Lockdown Walks Down Memory Lane: Vancouver, Canada

Welcome back, my fellow travellers and lockdown walkers! I’m afraid today is going to be the penultimate walk, and even worse, the last one abroad before bringing it back home for number 10, walk number 10 that is, but I guess we’ve been following government restrictions down to a T so far as well (whereby ‘T’ stands for ‘tittle’ in case you ever wondered).

As I couldn’t decide if I should take you on another city stroll or nature walk, I opted for both by bringing us to another one of my favourite places, a favourite most likely because it does allow you to have it all, quirky city sights as well as outdoor adventures. The latter is only a short drive away whereby the drive itself is well worth it given the scenery you’ll pass through. In addition to that, you’ll get to admire the striking skyline once more as it disappears in your rear-view mirror making it even more obvious why there’s a height limitation for buildings in place to ensure visibility of the backdrop provided by nature — Canadians (or shall I say ‘Canucks’) do love their mountains! And so did I, wherefore I’d like to give you a little sneak peek today.

You know the drill by now, additional information on things we’ll come across will be provided in the end if you so desire and don’t have other places to be. Until then though, enjoy the ride:

No food today I’m sorry to say, besides the neatly piled cherries at the public market which clearly fascinated me. While the perfectly stacked stone fruits initially caught my attention, I did stick around for a bit longer to see what the stall owner was doing and believe it or not, she was actually knotting the cherry stems individually to build such indestructible pyramids — must have been a slow day?!

Regarding proper food though, if in town, do look out for the Japadog stand usually hanging around Burrard Street serving Japanese style Hot Dogs, cause why not?! Heads-up, they only take cash, at least that was the case when I was there, wherefore no photographic evidence exists. I recall my disappointment when finally coming across the stand but all I had was empty pockets, especially since the Vancouverite who showed me around town kept raving about it all day.

So, if you end up going, do let me know how you liked it, the dog as well as the city?! Either way, I do hope today’s journey piqued your interest. As promised, further info in below’s Bonus if you have a bit more time to kill. If not, I wish you a wonderful day and hope to see you on our final stroll back in the UK! 🚡🎒🙋‍♀️

Steamy Bonus

Seaplanes: While being very nice to look at and perfect for sunrise pictures, you can actually book some of Vancouver’s seaplanes for a Whistler day trip if you like and the budget allows. I hit the road back in 2012 but if you’ve never been in a seaplane before, I’d say give it whirl. As mentioned above, the drive along the Sea to Sky Highway as it’s called (about 120km) was already mesmerising, so I can only imagine what an aerial view might be like.

Digital Orca: Only briefly featured in the video, the Orca seemingly made out of Lego next to the Vancouver Convention Centre is a powder coated aluminium sculpture on a stainless-steel frame designed by Douglas Coupland in 2009. Coupland is usually more known for his writing which tends to explore technology, something this sculpture embodies if you think pixels rather than Lego. With that in mind, you’ll be able to see his vision of life in our digitised times reflected in this pixelated killer whale frozen mid-leap while trying to return to his natural habitat.

Olympic Cauldron: A reminder of Vancouver’s Olympic hosting experience in 2010, this 10-metre-tall sculpture set against the beautiful mountain and harbour backdrop I’m obsessed with, still attracts visitors from all over the world and gets occasionally lit for special events — they need to be very special though with a fee of $6,400 for four hours!?!

While the Winter Games took centre stage in 2010, there was also a tiny PR nightmare going on at the sidelines which apparently became known as ‘Cauldrongate’. Wanting to keep an element of surprise for the public and not necessarily sticking to the requested dimensions, the cauldron was built mainly at night, somewhat in secrecy — sounds rather dodgy but had good intentions. The actual cause for Cauldrongate was a chain-linked fence though. Put up for the safety of visitors, it prevented them from getting anywhere close to the sculpture defeating its purpose of being a touchable piece of the Olympics for the people while also ruining any chance for a decent picture. In response to the disappointment, the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) eventually moved the fence closer and created viewing windows — upsetting times, so rest assured that no fence shall be in your way today when trying to get that perfect shot.

Gastown Steam Clock: The number one landmark in downtown Vancouver, even if the cauldron might offer Olympic competition, might still be the Gastown Steam Clock. Located in Vancouver’s ‘Gastown’, the original townsite from which Vancouver grew in the 1870s, the clock happily whistles and steams every quarter-hour, comparable to the Westminster Chime some might say. If you’re lucky enough to walk by on the full hour, you’ll hear a toot from each whistle marking each hour.

How does it work? Where does the steam come from? Underneath the city runs a series of steam pipes connected to a Creative Energy steam heating plant at Beatty Street which provides heat to most of the downtown core and steam for the clock’s whistles. Still not convinced it’s worth a visit? Well, there are only six other working steam clocks in the world, so might as well have a quick look what’s causing all the fuzz since 1977 if the curious crowds and steamy facts can’t lure you in.

Granville Island Public Market: Like most public markets, this one features a farmer’s market as seen in the video, as well as the usual quirky day vendors and artists selling local goods. Unlike Seattle, I did not come across any flying fish, did hear though that Granville provided the backdrop for the final scenes of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol from 2011. Furthermore, the island is central location for several annual festivals such as the Vancouver Fringe Festival and Vancouver Writers Fest, a little bit of everything as you can see — true for the market as well as the city itself!

When was I there? 19 September 2012