VANCOUVER

After our day of rest we decided to explore Vancouver by bicycle. The RV Park was situated just below the Lions Gate Bridge and while it did prove noisy it was ideally situated to take us directly into the city. Vancouver has a population of 2.1 million people and is very picturesque with the ocean and harbour on one side and mountains on the other. Directly across the bridge was the entry to Stanley Park which is one of North America's largest urban parks. Our journey started here and we made our way along the 9km long seawall.


Above is a view of part of the city with the mountains in the background. This was taken from Granville Island, which is not exactly an island. It has been redeveloped and now has a popular blend of restaurants, theatres, souvenir shops and various other businesses. We did not have lunch here though as we decided to sample Mr Pickwicks seafood restaurant in the city so we could try halibut for the first time. We had a long leisurely meal and watched the locals enjoy the sunshine.


We rode the entire seawall and length of the harbour and ended in Chinatown and although we didn't buy anything we enjoyed the sights and smells. Above is a photo of just one of the many shops that were selling local produce.


Wayne is very proud of the shot above which turned out to be great. The harbour itself is beautiful and very busy with lots of shipping of various sizes.

Above is a shot of me on the seawall and below is an example of some unusual architecture which is ecologically sophisticated. This was from Granville Island and would be a great place to live although very expensive. We were blessed with perfect weather which is very much the case throughout the summer months. Not so from October till May when they have days of unrelenting rain and it is not called "The Wet Coast' for no reason. This is a symptom of its unique location sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the coastal mountains.