But there are 89 Starbucks in a 5 km radius in Vancouver & that is a lot of coffee....I’d always thought of Starbucks as a kind of weak reflection of American coffee culture... the odd one here & there in the UK allows us to pretend we’re in Friends for half an hour once in a while.Changed my mind though....they’re absolutely essential...As you walk around Vancouver, every single one is always packed all the time & its become part of our daily routine & the sole provider of breakfast over the past three days. God bless you Starbucks!Store locator in case you don’t believe...

Thought we’d go for a walk in the park yesterday... just not possible with Stanley Park however. This place is just too huge. There are 5 restaurants, numerous cafes, miles & miles of bike & pedestrian track & Vancouver Aquarium is also tucked away in a corner of this oasis. $40 got us a couple of bikes for the day - not quite what we had in mind being within distance of what we regard as mountain bike mecca, but that is not what this trip is about so we got over the clunky gears & got out there. The outer route (more like a ring road) does not actually lead anywhere other...

Took the sea bus to North Vancouver today. Made a nice break from the hustle of Downtown & even Granville Island which we also enjoyed. Bus drivers are crrrraaaaazy over on this side of the water, but got us to the base of Grouse Mountain in double quick time. Big cable tram ride up to the top presented us with what turned out to be a great day out. And finally....what we all came to see.... not one, but two bears... OMG!!!! Ok, so they were in relative captivity after being orphaned, but a bear’s a bear eh? 30 mins until beer o’clock so quick update of the photos then back out....it...

Couple of hours on a plane sees us in Vancouver... Sandman on Davie...20th floor...its some view...quite different from Lake Louise! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WABqfs5NNYc

Shopping this morning. Usual Brit moan about how expensive things are at home so mental note to selves...next trip out we’re bringing hand luggage only, buying clothes as we need them, & luggage to ship it all home in. Banff is a weird mix of tourist tat (100 different sizes of novelty maple syrup bottles & scary cardigans with a moose on the back) & outdoor clothing shops covering hiking & camping to snow sports & mountain biking. We stayed out of the bike shops on purpose coz that would have made me weep... with clothing approaching half price, we just couldn’t risk finding...

So, took the Banff Gondola today. Trade description mistake...there’s no boat & no Italian dude in a straw hat. Gondola in this case is a posh word for a cable car, but either way it is well worth the $29...views are just stunning. We also got our official photos back too! What a turnaround time from the photographer ( www.mountainlightstudio.com). Sorry, but not even the parents have seen ‘em yet so you lot will have to wait. Also Mum’s birthday so went out for a right posh do! The one thing that is totally crazy about going out for even a half decent restaurant is that the waiter’s...

Went for a hike up the mountain next to the hotel this morning... tougher than it looks as the air is thinner (my excuse anyway) Back to the hotel for a final blow out on afternoon tea (booking advised). Then, a quick drive over to Banff, hand the cars back, then its beer o’clock