to a Hockey game with some friends of mine, which was so great! It was the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena against the Seattle Kraken. The whole vibe and the experience there was amazing! You definitely know that this sport is a national sport for the Canadians. Some shows in the break and an exciting game with some fist fights made that event super special. There were also some representatives from the indigenous peoples showing a cultural music performance, in special regards to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the day that honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Unfortunately the Canucks lost in the overtime against the Kraken 3-4. But overall, it was such a great experience!
On Friday, I was thinking about spending time in nature. So therefore I met with a friend of mine to go to Lynn Canyon Park with its suspension bridge. The park with its nature was so amazing! The weather was nice, so I even needed to cool myself with the fresh spring water from Lynn Canyon. In the evening, nearly 30 people from INTERNeX got together to go to the Richmond Night Market, which was also a great event. So many colourful lights and lamps illuminating the night sky, and even a live-band was playing there! We got to try so much food like flower-onions, Takoyaki (fried squid balls), grilled meat on a stick and finally the best thing for me: Beaver Tails! It’s like a long fried dough with some cinnamon and sugar, but you can also try some other flavours. I was waiting so long to try those and I got the chance on Friday. It was so yummy, you need to try it! The night market is going to be open until this Sunday, so if you don’t want to miss this special experience, go there on the weekend!
Since you never get enough of Vancouver’s Nature, I went to the UBC Campus on Saturday to visit the Botanical Gardens with a friend. The quiet place of Nitobe Memorial Garden is a true masterpiece in the ever busy town of Vancouver. With the head full of the experiences of the Hockey game, the night market and the gardens, I met another friend group to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps this time at BC Place. This was also a special experience because I can compare the soccer situation here pretty well to the situation in my home country Germany due to the fact that I’m supporting a club there. The quality of the soccer is not comparable to the soccer in Europe, but then again you also can’t compare the hockey quality in Europe to the quality here. =) I guess both Europe and North America have their own national sports. In the end, the Whitecaps scored two goals and won 2:0. That’s what you call a successful evening!
On Sunday we went to Whistler Village. This village is about 2 hours north of Vancouver and we went there by bus. I did find it very easy to hop on the bus and then 2 hours later you are there, voila! Whistler is known for its nature where hiking and mountain biking are the highlights during the summer season and during winter you can go skiing and snowboarding.
We started the day in Whistler with a short coffee break and then we headed to one of the bike rentals to get some mountain bikes for our activity – biking to Lost lake and Green Lake. We were so lucky with the weather, the sun was shining as we were biking along the trail in the forest. When we reached Green Lake, we totally understood how the lake got its name. The lake is fed by glacial streams and the water was freezing cold but so refreshing. Definitely worth a swim if you are up for it on a sunny day! The location of both lakes had such a stunning view, a big recommendation when you are going to Whistler in summer!
After a great time by the lakes, we went back to the village to return the bikes as we were exploring the village in search of lunch. We bought some classic poutine, salad, a lot of water and some soft drinks to keep us hydrated in the warm weather. In the centre of the village we found a park table with a parasol so we took the chance to have our lunch there enjoying Whistler Village.
For the next activity we went up to the mountain with the Black Comb gondola. It took us about 25 minutes to go up with the gondola, and hey; what a view! We stopped at the first mountaintop taking in the beautiful view before we went to the next gondola, the Peak 2 Peak with a 360 degrees experience which provided a perspective of British Columbia’s rooftop with views of Whistler Village, volcano peaks, coastal rainforests and glaciers. The Peak 2 Peak gondola is 4,4km long which is the world’s longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind at 3.025km height. It’s the world’s highest lift at 436m above the valley floor. So cool!! When we reached the other top we saw the Olympic Games statue shining in the background so we were totally in for another group photo in front of that statue. On the mountain they had a lodge serving coffee, food and other beverages. They even had a game in the centre of that patio which was a lot of fun for us and other visitors. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go up to the face of the mountain where they had a suspension bridge because of preparations for the upcoming winter season, so let’s go to Whistler as soon as the winter season starts!
After a few hours our visit on the mountain reached an end and we decided to go back to the Village with the two gondolas to meet the rest of the group and do some shopping before going back home to Vancouver. I can tell that Whistler is such a beautiful village that offers a lot of sightseeing and activities, so if you are going to Whistler in the near future, I’m sure you will enjoy every second of it, like I did!
We hope you had a great weekend and we hope to see many of you on Pub Night this Wednesday 😀
Since we have many people joining us this weekend, we’re planning more Internex Events, how cool is that? 🙂 Therefore, I want to give you some informations and inspirations on what to do on the weekend!
Starting with our first event, the Richmond Night Market on Friday evening. This market is a seasonal market with lots of asian food trucks, vendors, games and shows. You can expect colourful lights everywhere and lots of exotic food to try, from Chinese food, over Japanese food or even Thai food, there’ll be something for everyone =). If you’re into this event, take the Canada Line until Bridgeport Station and walk 4 minutes to the market. You can meet up with us at 6:15 PM in front of the entrance. I’m so excited, are you? =)
Next up we have a wonderful trip this weekend: Whistler. Whistler is a valley and a municipality north of Vancouver which was a venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It’s great to stroll through Whistler Village past the hotels and countless shops, you can also still see the olympic sign from the Games here. There’s lots of things to do in Whistler, e.g. rent a bike and go for a ride along Lost Lake or Green Lake or maybe go for a hike? If you take the gondola up the mountain you have an amazing view over the valley and other mountains next to Whistler. You can expect lots of wildlife up there, from little squirrels to big bears, so be careful and pay attention when you see one ;). If you’re into shopping you should definitely check out Whistler Village since it’s home to cool souvenirs shops and other things. You can also check out the Squamish Lil’ What Cultural Centre which is located on the shared traditional territories of First Nation’s people. Whistler has activities for everybody, so be sure to check it out and don’t miss out!. For me, I’m most excited for the nature and the mountain views since I’m very into nature. What would you like to do most in Whistler? =)
If you’re more of a sportsman and you want to support the local sports clubs here, I would recommend you going to a sports game. On Saturday the 1st of October for example, the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is playing against the Austin Football Club. Usually they have tickets until the game starts for around 30$ which is a very good deal for a great soccer game! Let’s go support our favourite city of all time, Vancouver! =)
I have one last recommendation for you. From the 29th of September until the 9th of October there is the Vancouver International Film Festival. Each year, there are some film presentations, talkshows and lots of newcomer movies to enjoy. If you’re interested in the VIFF, go on http://www.viff.org to buy a ticket for your selected movie. There’s very interesting movies for every taste of genre: Horror, Drama, Comedy, Family, Action, Thriller. Maybe you’ll meet one of our INTERNeXer’s working there! What else could you want? =)
We wish you all a great weekend with lots of fun stuff to do, even if you’re not joining us! =)
Hello from Scotland 🙂 Let’s say hey to our previous candidate Roslyn from Stirling in Scotland. She is 26 years old and currently working as an administrator for a charity.
When being in Canada for holidays in 2013 she absolutely felt in love with this beautiful country – so she decided to go back as soon as possible. Since she wanted to have some time for looking for a job and exploring the world after graduating, her practicum in Vancouver was the best opportunity for her. She stayed around 6 months (or as she said, the best time of her life 😉 ).
During this time she volunteered at an environmental charity where she primarily worked as an eco friendly social media intern with tasks like promotion and trying to get more people involved in an eco friendly living. She really enjoyed her time being in a small team of only 5 people who were really friendly, understanding and able to teach her so many new insights which have been very useful for her current work position. The best thing about this time for the future was definitely that through this job, her work experience and the beneficial feedback she got hired in her current job 🙂 Additionally, through the companies’ great trust in her she became more independent and started to get experience working in an office environment for the first time. She also improved her social media skills which are certainly important to have in these times.
Since she had a work permit she also had the chance to earn some money as well as intercultural experiences while working in a restaurant.
I asked her what the first impression was after arriving in Vancouver. She just said it was overwhelming but since she has family there it was much easier to find her way in this new environment. However, from the first moment she was certain that she made the right decision choosing this place for her international experience. For her the definitely best memory was the weekend getaway to Salt Spring Island staying in a small chalet in the middle of nowhere with new friends from all over the world. Sounds like a really fun time.
She also enjoyed Vancouver’s nightlife including the INTERNeX pubnights as well as a trip to Seattle, Whistler and the many days spent in Stanley Park. She already recommended INTERNeX to one of her friends who already stayed in Canada with us. For her the support was really beneficial to make friends, have more fun and experience new places better than alone. To conclude this report on her experience, Roslyn described her stay as wonderful, insightful, beautiful and in a good way completely overwhelming.
Thank you Roslyn for sharing your Canada experience with us 🙂
INTERNeX Canada 