Favourite 2015 travel photos. Vancouver, BC. April 2015.
Coal Harbour
British Columbia
Exploring more Vancouver public art
On a trip to Vancouver a couple of years back, I spent some time exploring public art around the city. I only scratched the surface of Vancouver’s large and diverse public art collection, so back in April with a few art maps in my hand, I set off for a few walks around the city. For me, this has become a “must do” when visiting a city for the first (or second, in this case) time. A walk around a city exploring public art has largely replaced gallery or museum visits for me. I like the combination of interesting modern art, hunting for it (even with a good map, sometimes it takes advanced detective skills to actually pinpoint its location) and doing that against the backdrop of neighbourhoods and sights that I might not have explored otherwise.
On an evening walk along the waterfront, I visited one of my favourite pieces of public art in Vancouver – the Olympic Cauldron outside the Vancouver Convention Centre. Even without the torches lit, it’s an impressive reminder of the 2010 Olympics which will always hold a special place in the hearts of all Canadians.
Soccer night in Vancouver
I was thrilled when the MLS schedule was released to see there was a Whitecaps FC match in Vancouver while I was visiting. After a long string of trips where I just missed out on soccer matches, this made it three in a row of visiting soccer cities and getting to see a match (Prague for a Sparta match and Rome for a Lazio match). On a picture perfect Vancouver evening, I made my way to BC Place. People were out early for the game and enjoying the sun just outside the stadium The only letdown was a malfunction in the retractable roof that kept the evening’s game from being played under a clear sky.
I was there for the doors opening so I could wander around the stadium and grab supper while watching warmups. BC Place is a beautiful place to watch a match:
Hiking around the seawall
One of the few benefits of flying west across the full breadth of Canada is that it gives you a natural early morning wake up call to help you make the most of your first full day on the other coast. Waking up well before daylight had the common sense to break, I readied myself for an only in Vancouver type of experience – a morning hike around the Stanley Park seawall. I picked up a scone and a coffee in the lobby of my downtown hotel and took a short cab ride to Stanley Park to start my hike. At about 6:00am, the skyline of the city was perfectly reflected in the calm waters of Coal Harbour.
Mile Zero
I usually write about my trips and experiences somewhat sequentially once I return home. But for one experience, I’m making an exception. I’m writing the bulk of this sitting in the lobby of the Fairmont in Victoria, but truth be told, I know I won’t finish writing it sitting here. I’m already blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay, and I don’t need a lobby of cruise ship passengers wondering why there’s a guy over in the corner crying into his iPad.
On this last day in Victoria, I headed out for a morning of urban and public art exploring. One of the last pieces of art on my walk was the sculpture of Terry Fox. It’s located at mile zero, the end of the Trans-Canada Highway. In a country like Canada, that in and of itself would be something to visit. But as I looked at the sculpture of Terry Fox I started to think about his Marathon of Hope and what it would have been like for him to make it to his point. Mile Zero. The entire way across Canada.
Back from British Columbia
Having just returned from a bit more than a week on Canada’s west coast, I can say something very assuredly: this trip did nothing to diminish my desire to someday live near the Pacific Ocean. My mixed work and pleasure trip was made a wee bit sweeter knowing there were some snow flurries back home in Halifax while I was away. It wasn’t that warm in Vancouver or Victoria, but I never once wondered if I needed to put gloves on to go out. After this past winter, I’m considering that a wonderful eight day gift from the travel weather gods.
This being my second time in Vancouver, I dug a little deeper into the city including a very early morning hike around the Stanley Park seawall, some urban exploring for public art, generous west coast craft beer tastings including visiting four craft breweries, and a Saturday evening Whitecaps FC soccer match. Those experiences were so much fun that I can even forgive the Canucks for choking their way out of a game seven match up with the Flames for which I had a ticket.
I left Vancouver by ferry to see Victoria and to explore a bit further afield on Vancouver Island. Victoria was full bloom in colour and I realized that I had almost forgotten what flowers and green grass looked like. A few nice street meals, some more craft beer sampling (sense a trend?) and a healthy dose of general exploring gave me a nice taste of Victoria. A day long road trip around the southern part of Vancouver Island was a mix of small town visits, west coast beach hikes and a memorable meal at the Sooke Harbour House with a clear view of the snow capped Olympic Mountains across the Juan de Fuca Strait in Washington State.
I had a lovely time in British Columbia. There were some very special and unexpected moments that reminded me that many times it’s the little “experiences within the experience” that make a trip memorable. I’m looking forward to writing about this trip and a few of those moments over the coming weeks.
Left coast dreaming
It’s been a long, brutal winter out here on the east coast. If the torture of the weather wasn’t enough, every once in a while I’d sneak a peek at the weather forecasts for Vancouver and Victoria. It’s something everyone does in Canada starting in February once you’ve seen the first news report on the CBC of flowers blooming on the west coast.. it’s a bit of an annual self flogging ritual. You repeatedly ask yourself “How am I navigating iced up sidewalks in a parka while someone is jogging on a beach in a t-shirt and shorts somewhere else in my country?”
In a few days, I’ll be living out the second best alternative to my dream of one day moving to British Columbia to escape winter forever. I’m heading out west for a week: partly for work, partly for leisure. A good chunk of this upcoming trip will be a return visit to Vancouver, a city I fell in love with on a trip there a couple of years back. I’m hoping this time I’ll get to the top of Grosse Mountain on a clear day or evening, do a long hike around and through Stanley Park, and dig a bit deeper into the city’s public art around the downtown. Add to that a Whitecaps soccer match, some craft brewery hopping and a cross section of international eating (including a return visit to La Taqueria for the best tacos I’ve ever had)… that should fill up the time in Vancouver pretty well.
I’m then going to head a bit further west, taking a ferry to Victoria to spend a couple of days in and around the city. I’ve booked a rental car for a one day road trip around the southern end of Vancouver Island and plan to visit the totems in Duncan, the large murals in Chemainus, and the coastal beaches south of Port Renfrew. On the way back to Victoria will be a highly anticipated meal at the world renowned Sooke Harbour House.
A week on the west coast should fix me up pretty well. There’s even an outside chance that all the snow will be melted in Halifax by the time I return home.
Vancouver from a few angles
Vancouver is a city that treats you to incredible views from just about anywhere. Do you like to look at mountains? Check. Modern architecture? Check. Water? Check. Public art sculptures? Check. Parks and green spaces? Check and check. Over eight days I got to see beautiful Vancouver from a number of different angles. Here are a few of my favourites.
From above looking toward the Lion’s Gate Bridge and North Vancouver:
Again, from above. This time out toward BC Place Stadium and Yaletown with Kitsilano off in the distance:
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Yes, it’s an overpriced admission ticket, but sometimes you just have to experience something that every other tourist wants to do. With the iconic image of the Capilano Suspension Bridge in our minds, the allure of a walk in the woods was too much to pass up for our last morning in Vancouver. An easy bus ride had us at the gates in under a half hour from downtown. Before the masses arrived, we had the bridge “relatively” to ourselves:
I don’t think the picture does it justice. It’s a lot longer than it looks – 450 ft long and 230 feet above the river below – this isn’t for the weak of heart. On the way across, we stopped in the middle to take in the view:
Lions Gate Bridge
Favourite 2013 travel photos. Vancouver, BC. June 2013
Bluenose Traveler 