Today marks 1 year in Vancouver! It’s easy to say ‘I don’t know where the time went’ here, but you know what? I have a photo gallery, a calendar, and a blog that tells me exactly where it went. Putting this year overview together was wild – we’ve done so much, seen so much, and had the pleasure of doing it all with lovely people. Here are the highlights of living in Vancouver in 2023!
JAN | moving to Vancouver
The big day had come on 12 January; off to the airport with a one-way ticket, a bunch of suitcases, and butterflies in the stomach as an exciting new chapter started. Once we reached Vancouver late at night, we were exhausted but excited. Getting some shut eye at a hotel was really difficult; not because of the anticipation, but because we were dripping in sweat with a room temperature at 28 degrees.
The first few days and weeks were all about getting things sorted, from administrative stuff to filling our unfurnished apartment. Not fun for our bank account, but I enjoyed the little interior project.
👉🏽 Arrival story: Hi Vancouver, we’re here!
I’ll be going month by month and providing some links to posts I’ve written throughout the year. Post continues after the photos below.
JAN | Meeting people & our surroundings
Right, we have a couch, we have a bed, we have the necessities. Next, we were eager to explore two things: people and nature! Where to start? I wrote a little paragraph about us on 19 January, and selected a photo to introduce ourselves in a Facebook group for newcomers. It wasn’t long before we got some responses and I found myself chatting with a bunch of people. Our post led to a number of meet ups between 23 January and 2 February. In that time, we met 9 lovely people – mostly couples – and we’re still in touch with the majority of them. And that doesn’t even include the people I met at work, which started on the 30th. Socially, that short period of time was incredibly prolific and I’m so glad we put ourselves out there so shortly after arriving.
And then the nature. I’m a little more used to it now, but I remember the wonder, the awe from those initial weeks and months. One moment you’re strolling city streets, and the next you’re hiking in the mountains. How can these moments be as short as 30 minutes apart?
feb | work & life
February represented starting our jobs in Canada. While I was getting onboarded at work, Tom was applying for jobs, and meanwhile we kept putting ourselves out there to be social and experience the city as much as we could. By mid-February, Tom had found a job, and we naturally went into our routine of working, spending a couple of nights a week being out and about, and making the most of the weekends.
That month, we had started a 6-week salsa class and spent our first statutory holiday in the Okanagan. Meanwhile, more furniture was arriving. Gradually, our apartment started to become more cozy and feel more like our home. It was winter, but pretty mild – climate was another thing we were getting acquainted with. People had warned us that all it does here is rain, rain, and rain… But hey, coming from the Netherlands, that didn’t intimidate us so much. Knock on wood, two months in, the weather hadn’t been that bad. Toward the end of the month, we experienced our first snowfall in the city. It wasn’t much, but enough to learn that downtown Vancouver and snow don’t go well together. It didn’t stick for long, and temperatures generally stayed above 0.
mar | bonding
Most people we met were relatively new to Vancouver too, so they were as eager as we were to explore the city and do fun stuff together. With our newfound friends, we bonded over dinners, shot bandits in a VR game, fell in love with rugby at the Rugby Sevens event, and went out to see some live jazz music. Can’t leave out hiking: March was the first time we went to Deep Cove and did the Quarry Rock hike. Everything was new and exciting for us!
To come back to the weather: March, too, was really not bad. If it was cloudy, it was still nice and mild and inviting to step out and do stuff. And when the sun shined… Ah, Vancouver definitely is at its prettiest when the sun shines. In either conditions, still at around 6-10 degrees, I’d see people out and about in shorts and slippers. I’m not sure if I can ever become thatVancouverite.
apr | milestones
April brought exciting milestones: I got my BC driver’s license and my Medical Services Plan card. That month, I visited to the United States for the first time and went to see Seattle and Tom’s relatives. Another highlight: I got my first tattoo. And I ran my first running event in Canada: the Vancouver Sun Run.
Ironically, the Sun Run had everything but sun. It was like running with a premium showerhead hovering above you. After weeks and weeks of pretty great weather, it was like the event opened the floodgates: a very wet period started… Right when our friend Marcha came to visit.
That was a milestone too: our first visitors. She and her friend had a wonderful time seeing Vancouver and Vancouver Island, but definitely not with the finest weather conditions. To escape the dull weather, we drove out to the Okanagan, because that’s where they say the sun shines the most. And it did – the closer we got to that area, the warmer and sunnier it got! That weekend, I went on my first British Columbia wine tour. I’m a fan now.
In the Netherlands, we celebrate King’s Day on 27 April. We invited friends to join us in this Dutch celebration at a bar. I’ll never forget it because 1) they had double booked us with another big group, and the solution was to upgrade us to a private area, 2) I could introduce Marcha to my Vancouver friends, and 3) I could introduce my Vancouver friends to my other Vancouver friends. That night also ended on a sad note though, because it was when Marcha had to head to the airport and leave.
may | hello summer
I remember 29 April so well – Chilliwack Tulip Festival with a few colleagues. Overnight, we went from that wet weather our visitors had to endure to sunscreen and bare arms. Can you believe it? Of course, right when she leaves, the sun comes out. We entered May with a summer blast and it felt like summer didn’t end until like… November.
Indeed, our first taste of summer in Vancouver was that tulip-filled day. We bought us some paddle boards, watched the sun set from the beach across the street, ran around Stanley Park. For the long weekend, we drove down to Olympia and explored Olympic National Park in Washington State. Oh, and more music! I went to my second Sofar Sounds show to listen to local artists at unique locations.
👉🏽 Underrated Washington: Olympia, Olympic National Park, La Push, Lake Crescent & Mount Rainier
jun | more lovely friends
And then JUNE. Oh, my, I loved June. We started it off right with a boat day on 3 June. At King’s Day, a few of our friends connected and we formed a little group. A couple of weeks later, our gang of Danes, Brits, and Dutchies got together and rented a boat that we could take from downtown all the way to the Indian Arm. We took a right after Stanley Park and headed to Deep Cove and beyond. I mean, look at it. This place. Wow. Blissful hours going out and back on the boat. If you’d drive there by car, it’s really only a 25 minute drive. It’s really just around the corner.
What else? We went to farmers markets on weekend mornings, explored restaurants (food is amazing here), went hiking with friends. Some more friend-making through Bumble Friends led us to a lovely a Dutch couple that had just arrived, and another couple that turned out to live just next door. Not unimportant: a new season of Outlander came out, which obviously contributed to overall glee 🙃
jul | hiking
Next, July brought more hikes, starting with the incredible Panorama Ridge adventure with colleagues. Additionally, we explored Skookumchuck Narrows with Tom’s parents and ventured to Joffre Lakes with the Danes. Closer to home, we enjoyed cooking food on the beach with the city as a backdrop, seeing a musical in Stanley Park, having BBQs on the rooftop, and laying out a picnic mat for a Vancouver Symphonic Orchestra concert in the park in Burnaby. So much to do and with such stable weather!
I should clarify here that, up to this point, I had only taken two vacation leave days: one to join my friend for the wine tour in the Okanagan back in March, and another so we could leave for the Sunshine Coast on Friday with Tom’s parents here in July. Other than that, it’s simply evenings and weekends that give you the time to explore.
aug | birthday month
August is birthday month in our household. On Tom’s birthday, our Dutch friends picked us up in an Evo (car sharing). As we approached the car, Julia and Joost cheekily let the windows drop, Happy Birthday by Stevie Wonder blasting out the speakers. The back seat littered with balloons, Tom’s ride to the trailhead for the St Mark’s Summit hike was a true treat. A few days later, on my birthday, we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in our neighbourhood and ended the night at the Irish pub.
Amidst these celebrations, we had some other notable moments. Firstly, the Abbotsford International Airshow, where the four of us got pretty burnt (IT WAS SO HOT). And what an event that was! I also saw the Barbie movie with the girls, and spotted seals and other wild life on a Sea Safari. Then, a much-anticipated moment arrived: we were going to the Canadian Rockies! It was our first time actually taking a week off. To break the long drive, we did a wine tour in Kelowna (after all, Tom hadn’t done one yet!). The next day, we met Tom’s brother at Calgary International Airport to start an amazing trip together.
sep | travel season
The Rockies were incredible. You’ll find the link to my stories from that trip at the bottom of this paragraph. Following that unforgettable journey, we took a couple more vacation leave days off work and ventured to the United States one more time: New York and Washington DC. While I anticipated that New York would be amazing, it blew my mind more than I expected. What an incredible city. Washington DC didn’t disappoint either; there’s so much history, so much to learn there!
It sure was a busy summer, and at times, a bit overwhelming. Honestly, I was ready for some peace and quiet, however, I felt like summer is so precious and I gotta enjoy it to the fullest.
The day before flying to New York City there was another notable moment: we had a little “foodbye” at our place. Our buddies Alexander and Sif, whom we had spent lots of time with, were going back to Denmark. We enjoyed one more barbecue together before saying goodbye. We miss you guys!
oct | reunion
Though I wished the summer would never end, I had one last trip coming up early October that did make me excited for the fall season to arrive. I was going back home.
First things first: I had a wonderful time at my second Patrick Droney concert on 5 October. That guy. Love love love love his music. Fills my heart. Makes me so happy. The day after, I hopped on an airplane that would bring me back to the Netherlands. After seeing Tom’s family here in Canada, it was so nice to be able to spend time with my side of the family and see my friends, even if it was just for a short period of time. And our CATS. Ahhhh hugging our furry babies again!
Back in Vancouver, I took a deep breath, not really knowing when I would physically see my friends and family next. However, I got back in my rhythm here, this time with no more big trips on the horizon. Nevertheless, as always, there are plenty of entertaining things to do. We went to Cirque du Soleil in town, and watched several matches of the Rugby World Cup at pubs.
nov | fall colours
The leaves were starting to change colours, the temperatures were dropping, and we settled into quieter times with more indoor activities and cozy nights catching up on tv shows and movies. Drinking tea. Meeting up for coffees. Visiting a friend’s house for breakfast and a puzzle. Trivia night. Virtual golf. A lovely night at the Orpheum Theatre for a Louis Armstrong tribute. The occasional visit to the woods for an autumn stroll.
Meanwhile, at work, on a near-weekly basis, we would take a stroll in the memorial garden close by to see how the Japanese garden was transitioning from summer to fall. The photo below is when the fall colours were at their peak. I sure loved our lunch breaks this way!
Toward the end of November, the Christmas Market opened, seemingly marking the beginning of the holiday season!
dec | hello winter
Indeed, it was full on winter now. Not yet because of such cold weather in Vancouver, but because finally there was just about enough snow for the ski mountains to open. Following a recommendation from a colleague, I signed us up for the Never Ever Day in Whistler, which is a special lesson day for people that have never or rarely done any skiing or snowboarding. It was great! Although I’m still very much a beginner, I definitely felt a lot more stable and confident after that ski lesson!
Surrounded by snow that day, it sure felt more Christmassy and wintery. However, once back in the city, it was not so apparent that it was December. Again, pretty mild weather! Meanwhile, we were preparing for our Christmas weekend (what to cook!?), and we payed a quick visit to the US border to pick up our new work permits for 2024.
And yep, before we knew it, Christmas was knocking on the door. To be more precise, the door to our Airbnb on the Sunshine Coast! I wrote all about it a little while ago (see link below).
It felt like New Year’s Eve followed so quickly! With a group of friends we got all dressed up and went to a NYE party to ring in the new year.
And there we are. 2023 was over. It was a lot, wasn’t it! But it was amazing, and I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!
