Further wandering the neighbourhood we bought a printer... and took in an aboriginal theatrical production and toured Roedde House, a turn of the century (~1900) typical Vancouver home that had been fully restored. Natasha commented how it was perfect for me because they actually allowed you to handle the items.
Wishing for a sunny spot on the beach we finished out Blizzard and headed out into a summertime blizzard, or at least the headwind like one. The white caps were everywhere at English Bay beach, and despite cowering behind a large tree we came away tussled... and sand filled.
Some Bradford-turned-Vancouverites came over for a dinner of pasta.. and pizza and salad. Excited catching up came as a babble of conversation streamed by while enjoying a Granville Island IPA. We headed to Gastown to a bar called 'Six Acres' that was a beer drinker's heaven. Serving brews from around the world you could find a drink to suit any mood. My Coopers Stout was as flavourful as any. We steered clear of the drinks that were running $19.50... for a pint! Authentic falafels from my go-to after-bar grub house and off to bed.
Beautiful weather for the sixth straight day we walked the scenic Sea Wall to Stanley Park's Aquarium. My favourite of all public museums, art galleries, science centres and the like, we literally spent 5 hours taking it all in. The highlights were definitely the dolphins (all 3 shows, 2 above and one below water)... and the sharks, and the sea horses, and the baby belugas (3 and 15 months old) and the crocs. Making the experience that much more worthwhile was the free 4-D experience. Similar to a 3-D ride at Wonderland, however instead of moving seats there are all sorts of other dimensional effects such as the crack of lightning on screen is accompanied with a flash of light in the theatre... and the spray of a beluga's blowhole results in a mist of water on your face, and underwater 3-D on-screen bubbles are mixed with tangible bubbles in the theatre. It was a totally neat way to watch Planet Earth's Shallow Seas!
I promised no more walking and a ride on the free Stanley Park shuttle.. but it was located a kilometer up the path. Actually I'm not sure where it was located as we never found it but instead hiked up to a visually stunning lookout over the Lion's Gate Bridge. Attempting once more to find a shuttle stop we climbed aboard a bus that stopped where we were standing and took our seats at the back. We were very impressed to find the free shuttle also offered a friendly and knowledgeable driver who doubled as a tour guide. It was not until we drove out of the park and into the city that we realized we'd boarded a paid tour bus. Oops! Not the worst mistake we could have made.
Alas a fantastic weekend in Vancouver has come and gone. I won't enjoy another until February as my flight leaves to India in four hours. Excitement has trumped nervousness and I'm looking forward to the trip (minus the 20+ hour journey that will see me stop in Hong Kong and Bangkok before arriving finally in Mumbai). Goodbye Canada!
PS: These pics display the excellent handiwork of Tommy, the Asian hairdresser from the Gaybourhood with the meatiest, yet most gentle of fingers.
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