Situated between rugged mountains and the sea, Vancouver had both the big city feel and a sense of being deep in wilderness country. My family began our Canadian trip in this city, though we spent most of the time we had here exploring the various parks and wild areas that were just minutes away from the bustling city centre, rather than the city itself.
Lion's Gate Bridge, from Stanley Park
We started our explorations at Stanley Park, located just north-west of downtown. Because it encompassed the entire end of the peninsula, different parts of the park provided many different great views, including the Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver city, and great sunsets over the Strait of Georgia.
Sunset from Stanley Park
Vancouver waterfront, at Twilight
The second morning of our trip was misty and grey, and we spent it hiking around Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver. Walking through beautiful mist-shrouded forests was quite the surreal experience. The cool weather was a big bonus.
Mossy forests of Lynn Canyon Park
We left the forests for lunch, popping back to civilisation and heading over to the Granville Island markets. The place sold a wide variety of foods and fresh produce, and my mum loved all the fruits that were available.
One of the Bakeries in the Markets
Mountains of Fresh Fruit
The rest of the day was spent back in the "wilderness" of North Vancouver, at the Capilano Salmon Hatchery and Lake Capilano. It was our first time at a fish hatchery, and one with a fish 'staircase' for the Salmon too (There were loads of them!). It was definitely an interesting experience.
Pool next to the Fish 'Staircase'
Part of the Capilano River next to the Salmon Hatchery
Lake Capilano
Overall, we did get to see a lot, despite the short two and a half days we had. Yet this was only the very beginning of our journey through Canada.
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More to come! There was so much that we saw and experienced that I decided to split my trip into multiple smaller (and hopefully more manageable) posts for reading.
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Till the next time,
Raylen