Vancouver, Canada

        As I took my first step out of the Vancouver International Airport, the cold air immediately penetrated my lungs as my breath made puffs of steam. I imagined that back in California, the cloudy and rainy weather promised by forecasts would make for a rather subdued holiday. But in Vancouver, even through the blanket of clouds and light rain, the lights seemed more festive than ever. 

      By the time my family and I arrived at our hotel at 4:30 in the afternoon, the sky was already dark. We had hoped to visit the vibrant holiday fair just a block away, but found that we missed it by a single day — it had closed for the year after Christmas. Instead, we strolled through a nearby plaza overlooking the English Bay, marveling at the glimmering city lights across the bay.

      We started the next day walking along the shore and admiring the colorful boats dotting the water. After renting bikes, we rode along a trail that took us to the foot of the emerald green Lions Gate Bridge, which towered above the bay. Even the freezing weather did not dampen the satisfaction of finishing a long bike ride along such a scenic route. As the sun glinted off the choppy waves and  birds soared overhead, I realized that a little discomfort for such a memorable experience was a small price to pay.

      We definitely didn’t see enough bridges, so in the afternoon we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Although the suspension bridge glittered with fairy lights and hung 70 meters above a rushing river, I found it disappointing. So many tourists crowded the bridge that it constantly wobbled back and forth. Thankfully, I temporarily forgot about the harrowing experience when I reached the tree-top rope bridges and boardwalks on the other side. I felt as if I had stepped into a fairy land, as lights twinkled in the pine trees overhead and even in the ponds below our feet. 

      The following evening, we visited another, even more magnificent light display at the Van Dusen Botanical Garden. In the spring, the garden flourishes with a variety of flowers and trees, but it becomes ten times more breathtaking when the bare trees and flowerbeds, adorned with lights, appear to reflect the luminance of stars in the night sky. The constant cold that pervaded our trip seemed to disappear here, as the glowing tulip field, tunnels of fairy lights and even bedazzled shrubs stole away all my other senses. 

      Vancouver showed me that even a freezing, gray-skied December could be breathtaking. I learned to appreciate the calm that comes with long nights, freezing weather and cloudy days during my stay in Vancouver. Though I didn’t build snowmen, listen to Christmas carols or bask in front of a warm fireplace, this short trip made my holiday feel more festive than ever.