Day 204 : Superbowled Over

High point: Watching the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 45^th American Superbowl.

No point: The Burger vs Sandwich debate rolls on. When is a burger not a burger? What constitutes a burger? Is a Chicken Sandwich a burger? And what on earth is an Eggplant Burger?

Just missed the point: Rob nearly running over a jogger on a pedestrian crossing within ten minutes of taking the wheel (priceless video footage available upon request).

If you were a sports loving kid growing up in the eighties there’s a strong possibility that Channel 4’s American Football coverage fronted by Gary Imlach on a Sunday night was a key part of your weekend. Whilst the UK’s love of the sport has wained significantly over the past twenty years, North America’s would appear to be stronger than ever. Settling into Vancouver’s number one sports bar on Sunday afternoon surrounded by as many TV’s as football fans, our first proper afternoon in Canada’s unofficial capital left us with no doubt how much these guys love their sport. Ice Hockey still ranks number one for most Canadians due to a small matter of being Olympic champions, however American Football clearly runs a close second.Having already been to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics last March (Stage 7 crew did I mention I’ve been to Vancouver before?) the grey skies and drizzle that regularly blanket this mini-New York’s streets came as little surprise. That did not however throw a cloud on our morning’s sightseeing and laughing like schoolchildren at anything and everything (I blame the jetlag), we ticked off Stanley Park’s sprawling woodland and Totem Poles, Granville Island’s vast food market, The Laughing Men at English Bay and the now unlit Olympic Torch in downtown Vancouver in four packed pre-Superbowl hours.

Unfortunately however our time in British Columbia was to be short and sweet and when Monday morning did not yield the revised slot on Canadian television we had hoped for (we were bumped from our original slot on Saturday morning due to a gangland shooting – how rude), we headed to the downtown Vancouver fire department to collect Martha from her temporary parking lot and continue our onward journey to Portland, Oregon. The Canadian media may have been fairly unaccommodating however the same could not be said of the Vancouver fire crew or Hostel International on Granville Street, both of whom made us feel incredibly welcome. US border patrol here we come!

BJB

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