| Stanley Park is Vancouver's famous urban | | | | arrived at Third Beach that was just completely |
| paradise and I knew weeks in advance that I | | | | teeming with people. I bought a drink and relaxed |
| would need to explore it in detail, preferably on a | | | | for a while until I resumed my trip and passed a |
| bike. So this afternoon at about 1:30 pm I set off | | | | group of inukshuk builders close to Second |
| from the UBC Campus, and navigated my way | | | | Beach.The crowds were intensifying and every |
| downtown by bus, taking 3 buses to get to the | | | | conceivable spot on the burnt-out grass was |
| eastern edge of Stanley Park. This was my first | | | | taken up by sun-worshippers. The largest beach, |
| chance to glance at the city of Vancouver. It is a | | | | located closest to the city, is English Bay Beach, |
| relatively new city and according to some | | | | replete with daytrippers. The crowds were a bit |
| accounts, its origins date back to 1792 , the year | | | | too much for me, so I crossed False Creek over |
| when Captain George Vancouver explored this | | | | the Burrard Bridge and explored Vanier Park and |
| region. Most buildings downtown west of Granville | | | | Kitsilano Beach. The view from the bridge is |
| Avenue were built relatively recently as | | | | simply breathtaking. On the other side again there |
| Vancouver has experienced a huge building boom | | | | were thousands of people, barbequeing, |
| over the last few years. A large part of | | | | sunworshiping, and picknicking.I turned around and |
| downtown is covered by modern residential | | | | headed back on 4th Avenue, crossing back to |
| skyscrapers and Vancouver's building frenzy | | | | downtown Vancouver via the Granville Street |
| continues unabated. It's evident everywhere that | | | | Bridge and headed straight across towards |
| this is a very popular place to live.My rental bicycle | | | | Canada Place and the seashore west of Burrard |
| was waiting for me at a place called Spokes | | | | Street. Since my stomach was growling after |
| Bicycle Rentals, a place that had been mentioned | | | | about 3 hours of cycling, I returned the bycicle to |
| to me several weeks ago by the Vancouver's | | | | Spokes and asked Phil for advice as to where to |
| Visitors Association. I met one of their managers, | | | | eat. He suggested an Italian place named Ciao |
| a young sporty guy named Phil who was | | | | Bella almost right across the street. I took his |
| extremely helpful in helping me lay out my | | | | advice and plunked myself down on a nice patio |
| itinerary for this discovery on two wheels. We | | | | and thoroughly enjoyed an Italian meal in the |
| started chatting and I found out that Phil is | | | | evening sunshine.At 8 pm I was ready to head |
| originally from Montreal and moved to Vancouver | | | | back to UBC and walked up to Robson Street, |
| 3 years ago. He loves the outdoors and has | | | | one of Vancouver's main thoroughfares. |
| gotten involved in snowboarding, mountainbiking | | | | Thousands of people were coming towards me |
| and diving and he mentioned that Vancouver is | | | | since they were planning to catch the fireworks. |
| among the world's top dive sites.After laying out | | | | The sidewalks were just totally full with people. I |
| my route for me and giving me information on all | | | | was walking in the opposite direction and ended |
| the important sights along the way, Phil selected a | | | | up doing a quick little photographic tour of |
| comfortable bicycle for me that would be able to | | | | downtown, including the Hotel Vancouver. I saw a |
| handle leisure riding as well as some mild | | | | few more interesting buildings: the Vancouver |
| offroading. Once outfitted I hopped on the bike | | | | Block and the Art Gallery of Vancouver.Quite |
| and started my tour along the seawall of Stanley | | | | exhausted from a full day I started walking down |
| Park. At 20 times the size of Central Park, | | | | Granville Avenue, still surrounded by throngs of |
| Stanley Park is the 3rd largest urban park in North | | | | people and had to wait 45 minutes for a bus since |
| America, and its setting is just stunning. From the | | | | all buses were going down Davie Street to take |
| east side you have a view into downtown | | | | people to the fireworks. Finally the bus came and |
| Vancouver towards Canada Place and the cruise | | | | I was listening to a bunch of teenage boys that |
| boat terminal. Several ocean liners were docked in | | | | were planning their under-age drinking escapades |
| town.One of the first major sights along the bike | | | | at the occasion of the fireworks. After a really |
| path are the Totem Poles, imposing in their height | | | | long day I finally arrived back on the UBC campus |
| and number. I circled around Brockton Point | | | | at about 9:30 pm. Now it's 11 pm and I can't wait |
| towards the north-facing side of the peninsula, | | | | to hit the hay.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| and a stunning view towards North Vancouver | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel and |
| and the Lions Gate Bridge opened up. As per Phil's | | | | Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is |
| advice, I cycled up to Beaver Lake which is a | | | | chock full of advice, tips, real life travel |
| quiet little oasis away from the hustle and bustle | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and travel |
| of the seawall. It is a large pond surrounded by | | | | experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural |
| lush forest, covered in a water lilies. I cycled all | | | | issues, contests and many other features. You will |
| the way around the pond and then headed back | | | | also find stories about life and the transitions that |
| out to the seawall and quickly came to the Lions | | | | we face as we go through our own personal |
| Gate Bridge which is surrounded by Prospect | | | | life-long journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| Point, the highest point in the park. From there I | | | | our first travel story contest( and have a chance |
| soon reached the northernmost point of Stanley | | | | to win an amazing adventure cruise on the |
| Park and started cycling westwards again. Just | | | | Amazon River. |
| past a single outlying rock called Siwash Rock I | | | | |