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Published: December 11th 2006
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Stanley Park. As we flew over the great expanse of Canada we actually caught up to the sun. It had be dark when we took off from London, Ontario but after a couple of hours we were able to relive dusk, hypnotised by the thin, burnt copper rim of the world arching around, dividing black sky from black earth. It was surreal, lasted not nearly longer enough and soon our attention returned again to the inflight movie. After five hours in a plane - the last of such trips for a while - we were touching down in Vancouver.
I am ashamed to say that I once though Vancouver was the capital of Canada. I recall that Jim was absolutely horrified by my ignorance and quite indignant that I should not know it was Ottawa, adding that he knew the capital of Australia and had done for simply ever. My shame was lifted somewhat however when he declared it, upon my probing, to be Sydney. Haha!
Vancouver is lauded in many reviews as the most livable city on earth. We couldn't tell straight away if we agreed, having arrived rather weary around midnight, but over the following days concluded
that as cities go Vancouver is one of the best. We caught a cab to our friends Kym and Lorne's place. We found they were already in bed, but the door was unlocked, the light on, shining dimly on our bed, neatly made up on a mattress in the living room, along with a welcoming note and lots of tips for things to do and see the next day. Our bed was very inviting and we snuggled down for some shut eye, waking to a gorgeous day and our friends quietly clattering in the kitchen.
We rose to greet them after well over a year since last contact. Kym had been on the same teaching program as Jim in Perth. After brief hugs and hello's they left for work and we decided to spend our first day crossing off things from Kym and Lorne's list. First on the agenda was to head off on foot down Broadway to find a place for breakfast. After eggs benedict (my favourite!) we continued on foot to Kit's Beach. This is one of the best and trendiest beaches in Vancouver and the view across the bay where the dramatic mountains plunge into
the sea was fantastic. I'd been missing the ocean and was relishing the thought of laying on the sand with a good book and taking the occasional a dip to cool off. Being a weekday it wasn't too packed and was perfect beach going weather. All that reading, sun soaking and swimming worked up an appetite so we walked to a restaurant and bar recommended on the list, for a beer and lunch. then sweltered on our walk back to Kym and Lorne's for a refreshing shower and to meet up with them for a good catch up session.
We spent 3 days in Vancouver, enjoying the attractive and energetic city, it's views, beaches, Stanley Park and the culinary delights to be found : a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, the cheapest and best all you can eat sushi I've ever had and a pie shop boasting the 'best pies in the world' or at least in BC. We spent almost no time dwelling in the city though and will have to go back to see the great art galleries, museums and the aquarium and the science centre.
Stanely Park has a very good reputation as one of
the best city parks you'll find in the world and it deserves such a reputation. This green space is the 3rd largest park in North America, covering 1000 acres, attracting 8 million visitors a year and housing an aquarium, sports and recreation facilities and a nature centre as well as gardens, beaches, a pool and an extensive network of trails to walk, ride and skate on, including a 5.5 mile path that follows the waters edge on the parks perimeter. We had a great day there with Kym and Lorne, indulging in some gelato after all our walking, exploring and swimming was done and slept soundly that night.
We headed outside of the greater Vancouver for the day with Jim's friend Colin to do our first real hike in Canada, at a spot called The Chief, about an hour from Vancouver and half way to Whistler. It took us just shy of 3 hours to reach the peak and return to the bottom. The trail consisted of hundreds of steps (at least it felt like hundreds, I didn't keep count) up the mountain. We came to a cross way and chose to follow the trail to peak number
The Gang at Sunsset
from a board walk between where Kym and Lorne live and Kits Beach two (there are three seperate peaks to climb to) and continued up the steep mountain. The last part involved using a chain to assist you in climbing the volcanic rock after which the tall trees gave way to a giant slab of rock, opening up into breathtaking views. Coming back down the steep trail was harder than I'd expected and when we reaching the bottom my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I am pleased to report that the back rose successfully to the challenge of the hike, although my body protested quite a bit the next day. After so much inactivity over the last couple of months I was stiff and sore for 3 days after!
The taste of the stunning beauty of the mountains of BC had us impatiently anticipating Whistler and so the next day we took the bus there, ready to start the process of settling down for a few months. This is where I'll leaving it for now. Til next time, be good kids...
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maria
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how busy.....
How busy have you been with all these updates! Have you quit work? Stopped leaving the house? I hope you've got the heating cranked up and are nice and comfy - you must be. Great to read - as usual xm