Sjoukje in Vancouver BC, Canada (Mo 17-Mar-2003 / Th 03-Apr-2003)

This page was last updated on 07-Apr-2003 05:50:32 (PST).

Sjoukje visited Ton in Vancouver from Monday 17-Mar-203 until Thursday 03-Apr-2003. This is her travel report with some pictures.

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Monday 17-Mar-2003

11:50: Sjoukje's plane landed. Because of the threat of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) many flights from Asia needed special attention and that delayed checking in Sjoukje's flight. At 2 PM Ton was able to greet Sjoukje with a single deep red rose. Right after Sjoukje's arrival we went for a coffee (latte) at Starbucks. Sjoukje had a short nap in the afternoon while Ton went to work. In the evening we had dinner at home (broccoli, steak, potatoes, mushrooms).

Tuesday 18-Mar-2003

We started the day with an extended breakfast prepared by Ton (self baked croissants, orange juice, boiled eggs, strawberries, etc.). We had lunch at the Thai House restaurant in Yaletown.

Wednesday 19-Mar-2003

Sjoukje and Ton had lunch together at the Elbow Room on Davie Street. Sjoukje went shopping on Robson Street in the afternoon and bought some new clothes at Dynamite's. We ordered Domino's pizza for dinner and watched Star Trek - Enterprise in the evening, together witch CNN's coverage of the first day of War in Iraq.

Thursday 20-Mar-2003

Sjoukje and Ton had lunch at Subeez lunch room. Sjoukje then walked home via False Creek's seawall. At 7 PM we arrived at Nick Levens and Aprile's home for a dinner invitation. We left around midnight.

Friday 21-Mar-2003

We had breakfast at home and Chinese Dim Sum lunch at King Fortune on Burrard Street. In the afternoon Sjoukje walked to English Bay, Denman Street, Robson Street and back home on Thurlow Street. We visited Frans and Marieke Luit in the evening for some drinks and watched their wedding movie. Then we went to Cardero's restaurant/pub for a dinner snack and some appetizers (appies).

Saturday 22-Mar-2003

We left Vancouver around 6.30 AM for a ski weekend in Whistler. Sjoukje bought a $ 70 lesson deal at Sport Check in West Vancouver. This entitled her for 3 ski lessons, ski rentals for 3 days and 1 lift ticket. At 09.30 AM Sjoukje started her official ski lesson on Whistler mountain (level 1.5). Frans and Marieke Luit, Ton and Sjoukje had lunch at the Rendezvous restaurant. From 3-5 PM we had a few drinks together at the Brew House. After this Sjoukje and Ton went to the Crystal Decisions chalet to shower and change clothes. They then went back to the Whistler village for some chicken wraps and fries at the Long Horn pub.

Sunday 23-Mar-2003


After our breakfast in Whistler we went home to Vancouver. Halfway (in Squamish) we went off-road with the 4x4 truck for an adventure in the woods. We then continued our drive back to Vancouver for a visit to Cypress Mountain and Deep Cove (North Vancouver). We then picked up a take-out dinner at the Greek restaurant "Stepho's" on Davie Street and spend the night watching TV at Ton's apartment.

Monday 24-Mar-2003

After breakfast Sjoukje went for a walk around Stanley Park. She had lunch with Ton at the Urban Lunch Buffet (sushi, etc.). At 5 PM we visited Sears on Robson Street. After that we bought ingredients at IGA Market Place on Burrard Street for a traditional Dutch "Boerenkool" dinner. During and after dinner we watched TV.

Tuesday 25-Mar-2003

After Sjoukje made breakfast for her and Ton we met for lunch at the Yaletown Market. Here is where Ton started polling Sjoukje about engaging. Sjoukje spend her afternoon on Granville Street.

Wednesday 26-Mar-2003

Sjoukje finally made it for a morning stroll in Gastown. After work Sjoukje and Ton spend time at the Pacific Mall where they looked for engagement rings for the first time.

Thursday 27-Mar-2003

Sjoukje had lunch with Ton at the Yaletown Market. After work they met for a drink at the Lennox Pub (Bellevue cherish beer and Hoegaarden wheat beer) and spend some time looking for engagement rings at two Granville Street jewelry stores.

At 6.30 PM we joined Veronica's party at Crush on Granville Street and at 8 PM we had a gorgeous tapas dinner at BIN 941 (Davie Street). Then came the big moment ... Ton took Sjoukje to Sunset Beach at 11 PM and proposed to her in order to get engaged.

Friday 28-Mar-2003

10.00 AM: Sjoukje and Ton ordered two 14 karat gold engagement rings at a jewelry store on Granville Street. During lunch time they picked up the rings and had them engraved. The rings are engraved as follows:

SJOUKJE 27-MAR-03 (in Ton's ring).

TON 27-MAR-03 (in Sjoukje's ring).

18.00 Sjoukje and Ton went to Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver, where Ton proposed to Sjoukje on Thursday 27-Mar-2003 with one knee on the ground. Here they now exchanged their engagement rings. We use the Dutch engagement ceremony where both are wearing engagement rings on the left ring finger. Instead of the North American way, where the male only offers the female a ring with diamond.

Tonight we celebrated Ton's birthday at The Zone Bowling Centre & Big River Brew Pub in Richmond.

18.30 Nick Levens picked us up, he was the designated driver for the night. After picking up Mariane he drove us to Richmond's entertainment center across the Silver City movie theatre where we had snacks and drinks at the pub at 8 PM. At 9.30 PM we started "Cosmic" bowling until almost midnight. This was for Ton's birthday. The following people joined (parts of) the evening:

Frans and Marieke Luit, Dick and Joke, Frances Hui, Mariane, Nick Levens, Tanja Giljevic, David and Christine Hume, Rob and Marion and of course Sjoukje.

Saturday 29-Mar-2003

At 09.30 Sjoukje and Ton had breakfast at Dutch Pannekoek House on Granville Street before they visited Granville Island. At 13.30 they took the ferry to Sunshine Coast (Horseshoe Bay to Langdale) and drove to the ferry at the north. At 6 PM they checked in the Bed & Breakfast. At 7 PM a great dinner plus wine was served at the Italian restaurant "Ruby Lake Resort". After we returned to the B&B we used the hot tub.

Sunday 30-Mar-2003

13.00 We enjoyed a huge breakfast at the B&B before taking a walk in the rain (1 hour each way) through a beautiful rain forest to the Skookumchuck Narrows. A unique area; a world phenomena. The fastest tidal flow here occurs in an section of Skookumchuck Narrows named Sechelt Rapids.

17.30 We then took the car back to Langdale, we stopped at A&W for fries, hamburger and chicken fingers. At 18.30 we took the ferry sailing from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay. On our way back home in downtown Vancouver we watched a film set at the corner of Georgia Street and Thurlow Street. After arriving home Ton created a 2nd vacation CD for Sjoukje.

Monday 31-Mar-2003

13.30-16.00: Portrait photo's at Sears on Robson Street. After which we had a Subway sandwich which we ate at Crystal Decisions' office, where Sjoukje stayed until Ton was finished around 7 PM.

20.00: Cardero's Restaurant (Frans and Marieke Luit, Richard and Magda, Joeck and Vida, Michelle).

Tuesday 01-Apr-2003 (Ton's birthday)

Today Ton started his 3-day Project Management Breakthrough training at Crystal Decisions. Sjoukje and Ton had a soup and quiche lunch across the street from the Cambie Street office at "Grounds For Appeal" (after eating a few sandwiches provided by the training class). Ton invited Sjoukje for a romantic candlelight dinner at the revolving restaurant "Cloud 9" at the Landmark Hotel on Robson Street. This restaurant is located on the 42nd floor and has a great view over downtown Vancouver and it's surroundings.

Wednesday 02-Apr-2003

At noon Sjoukje and Ton had lunch at a Japanese restaurant on Georgia Street with Charl and Louisa Kunzmann. After work (6 PM) Ton picked up Sjoukje and they drove to Lynn Valley to visit the free suspension bridge. After that they had a chocolate sundae at the Dairy Queen of Lynn Valley.

At 7.30 PM we quickly stopped by at Silvia's house in Deep Cove (she wasn't home) for her birthday. They later went to the North Vancouver location of Future Shop to pick up new CD-R discs and went grocery shopping at Save-On-Foods. We made macaroni at home for dinner.

Thursday 03-Apr-2003

Sjoukje and Ton woke up at 7 AM for shower and breakfast. We left Ton's apartment just after 9 AM to drop off Sjoukje at the airport for her return flight to Amsterdam. At 11.13 Sjoukje disappeared through the customs door on her way to gate D70. She had seat 30C on her flight back to Holland (departed on time at 12.05), where she arrived earlier than scheduled at 7.29 AM (local time).

At 12.30 (local time) Sjoukje called Ton. She told him that going through customs in Amsterdam went very quickly and 30 minutes after landing she was already boarding a train to Amsterdam-Central Station.

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Last Updated: 07-Apr-2003