Phew! I escaped the east coast just before a major snowstorm hit. I was just relieved my plane was able to take off before the rain turned to snow – but imagine my surprise when I landed in springtime!

 Win a Winter Warm-Up Gift Pack! Enter Here!

Vancouver is absolutely gorgeous right now – I've only been here for about an hour and a half but it's been a joy to see trees actually in bloom – frothy pink and white wedding cake blossoms – not to mention flowers and forsythia. "Spring came a month early this year!" my driver from the airport to my hotel in downtown Vancouver told me. I know the unseasonable weather has been wreaking havoc on the ski courses, but I have to say it's such a treat after the gray, gray cold of the east coast. Of course there are plenty of bare trees – and the enormous sky is filled with magnificent billowing clouds (below is a photo I snapped of the Olympic rings that greet you on the way from the airport into Downtown Vancouver).

My driver also boasted, "This is one of the top five cities in the world." So far, I believe him. It's awfully pretty, surrounded by trees and water.

Of course there are other notable decorations to the landscape aside from blossoms .... maple leafs! Giant maple leafs are everywhere, hanging from balconies in tall apartment buildings, strung as garlands on homes, and on people's clothes. We drove by more than a few groups of people clad in red white and maple leaf – I'd say the Olympic Spirit is live and well in Vancouver!

I also spotted something else noteworthy – GIANT line of people stretching down an entire city block. What were they waiting for? To get into The Hudson Bay Superstore of course! I wonder if they just got a shipment of red mittens? You can bet I'm going to find out later.

Now, I'm about to head over to the P&G Family Home to take a tour and hopefully catch a few athletes. I hope they don't notice I really haven't slept much in the last 24 hours...

More updates – and better photos I promise – coming soon.

April Daniels Hussar is BettyConfidential’s Deputy editor. Check out our Winter Olympics blog for updates from Vancouver!

Photo Source