Lifestyle
Eudoxie on a road trip in Canada
Oct
Last November theCanadian Tourism Board came across our road trip in Sardinia that we had organized with Splitchain. That's where they got the idea to offer us a mission: Come to Canada, more precisely to the Canadian southwest, and make the French want to go there by motorbike, in order to discover its magnificent roads, landscapes and activities. That's where the tourist office gave us an appointment in Vancouver, on the program? A one-week road trip, on a Harley Davidson. Here we tell you about our epic and our good tips.
DAY 1
road trip in canada – THE ARRIVAL
After a 10-hour direct Air France flight from Paris, where the landscapes through the window of the Airbus will have followed one another, like the ice floes of Greenland or the North Atlantic as far as the eye can see, we land in Vancouver. Nicknamed “The Glass City”, it rather lives up to its name. A modern, dynamic and cosmopolitan city, the Eldorado of the West Coast with its endless skyscrapers. The first observation we did not expect when arriving in the city is that we find ourselves surrounded by Asian restaurants on every street corner, it's true that Asia is not that far away on this side of the globe! On the road, the XXL Canadian pickups are boosted with proteins! They are huge and enormous, a French car would serve as a license-free car here! Fast & furious Mustang or Ferrari cars are not rare either. Our hotel has a scent of an 80s motel, pastel colors, a patio with palm trees, right in the heart of downtown, we quickly realize that it is unique. The city is sublime, clean and so modern. Strolling through the streets, we come face to face with a policeman on a Harley Davison who offers to take pictures of us on his motorcycle.
A little taste of what awaits us the next day, to pick up our rental cars. His motorbike is sublime, white and black with lights everywhere, a real funfair attraction. He is adorable, we will talk about motorbikes and we will explain to him the reason for our visit to his city.
To combat the 9 hour time difference and keep us going until the evening, the tourist office has concocted a meal for us a boat trip on the harbor. Down there, it's a never-ending ballet of seaplanes landing and taking off: You just want to discover the country from this point of view!
The day will end with a cold beer in one of their micro breweries and a dinner at 6pm (local time for meals there) before heading to the best diner in town, American burgers and unforgettable milkshakes!. Objective: to be in shape the next day to recover what will serve as our mount for the next few days.
DAY 2
FULL THROTTLE ON THE ROADS OF WESTERN CANADA
DAY 3
Canadian immersion
DAY 4
our dose of thrills
Let's go to take in some more breathtaking scenery. After a restless night in a sort of motel, we hit the road towards Whistler, a town that is none other than one of the largest ski resorts in North America. A legendary place that is famous for skiing and snowboarding in winter, but also the capital of downhill mountain biking in summer.
To get there, we find ourselves between desert landscapes with straight roads as far as the eye can see and mountainous lakes with turquoise water. I get chills thinking about it. For this day, the office had a surprise in store for us, and not the least, as soon as we arrived at the station: From the zipline. But what is it? The ziplane is a kind of zip line, and this one happens to be the longest and highest in North America, no less. During our ride up the chairlift, we will also have the opportunity to come across a black bear, something incredible, for us as real tourists. When we arrive at the top, we will rush to tell our guide “crazy, we saw a bear right there!” His response will not be long in coming “Cool, there was one in my garden last week” oh really… It’s the Canadian spirit! As the start approaches, the team splits up, some are all excited about this activity, others a little more anxious... I will be part of the second category, we are really very very high!... The start is impressive, never easy to throw yourself into the void, but the descent of 1.5km at more than 100km/h above a valley with a breathtaking view of the mountains, that really has something exhilarating! It was an incredible experience!
After this unique experience, and night having already fallen, it is our taste buds that will take a hit: A table is reserved for us at Bearfoot Bistro, an incredible gourmet restaurant. There, we will have the opportunity to visit their wine cellar, composed of many French bottles, the most expensive of which is $28,000, no less. We will also learn how to saber champagne, and between the delicious dishes, and the dishes that follow one another, to taste a whisky with maple syrup. There, no digestif at the table! Without further ado, we are taken next door, we put on big coats and we enter an ice bar, a bar at -32°C covered in ice from floor to ceiling (as its name suggests) and where we sip vodka which at this temperature becomes syrupy… A great evening of celebration in an unmissable address!
DAY 5
who runs the world? girls.
The next day, the sky is foggy, like our minds! But it is time to leave despite the rain. We have to return the motorcycles to Vancouver before the end of the day and we still have a long way to go. With the Eudoxie team we put on our rain gear: Efficiency 1 – Style 0. Luckily, it is when we arrive at the Sea to Sky, the most beautiful road in North America, that the sky opens up. We find ourselves on the edge of a huge lake, which is none other than a Pacific fjord! Once again, the landscape is breathtaking, and the fog makes it even more incredible. Back in Vancouver and Eaglerider, it is time for us to say goodbye to these almost 400KG motorcycles, which have been faithful road companions on this loop of almost 900KM. As an aside, on the way back, we found ourselves chatting with 2 bikers, who were none other than the drivers for Beyoncé's tour that was happening that very evening in Vancouver! In our wildest dreams, we would have gone there, but instead we headed to Granville Island to discover a neighborhood where the crafts of indigenous communities are in the spotlight, then we walked along the marina to a local brewery: False Creek Craft Beer Market, a typical place with countless beers. A little nostalgic feeling as we returned to our hotel, our last night in this magnificent country.
DAY 6
the cherry on the cake
It's time to go home! We buy some souvenirs at the airport, including an articulated bear, who will be our new mascot, Jacky! And as if this crazy road trip wasn't enough, it's on the plane back that we get the grand finale... In mid-flight, one of us opens her window shutter and there... the northern lights as far as the eye can see. A sky with changing colors. A perfect ending! Thanks again to Destination Canada for introducing us to this country that has seduced us all 100%!
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PS: And if you have a motorbike, tell us the model in the comments! We loooooove to know which cars are part of the EUDOXIE team!
