Spring postcards from Vancouver
In Spring 2021, I said yes to an opportunity to move to Vancouver for work. I didn’t think twice before accepting. I packed up a few belongings and flew out west within just a few weeks of being asked if I could do so. Somewhat anxious of starting a new life in a new city on my own, my wish for continuing to live an adventurous life and to see the world was however being fullfilled. The west coast of Canada has so much to offer and I am thrilled of being able to explore it on my own time.
My arrival in Vancouver was marked by the bloom of spring. Rhododendrons and azaleas, in particular, made every street colorful.
Stay in Burnaby
After a year spent living in remote Northern B.C., it felt very weird to be immersed in a big city. I stayed in a hotel in Burnaby while looking for a place of my own to live in.
Burnaby is a city in itself, neighboring Vancouver on its eastern side. It’s big and dense, similar to downtown Van. So many things happening, so many people everywhere, so many towers scrapping the sky, so tall they sometimes disappear behind the clouds. The city is so loud ! The vehicles - cars, buses, trucks, SkyTrain - a constant noise. With the traffic signals and the ever-present ventilation sound of bigger buildings, it is never quiet. I find myself aching for silence, for places where most sounds you hear are the rustle of leaves in the wind, maybe the distant signs of a smallish town. Most definitely the music of waves crashing to shore or the notes of a river running nearby.
I haven’t completely lost my adaptability to urban life, I still very much appreciate the convenience of public transit (how fun is the SkyTrain !), the abundance of restaurants, coffee shops and stores of all kinds, the little joy of finding a nice green park in the middle of the gray. I enjoyed the exploration of my new surroundings.
Hotel view. Becoming hypnotized by the comings and goings of the SkyTrains
A walk in Granville Island
Lazy day spent wandering around the public market, the marina and the pleasant little parks of Granville Island. Posters seen at the marina : salmon fishing charters, simplysailing.ca, yachtsaleswest, fraseryachtsales.ca. Something tells me that those are not be the cheapest sailboats on the market…
In False Creek, a rowing club is starting their exercises. Children and teenagers row their slim individual kayaks (I think these are called racing shells ?), with their one paddle, in a very efficient way. Some are sitting, as in a sea kayak, some have only a knee down, the other up. It’s interesting to see the different techniques and gear. Their trainers follow them in small motored boats to provide them with technical tips.
A taste of Stanley Park
On another lazy day off, I had every intention of spending an afternoon in Stanley Park, walk the whole Seawall and all. I took the SkyTrain and then a bus to get to the park, but missing my stop on the bus, I discovered that they are no bus stop within the park ! The bus simply passes it without ever stopping, gets across the Lions Gate Bridge and ends up at the entrance of Horseshoe Bay. I got out in front of a mall and what store board do I see directly facing me ? None other than Simons. Well, a true Quebecer should know where the local Simons shop is. I end up taking the same bus in the opposite direction some time later and ends up where I wanted to start my walk by late afternoon. Never made it to the seawall, contenting myself of putting my feet in the sand of first beach I encountered. It smelled like sunscreen, sweet and coconut.
I needed new shorts anyway.
Fun little video of a thunderstorm that I caught, again from my hotel window. Experiencing it from the eighteen floor was pretty impressive !
I’ll be back with stories from the North Shore, where I found an apartment. Here’s a little sneak peak.
Also… I retrieved my car, she made the journey from Montreal on board a train. I will now be able to pester Vancouverites with my deeply embedded inner reflex of not wanting to turn right at red lights. I am, after all, a Montrealer. Sorry buddies, that’s a very hard habit to change. You’ll just have to honk at me. Road trips to come.
