Anything we haven’t seen before is marvelous…
Having complained in November about the rain I’m now going to complain about the cold. I think this week it has managed to get down to about 19F and on only one day has warmed up to 32F, this week to say it was freezing would be an improvement! I have to add that the snow has been very pretty though. It has been snowing on and off pretty much all week, although it hasn’t really settled, just fallen in big drifty flakes, of the dreamy Christmas card variety.
First point worth mentioning this week was the deer at the bus stop. I was driving past on my way to work (I think) and as I passed the bus stop there was a deer stood right next to the sign post. I did have to stop the car and return for a second look, I was sure it must be a fake one left as a joke, but I can assure you that it was totally real, and moving. It was one of those moments when you wish you had a camera. I also have no idea if it actually got on the bus.
This week I did also finally manage to get down to the Aquarium and have another meander around Stanley Park. Apparently the Aquarium is amongst the largest in North America, and after the CN Tower in Toronto it is the most visited tourist site in Canada. As in most aquariums the main tourist draws are the dolphins and the whales- in this case Beluga whales and Pacific White-sided dolphins. The aquarium does seem to promote scientific research and has two new beluga whale calves as evidence of a successful breeding program; however, I couldn’t help but feel that the enclosures seemed a bit cramped. In comparison to the space they had to show in Sea World it all seemed very condensed.
The aquarium does concern itself with the local habitat and two of the three main exhibits are related to local issues. They have dedicated one gallery to the Pacific waters and the BC Coast, and show otters, seals, octopi, and other local wildlife, such as starfish. I have to say this wasn’t the most interesting gallery, but I did feel it had a definite educational purpose. It was more exciting as the gallery progressed through to the Arctic North, again still along the BC coast and in to the Yukon, and this was where the whales came into their own. It did also extend south down the pacific coastal region and into the warm waters with impressive displays of turtles and coral.
Possibly the most interesting area, and because it was so very different to anything else, was the rainforest gallery. Not only did it have the exotic species of fish but they had expanded it to create a whole rainforest feel, along with plants, parrots, turtles, and underwater river displays. It didn’t hurt that the temperature also went up by more than a few degrees.
The theater also had a 4D experience of a BBC film about pacific coastal marine life. I have had the “joy” of experiencing 4D theater before in Austin TX, but for some reason had totally managed to forget this and was therefore shocked when the whale spraying water was not in 3D but also resulted in water in my face. The eels round my ankles, the snake biting me in the back and the vibrating chair coral were all highly entertaining!
The Killer Whale in the picture this week- outside the aquarium- is a bronze work by Haida artist Bill Reid. I have no more information on this sculpture but thought as I have used a few of his works in photos and talked about him before it was worth a mention.
I had hoped to get back to Gastown/ Chinatown this week, having not been there for a while I had wanted to update and take some better photographs of the steam powered clock in Gastown. The clock was created by Ray Saunders and was built in 1977 following a design that had been created more than a century previously. It is reportedly powered by an underground system that could be used the heat the surrounding buildings, and I’m told it is the only one in the world. I have to say when I first saw it I was expecting slightly more than four toots on the quarter hour, but the big surprise is reserved for the hourly chime.
Not far from the clock is Maple Tree Square, unsurprisingly named after a maple tree that was to be found there. It was the spot on which, in 1886, the people of Granville settled on the name Vancouver for their new and ever growing city. Today a statue of Gassy Jack- a Yorkshire man who couldn’t keep his opinions to himself, of Gastown fame, stands on the spot and a new tree stands nearby with a plaque commemorating events. Unfortunately time ran out… at least I know where I’ll be headed next, or at least one in a long list of places.
Having complained in November about the rain I’m now going to complain about the cold. I think this week it has managed to get down to about 19F and on only one day has warmed up to 32F, this week to say it was freezing would be an improvement! I have to add that the snow has been very pretty though. It has been snowing on and off pretty much all week, although it hasn’t really settled, just fallen in big drifty flakes, of the dreamy Christmas card variety.
First point worth mentioning this week was the deer at the bus stop. I was driving past on my way to work (I think) and as I passed the bus stop there was a deer stood right next to the sign post. I did have to stop the car and return for a second look, I was sure it must be a fake one left as a joke, but I can assure you that it was totally real, and moving. It was one of those moments when you wish you had a camera. I also have no idea if it actually got on the bus.
This week I did also finally manage to get down to the Aquarium and have another meander around Stanley Park. Apparently the Aquarium is amongst the largest in North America, and after the CN Tower in Toronto it is the most visited tourist site in Canada. As in most aquariums the main tourist draws are the dolphins and the whales- in this case Beluga whales and Pacific White-sided dolphins. The aquarium does seem to promote scientific research and has two new beluga whale calves as evidence of a successful breeding program; however, I couldn’t help but feel that the enclosures seemed a bit cramped. In comparison to the space they had to show in Sea World it all seemed very condensed.
The aquarium does concern itself with the local habitat and two of the three main exhibits are related to local issues. They have dedicated one gallery to the Pacific waters and the BC Coast, and show otters, seals, octopi, and other local wildlife, such as starfish. I have to say this wasn’t the most interesting gallery, but I did feel it had a definite educational purpose. It was more exciting as the gallery progressed through to the Arctic North, again still along the BC coast and in to the Yukon, and this was where the whales came into their own. It did also extend south down the pacific coastal region and into the warm waters with impressive displays of turtles and coral.
Possibly the most interesting area, and because it was so very different to anything else, was the rainforest gallery. Not only did it have the exotic species of fish but they had expanded it to create a whole rainforest feel, along with plants, parrots, turtles, and underwater river displays. It didn’t hurt that the temperature also went up by more than a few degrees.
The theater also had a 4D experience of a BBC film about pacific coastal marine life. I have had the “joy” of experiencing 4D theater before in Austin TX, but for some reason had totally managed to forget this and was therefore shocked when the whale spraying water was not in 3D but also resulted in water in my face. The eels round my ankles, the snake biting me in the back and the vibrating chair coral were all highly entertaining!
The Killer Whale in the picture this week- outside the aquarium- is a bronze work by Haida artist Bill Reid. I have no more information on this sculpture but thought as I have used a few of his works in photos and talked about him before it was worth a mention.
I had hoped to get back to Gastown/ Chinatown this week, having not been there for a while I had wanted to update and take some better photographs of the steam powered clock in Gastown. The clock was created by Ray Saunders and was built in 1977 following a design that had been created more than a century previously. It is reportedly powered by an underground system that could be used the heat the surrounding buildings, and I’m told it is the only one in the world. I have to say when I first saw it I was expecting slightly more than four toots on the quarter hour, but the big surprise is reserved for the hourly chime.
Not far from the clock is Maple Tree Square, unsurprisingly named after a maple tree that was to be found there. It was the spot on which, in 1886, the people of Granville settled on the name Vancouver for their new and ever growing city. Today a statue of Gassy Jack- a Yorkshire man who couldn’t keep his opinions to himself, of Gastown fame, stands on the spot and a new tree stands nearby with a plaque commemorating events. Unfortunately time ran out… at least I know where I’ll be headed next, or at least one in a long list of places.
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