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| So what if it takes 60 minutes to get to our coffee mecca at Britannia Beach? |
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| Outside, there's always a view of ocean and mountains. |
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| Inside, art for sale on the walls and happy customers, mostly young. |
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| After coffee, there's kite-surfing to watch at Squamish. (This photo is my effort; go to johndenniston.ca for the real thing.) |
John is the barista of the family, and when the supply of Britannia Blend medium roast beans from the Galileo Coffee Company gets low, it's time for a trip to the source of our daily bliss. That's a 60-minute drive from our house in Dunbar, over two bridges, through West Vancouver and then along the scenic, twisty high-speed Sea to Sky Highway to a little eyeblink of a place called Britannia Beach, about 12 kilometres from Squamish. There, in an old white clapboard house, up a flight of wooden steps, is the mecca of great coffee. Goodies too, but mainly the coffee --whether you drink it there or take the beans home to fuel your days. We do both, of course, and while there I always enjoy watching the steady parade of customers, mostly young people at their athletic, mountain-climbing, bike-riding, hiking, skiing, kite-surfing best. Squamish is bursting with such outdoorsy young families; other customers are stopping en route to athletic endeavours in Whistler further up the road. On Monday, after picking up our stash of beans, we went to Squamish, where about two dozen kite-surfers were taking advantage of the famous Squamish wind, skimming through the water and letting their kites lift them as high as 20 feet into the air. (See John's photos of the action at johndenniston.ca) A huge expedition for a good cup of coffee, you might think, but for us, a lot more than that: mountain and sea views, a hair-raising road that pleases John's race-driver instincts, and a chance to watch the next generation having a really good time.
Now, that is a coincidence that you should do this post on Britannia Beach. My recent post on my blog is about the year I spent sharing an apartment in Kits with my friend, Beth, whose parents lived in North Vancouver and who had a cottage at Britannia Beach on the water. I remember a glorious May day when the ski season was extended at Seymour and Beth and I had gone skiing in the morning and then went swimming at Britannia Beach in the afternoon....only in Vancouver! So, Nexon Beach is where they do this high flying kite surfing. In English Bay they never get off the ground. When we were living in Carqueiranne, we were always passing Almanarre Beach (about a 10 minute drive) on our way to various villages for lunch and usually stopped to watch the kite surfers. They came from all over France and I would guess some got up at least 60 feet in the air. Here's a Youtube video...what do you think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv4j4bUEHko
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