a day to explore

12.04.06

Arriving at the Vancouver airport, the friendly staff directed me to the correct city buses to Urban Hideaway. Ken and Janine have owned the bed & breakfast for a year now, having renovated the 19th century house into a beautiful home. They were very friendly hosts, sharing their house and kitchen with their guests.

Time for adventure!

I have an extra day before the Canada on Rails conference — time to explore! I wandered down to the coast, and crossed the train yard over to the SeaBus Terminal. The Heliport exit let me out to the street, where I followed West Waterfront Road through some construction and past Canada Place. Eventually breaking out into the beautiful parks of the Coal Harbour Seawalk. Back home everything is so dusty and dull that coming here is like a season shift.

I was up to my usual antics… hopping up on ledges and taking photos at angles where the generic tourist wouldn’t consider. I wandered north through Stanley Park, but my feet were telling me to go homeward. A few photos of Lions Gate Bridge from a distance, and then I followed along Seawall Promenade. Soon I found some steps down to the beach, and took the opportunity.

She sells sea shells by the sea shore

I’m not sure if I like or dislike that fishy ocean smell, but I am certainly not use to it. I gathered a few sea shells of odd colors and textures, dismayed to find that the cool looking translucent one was actually a piece of a beer bottle — hah! I came across a statue of a girl in a wetsuit, which everyone including myself seemed to think was a mermaid. After several futile attempts to take a photo with her, I gave up on my self-timer and moved on.

Past Brockton Point Lightstation, I entered the forest by way of a little trail. Slowly making my way back west. Passing under George St. and then turning to follow Robson Street on home. Robson is where all the little shops are, but the only place I stopped was Safeway. It was near 4pm — about time I did something about lunch.