Vancouver, October 2006

Here's some pictures taken in Vancouver. We stayed there for four nights between October 2nd and 6th this year, en route to New Zealand. The idea was to check out a new city and also break up the otherwise gruelling effects of jetlag that result from doing the whole UK-NZ journey in one go. This sort of worked, as we experienced the majority of our jetlag in Vancouver; still, being wide awake at 3am isn't such a hindrance to a day of sightseeing as it might normally be and we were out of our hotel room bright and early every day. Restraining ourselves from taking more than a small packet of pringles from the mini-bar was more of a challenge.

First, the view from our hotel window, in a very central spot next to the BC stadium, although here you can see some scenic tower blocks and a building site - both very typical of Vancouver. All the towers are built in this style in accordance with some sort of regulations, so all these building that were actually built 20 years apart look more or les identical. Also, the whole city seemed to be being torn down and rebuilt around us.



Next, down at the quay in Yaletown... more of those tower blocks. We headed down here on our first morning and caught a small ferryboat across to Granville Island Market.



Here's more of those towersblocks. In the foreground is a hamlet of floating houses. These are just like regular houses but they are... er, floating.

Here's some more pictures from Granville Island, which as well as an amazing market full of giant vegetables (although apparently they are meant tobe that size and it's just that UK ones are puny) has an art school and lots of little galleries seeling contemporary art, crafts, and soon. It all used to be an industrial area and the water was badly polluted from industrial effluent, but seemed to have been cleaned up very well. Not sure if I would have gone swimming or anything, mind you....






Reassuringly, the danger of electric shock is clearly taken very serious in Canada.


It's a hydrant! These were everywhere in Vancouver. I began to wonder how the UK manages without any hydrants..?


Some natural and man-made displays of colour.


Despite the blue skys and sunshine, Vancouver was pretty chilly and the trees (except the millions of Douglas Firs) were turning.


This is the underside of the bridge seen in the background of the picture above (behind the floating houses).


Produce at Granville Island market.

Later on we headed to Chinatown and visited a Chinese garden...







Visible from the garden were these messages.

First blog.

This is my blog, for uploading pictures and posts about what's happening in Wellington, New Zealand. Although this is a picture of Vancouver.