Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Vancouver - Stanley Cup - Transportation +++


Waiting for the bus while Sharyn checked our route...


... that would take us to the Skytrain...


with lots of other passengers...


to downtown Vancouver and the Disney Cruise ship...


... and the main station.


In front of the station was this great statue dedicated to the those who endure hardship and danger ...


to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.


We then waited our front waiting for the "Big Bus" that would show us the sights of the city.


What a city Vancouver is ...


... hosting the winter Olympics...


... and is one of the top ten tourist destinations in the world...


... and still showing off the Olympic Torch...


...and a Lego version of an Orca widely known as a killer whale.


Along with the new architecture there is also the old...


... sometimes reflected in the new.


There is plenty of shopping ...


The Oneiroscopist by Edith Rimmington, 1947.

And some great art galleries and ...


... even a few gargoyles both ancient ...


... and contemporary.

Of course the is Molson...


... and a city garden called Davie Garden...


... In Davie Village...


... and Canucks fans in high places.


Getting close to Stanley Park there was some art on the greenway along the beach...


... I'd say some really different art but I liked it ...


... even the David Oppenheimer bust. David Oppenheimer (January 1, 1834 – December 31, 1897) was a successful entrepreneur, the second mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia.


Then we were there...


Thanks to the "Big Bus"...



...where we ordered from the Senior menu where the proclaim (you know who you are) to seniors wanting a discounted meal, we got the fish and chips at the Stanley Park Pavilion a delightful place in a beautiful setting.


I like gardens and this was no exception...


... lusciously planted...


... with one great view ...


... after the other.


We finally were close to the Aquarium...


... and after crossing a stream

... and finding a giant gunnera plant ...


... and the biggest fuchsia blooms I've ever seen...


...we entered the Aquarium only to find giant roaches.


Actually we did find birds ...


... and butterflies...


... polka-dot river rays.
"Otamotrygon Henlei is one of the more sought after stingrays in the world. Since it's recent ban from export from Brazil, the price of Henleii have became increasingly high, as they are near impossible to acquire. Once acclimated, they are a very hardy and prolific ray."


There were some snakes...


... and oops, the roaches are back ...


... and the Red Ibis that never turned around.


There was agreat poster about Body Art (go figure)...


... then we found colorful some fish ...


that were very hard to photograph...


... and a great blue frog, and yes, that's its real color...


I like the clown fish and its buddies...


... and some were still long enough for a good shot.


There were also Otters...


... and Beluga whales...


... and, of course their fans....


... and this great whale statue in front ...


... and a great Bald Eagle in a tree.


Vancouver loves their Canuks fighting for the Stanley cup but losing to the Brew-ins yesterday. Tomorrow its one last game to decide who gets the Cup and who gets to say we took them all the way to the wire. By the way what is a FOUR Seasons hotel doing in a two seasons city?


Vancouver has a really huge and attractive library...


...and one of only a few steam driven clocks in the world.

Gastown's most famous (though nowhere near oldest) landmark is its steam-powered clock, located on the corner of Cambie and Water Street. Built to cover a steam grate, part of Vancouver's distributed steam-heating system, the clock was built as a way to harness the steam and to prevent street people from sleeping on the spot in cold weather.
Scrabble Score -Scrabble Queen 257 - The Contender 335

Quote of the Day ~
"There are no environments where you're only going to win, because life just isn't like that." ~ Bobby Orr

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice photos of Vancouver... it looks like you are having fun. Travel safe and enjoy!

- Steven

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's garden is rightly placed in Vancouver. A hundred years ago my grandparents put their entire life savings in savings bonds in support of his Republic. The United States issued a postage stamp comparing Sun Yat-sen with Lincoln as unifiers of their Republics. Then 50 years ago the United States again issued a stamp commemorating Sun Yat-sen's Republic although it was nolonger in power. Vancouver was the home of Presbyterian refugees from the Republic.
The symbol for the Republic was a chrysanthemum - a circle surrounded by 12 small triangles representing the 12 tribes of Israel.
In Eugene, Oregon the University of Oregon Art Museum the Jewish Wareners housed Asian Art in a Moorish style building. These objects are not the big statues but the small works that need to be studied. They were selected in part by my grandparents of the Wareners. They wanted them to be compared with native American and other cultures to demonstrate that trade between the peoples of the world stimulated cross cultural bonds. It was their wish that the Imperial past would continue to remind us of what we all have in common while democratic governing would prevail.

Unknown said...

Thanks Parapluie, Your comment adds much to the blog and is ver apperciated

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