Vancouver Views

Twenty four miles..and counting. That's the mileage clocked up on foot over a couple of days or so exploring Vancouver. 

In the brief time available Vancouver has left a lasting impression of a young, vibrant, bustling, inclusive and multi-cultural city blessed with a backdrop of sea and mountains.

On our first day we located our temporary home - an apartment rented through Airbnb. Over the years our travel accommodation has ranged from the rustic to palatial but occasionally exceeds expectations. So it turned out in Vancouver.Our host had left instructions on how to get in to his apartment and we took the lift to the 22nd floor - opening the door to a stunning view looking west over the city, with Vancouver Island and mountains in the near distance..

Vancouver Skyline

Our apartment was on the edge of Davie Village, a bustling gay and LGBT area - with lots of independent shops, bars and restaurants catering for every taste and pocket. From Ramen to taco, Malaysian curry to German bakeries the whole globe was represented - or so it seemed. Rainbow flags and banners were evident throughout the area  as Vancouver has a strong gay pride movement, even the street crossing has been painted as a rainbow and overall the vibe was quirky and lively.

Davie Street, Vancouver

Our plans for the first day involved nothing more taxing than a quick exploration of the local area, getting some food and sleeping. The time difference, jet lag and a long journey led to a early night. The next morning saw some light cloud and slightly cooler temperatures and this made for perfect walking weather. We set off along the sea wall, Vancouver's coastal promenade, passing English Beach, Second Beach and Third Beach (they were clearly finding it hard to think of names)  and headed further into Stanley Park, Vancouver's 400 hectare green space. Walking along the seawall it was hard to imagine we were in a city of 2.5 million people such was the tranquillity. Accompanied by the sights and sounds of the Pacific Ocean,  we saw sea birds, herons and for a brief time a solitary seal. Occasionally a sea plane passed overhead.

About half way into our walk we reached Siwash Rock, a beautiful sea stack.

Siwash Rock

Lions Gate Bridge

Continuing under Lions Gate Bridge which crosses the narrows between North Vancouver and the city we finally reached the totem poles, one of the more famous sights of the park.

Stanley Park Totem Poles

At this point a much needed coffee was in order. It proved more expensive than anticipated as I managed to spill some of it down my white t-shirt and an effort to wash it in the nearby washroom only made things worse. Fortunately the gift shop were happy to sell me a $15 t-shirt and in a spirit of defiance I bought another white one, with a totem pole motif.

The expensive coffee t-shirt 

The last mile or so took us to Brockton Point lighthouse, past the Nine O'clock gun (fired every day at....) and past the rowing club back towards the city. During our walk a poster advertising a Monet exhibition had caught the eye, which led us to the Vancouver Art Gallery. We paid our admission fee and went around twice but I left feeling it was a rather disappointing exhibition with very few important works by a great artist. There were also some cotemporary and challenging pieces of art and a rather good photography gallery with works about British Columbia.

A photograph of a photograph

Downtown Vancouver

The day ended with a Malaysian curry and watching the sunset from our balcony.

Vancouver sunset.

The next morning saw early cloud give way to sunshine and we hopped on the little ferry to cross False Creek to explore Granville Island public market. The market, located in a former industrial area is a foodie paradise but there are boat hire companies and craft shops mixed into repurposed warehouses and sheds.

We spent a couple of hours strolling through the market before getting back on the ferry to continue down towards the end of False Creek, arriving at the site of the Olympic Village. (Vancouver hosted the winter Olympics in 2010). This area of Vancouver was modern and a science museum was the dominant architectural feature, although a piece of public art, 4 cars stacked on top of each other on top of a giant tree trunk also caught the eye.

Science World in the foreground with downtown Vancouver beyond.

By contrast nearby Chinatown was older and slightly run down but contained an urban oasis of tranquility, the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden.  

Between Chinatown and Gastown we saw evidence of the darker side of Vancouver, dozens and dozens of homeless people and those affected by drug addition, It didn't feel unsafe but it was desperately sad to see so many people sleeping on sidewalks and drugs were being dealt in plain sight. What made this even more disconcerting is that two blocks away, in Gastown, there were chic clothing stores, bistros and souvenir shops and plenty of evidence of an affluent society. Its tempting to form snap judgments, something I try and avoid when visiting different countries - but something felt wrong here. 
Gastown is lovely on the eye. Tree lined streets and heritage buildings give the area some character. It was where Vancouver was founded and is named after 'Gassy Jack' Deighton a Yorkshireman and bar owner, who allegedly helped found Vancouver as a settlement in 1867. There's a statue of 'Gassy Jack' which provided a photo opportunity and after a few snaps, appropriately enough we headed into nearby pub. suitably refreshed we continued our walk - seeing the Gastown steam clock and more heritage buildings.

Gassy Jack......the one in the background 

The Gastown Steam Clock

The return journey to our apartment involved another trip on the False Creek ferry but we stumbled upon an India festival with live music, cricket and Indian street food and then a big cycling event - an eclectic mix in such a small area.

For our last few hours in the city we strolled through downtown, on a sunny Sunday morning, to Canada Place - where cruise ships dock and visitors are well served by bars and restaurants. The Marine building, an art deco skyscraper built in 1930 stood out amongst the rather bland corporate modern buildings that dominated the street scene.

Entrance to the Marine Building, Burrard Street, Vancouver

The time has come to leave the city, pick up a hire car and start the first leg of a 1000 mile road trip headed away from the coast and inland to lakes and mountains.

.