Beyond the Borders of Switzerland: Visit to Canada during COVID 2021

(This post was created in February 2022)

January-February 2021 -- In 2018, my Mom purchased a lovely modern Condo Apartment and had really wanted me to come see it. First though, she visited us in 2019, and then our plan had been to visit her in 2020. But then COVID hit, and travel became difficult.

By the end of the year, it was looking like it would be even more difficult to travel to Canada, so I decided to make the trip to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, traveling in January/February as this is a time when we are not hiking, and when fewer people would be traveling.

At the time, a two-week quarantine was required which I was able to do at our old family home (as opposed to a hotel quarantine, which was implemented after my return to Switzerland), where my sister now lives with her family. After those two weeks, I spent the next four weeks just hanging around with my Mom. In that time there were some shopping expeditions, some nice meals at restaurants, and a couple of outings to local sites.

Before returning to Switzerland, I had to take a PCR test which I could only do in Vancouver, so I spent a pleasant three days there with my dear friend Sandy, with whom I went walking at the ocean on Boundary Bay, and who took me to visit the famous Fishermans's Wharf at Steveston Harbour.

(Added Note: This was the time when the COVID tests started to be required for international travel. Until the very day of my flight on January 7th, no tests had been required to enter Canada, only the quarantine. With my luck, on December 31, Canada announced the requirement of a PCR test starting January 7th, which left me scrambling to get a test appointment. Which was easier to do in Switzerland than in Kelowna.... Just one or two weeks into my stay in Canada, Switzerland also announced the requirement to have a negative PCR test to return to the country. I spent a lot of time changing flights, as there was nowhere in the Okanagan where I could do a PCR test for travel purposes...)

The orchard in the Okanagan Valley where I grew up, and view from our old family home.

Andrea and Mark now have lots of room for their many "toys"!

Mark has set up quite a successful "saw mill" in the covered area near the garage, where Dad used to keep his tractors.

Every day, even in the cold, Mark is working with his new saw, on tree trunks which he is able to collect around the neighbourhood.

VIDEO:

Mark working with his new saw at "Lake Country Saw Mill"

After two weeks of quarantine at the old family farm, which included being able to visit with my sister and sort out some of my belongings which I still have stored there, I then went to spend four weeks with my lovely Mom in her new modern condominium apartment in Kelowna.

During my time in Kelowna, we did come up to visit the farm a couple of times. One of those times included a drive to Wood Lake, a lake which featured a lot in my childhood. The afternoon was clear and beautiful.

Heading toward the North End of Wood Lake along the Pelmewash Highway.

North end of Wood Lake, looking South

Panorama view of Wood Lake looking South

The Sisters

One time Andrea and her daughter Danae came to Kelowna, and we walked along the Boardwalk on Okanagan Lake in Kelowna.

Kelowna Downtown Marina

Kelowna Waterfront Park

And on another beautiful clear day (of which I didn't have many), I took a drive up Dilworth Mountain, which is right behind my Mom's building, and did two short walks: One steep uphill climb to a look-out point where I could see across the entire city all the way to Black Mountain in the East, and Okanagan Mountain in the South. The other short walk was around Dilworth Mountain Park, where I could look down at my Mom's building. It was cold, about -20 Celcius.

Look-out point on Dilworth Mountain, looking over the city of Kelowna toward the lake in the West

A look over Kelowna to the Southeast

VIDEO:

Panorama View of Kelowna

On the 1-km loop trail in Dilworth Mountain Park. View is of Knox Mountain

A look down at the apartment complex where my Mom lives

Kelowna Golf and Country Club

View to the North

We also went out to eat a few times:

Steak Dinner at Joey's in Kelowna (I never eat beef steak in Europe)

Ribs and such at Montana's

Ribs at Montana's (I never eat Ribs in Europe)

And invited the family over for my Mom's birthday celebration:

Take-out Chinese Food for Mum's Birthday!

A small family gathering for Mom's birthday.

Mom's go-to cake with coffee whipped cream

Here are photos of Mum's new apartment:

Grandson Joshua comes from lunch once a week

Living Room

Guest bedroom

Living Room with access to balcony

My cute Mom loves her apartment.

Besides making lots of puzzles with my Mom, I spent most of my time completing a quilt which I had started about 10 years earlier. It was my Mom's wish for me to complete it, so I did it for her. For me, I was simply interested in the sampler squares. The quilting was completed professionally, and the blanket is now in my Mom's guest room.

After six weeks in the Okanagan, it was time to return to Switzerland. Because I needed to get a PCR Test in Vancouver, I traveled there three days before my flight to Europe, and had the test done at the airport. Lucky for me, I was able to spend three days with my lovely friend Sandy. We did a nice walk along the ocean in Boundary Bay Regional Park, which is just North of the Point Roberts Canada/USA border (the people of Point Roberts were cut off from the world for most of the Pandemic, as they were not allowed to cross the border into Canada). We saw lots of Bald-Headed Eagles, but I was not able to photograph them properly. (I had only my phone camera, not good quality)

Walking along the ocean in Boundary Bay Regional Park

This walk along the ocean in Boundary Bay Regional Park was about 5 kilometers.

On a separate day, we went to Steveston Harbour, which is a popular tourist destination and a place where the fishermen sell their catch right out of their boats. It was cold and windy, and the Fish & Chips we had were greasy and the batter undercooked (so not the best, and very expensive), but the boats were quite fascinating, and we also saw a very cute sea lion, looking for fish scraps...

First another short walk along the ocean near Steveston Fisherman's Memorial (in Garry Point Park)

Steveston Harbour, a historical site in the city of Vancouver

There are many cute shops here. The village is quaint, and often used as a setting for movies.

Walking along the harbour docks. Most of the restaurants are closed, and there is no indoor dining at this point anyway.

Walking up and down the quays looking a the fishermen's boats.

Fish is sold fresh off the ships

A cutie sea lion looking for fish scraps (These animals can be dangerous, though)

VIDEO:

Sea Lion looking for fish scraps

Looking for a place to buy the renowned Fish & Chips. It was cold and windy.

We found a take-out place which would not even allow us to sit here in the wind shelter (they drove us off after taking these photos!) The fish was pretty bland and the batter undercooked. Not the best meal... but the best Fish&Chips restaurants were closed.

Fascinating masts on these fishing boats

Admiring the fishing boats in Steveston Harbour

Fantastic fishing boats.

This is the historical cannery, where originally the fish brought into the harbour were immediately processed here.

And then it was time to fly home. Whereas the plane from Frankfurt to Vancouver was packed full (a flight from London was diverted to Frankfurt, as the new COVID Variant had recently been discovered in the UK, and direct flights from London were not allowed to land in Vancouver), this flight was fairly empty, and we all had empty seats to lie across. I slept long and well on the flight to Frankfurt. There were no babies, and no children.