We visited the brand-new station with a handful of Liam's friends. They wouldn't have had a better time at Disneyworld! They ran around the living quarters, asked questions about the kitchen and tv room, and then crawled all over the inside of 2 fire trucks, an emergency response bus and an ambulance. They tried on boots and used the intercom that firefighters use in the fire truck. Liam's favorite bit of trivia is that the fire truck has no keys. A button is used to start the truck.
Before the fire station, we ate pizza and cake at home. Daddy made a fantastic fire engine cake. It almost looked too good to eat!
Some people would stop after the rollicking fun of a toddler party. They would do sensible things like clean up, prepare for the week ahead, do dishes. Not us.
On Sunday, we woke early and headed north to Vancouver, for the last day of the Olympic Games. The only Olympic Event remaining was the USA vs. Canada hockey game. Tickets were very expensive, and we had no interest. We drove up for the experience of being in Vancouver while all the world was watching. As a bonus, Liam got the birthday celebration of a lifetime.
So when we arrived, we took the Sky Train into the city center. (Parking cost $4 and the train $9.) For Liam, the train in itself was an event. We then strolled the Olympic sites, including the free exhibitions. We quickly learned that everyone was crowed around televisions watching the hockey game. Until the game ended, the city had almost come to a standstill, with a few exceptions.
Above the town square, people zipped across a free zipline. Free ice skating was also very popular. We tried getting skates, but had to wait for the one pair small enough to fit Liam.
While we waited, we walked down to the waterfront. Sadly, many of the sites were hard to find, closed or blocked because of the game. It didn't matter to us though. We walked and watched all the crazy hockey fans, pouring out of pubs at commercial breaks, watching tiny TVs through restaurant windows, gathering by the hundreds outside any outdoor screen. We didn't need to watch the game; when something good happened (for Canada), the streets echoed with cheers. When the US tied the game near the end, we knew what happened as well. It was at that point we all decided to become Canadians for the day.
If we let on to our American status, we might get into trouble, especially if Canada lost. Canadians seem too nice to harm anyone, but given our rather neutral position on the outcome of the hockey game, we thought cheering for Canada would at least be more fun. We also were starting to consider the party that would follow such a victory. Around 2pm, we had the sensible discussion about leaving, to get out before it all went crazy. But then we didn't. Liam really wanted to ice skate. And really, is there a better a place to learn ice skating than in Canada?
So we arrived back at the rink, just as the overtime started. The covered outdoor rink, located below the town square where thousands of fans were watching the game, remained closed until the game ended. As soon as the game ended, a mascot ice skating show would begin.
When the game ended, and Canada won in overtime, the city erupted with happy people. From that point on, all we saw were happy people cheering; wearing and waving the Canadian flag. The show continued, and Liam adored every second. The Olympic Mascots, along with high-school age ice skaters demonstrated hockey, figure skating, ice dancing, and speed skating. They also explained the culture of the Pacific Northwest with magical skating creatures like jellyfish and other sea life.
Finally, after the long wait, we had to stand in line again to get skates. In line, Liam developed admirers, who gave him a special Olympics pin when they learned it was his birthday. They also gave us ideas about what to do after skating.
Liam and Mommy skated for about 30 minutes. At first, he was totally unstable on the ice. But once he had a blue stabilizer (like a walker used by seniors) he was a little less unstable. He was still discouraged, given that his tiny ankles could hardly hold him up. But after watching others, and a little explanation from Mom, Liam learned to glide in tiny motions. I used my skates as a backstop, so he wouldn't fall. After twenty or more times around the oval, he was so tired.
Getting him off the ice was an ordeal, and he let us know how unhappy he was in typical three-year-old style. But after a few minutes, he rebounded and was ready to see more.
Hunger set in around 3PM. But by this time, it took ages to walk a mile. Cars now flooded many of the streets, all with windows rolled down, horns blaring, inching along at turtle speed.
The three of us walked to a part of town we knew pretty well. Though we would have loved to grab a nice meal, we opted for a McDonalds because lines everywhere were crazy. After a few chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, we walked over to see the Olympic flame. Then we took the train over to the LiveSite.
By the time we made it to the LiveSite, stood in line to get in and went through metal detectors, it was dark. The closing ceremony had begun and was being broadcast at the LiveSite on the biggest screen I'd ever seen. Hundreds of people sat on the lawn, under blankets, watching the closing ceremonies. Everyone we met at this stage was a Canadian, perhaps because it was the last day.
The line for the Coca Cola Pavilion was Disney-style, with several twists and turns, both inside and out. Liam had an abundance of energy at this point, and demonstrated his dancing skills to entertain the crowd. The people in line ahead of us gave Liam a red Canadian tee shirt, which he put on over his jacket. From that point on, Liam looked like, and believed he was a Canadian. Every ten minutes or so, all day, he would yell, "Go Canada!" so the tee-shirt only fueled his faux patriotism. By this stage, our pin collection was also growing. At the Olympics, pins are given out freely at the venues and events. After the games they become valuable.
The Coca Cola Pavilion was amazing, but too noisy for Liam. We watched a short movie, and then the screen turned into a sliding door, which opened to reveal the "inside" of the huge tent. We were told that because it was the last night, everyone who got stamps would be given collector glowing Coke bottles at the end. These supposedly had a value of $50 on eBay. To get stamps, we each had to chug a 4-oz bottle of Coke from an aluminum can, chilled to the ideal temperature. This was Liam's first Coke, and he liked it of course. After the fact, we realized the caffeine gave all of us the push to get to the car at the end of the night.
After the bottle was empty, we had to get 2 stamps by completing activities. So we decided to pose for a photo with the mascot polar bear and have our photo taken with the torch. Liam wanted to hold the torch himself, but it was heavy and awkward, so we all helped. The other activities were computer games and sport simulations. We skipped those.
Then we took the empty Coke cans, now with stamps for each activity, on the bottom over to the recycle station, where you put the empty bottle in, and it shot up through tubes overhead, and into the ceiling. Thirty seconds later, a glowing bottle returned in the same fashion. It was darned cool.
We hoofed it back to the train, and then made it back to the car by 9PM. Liam walked for most of the day, and didn't get tired until after we crossed back into the US. We paid for parking, train, chicken nuggets and ice skate rental. In total, less than $30.
Here's the cliche...
Parking: $4 CAN, 2 train tickets $9 CAN, Lunch: $11 CAN.
Being in Canada on the day the hockey team won the Gold Medal: Priceless.
