Canada #19 Vancouver
The distinctive white sails of Canada Place are an iconic part of the Vancouver waterfront skyline and we quickly came to recognise them everywhere we went. From the Seabus on Burrard Inlet they stood out among the city skyscrapers, even when surrounded by cruise ships. At the lookout on Grouse Mountain, they were clearly visible on the waterfront. We could even see them from our 21st floor apartment in downtown Vancouver.
Close up the 30 metre high fibreglass sails are just as spectacular, but they are only one part of Canada Place. It’s the home of the Port of Vancouver and the cruise ship terminal, which can accommodate up to four huge ships at one time. Luxury hotels stand alongside the World Trade Centre and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
On the west promenade of Canada Place we went on a virtual trek across Canada, from ocean to ocean. The Canadian Trail consists of 13 sections designed to represent the 10 provinces and three territories of the nation.
Colourful glass plates embedded in the walkway list communities small and large, some well-known to us and others not familiar. We followed our own route through Canada, a few places we’d already been to and others we were yet to visit.
A mile-marker set into the pavement was another indicator of the distances we would cover on our Canadian journey.
This part of Burrard Inlet is an airport on the water, with tiny seaplanes continually taking off and landing. Even after seeing them in Victoria we were still entranced and stopped to watch as each one arrived or departed.
The trail ends at North Point with 360° views of the city, from the snow-capped mountains of the north shore to Stanley Park in the west, across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver and east to the bustling Port of Vancouver.
We retraced our steps across Canada on the Canadian Trail and returned to the white sails of Canada Place. From our apartment to the waterfront those sails became our point of reference for our city explorations.
Join Jo for more Monday Walks
Isn’t that a stunning city! I’ve never been and feel I have missed out on something quite special!
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Pauline, Vancouver is simply beautiful and has so much to offer. We spent a week there and filled in every day.
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Where are all those seaplanes off to? Looks a great way to sightsee. 🙂 🙂 But of course, walking is best! Thanks a lot, Carol.
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I suspect most of them are transport to and from Vancouver Island and all the other islands. It would be exciting to go for a ride in one and the view would be amazing.
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Wow, I love those white sails of Canada Place and that interesting virtual walk across Canada. It looks like you had gorgeous weather. Beautiful photos. 🙂
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Cathy, in five weeks we had three rainy days. The rest of the time the weather was superb.
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You were very lucky!! 🙂
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I do love both the country of my birth and my adopted country. They have such unique beauty.
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Yvonne, were you born in Canada? I didn’t know that. It really is a stunning country.
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Yes, we moved here in 1966. It was quite a change.
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You would have noticed the difference in the weather.
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Yes, from -57 in northern Canada to + 41 in Adelaide! And all those scary insects and animals …
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I reckon bears and coyotes would be pretty scary too.
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Beautiful way to trek across Canada, Carol. We were in Vancouver 20 years ago, but I don’t remember this feature.
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We had fun finding all the places on our itinerary.
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Canada looks a very tidy and clean place. Is that right?
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Yes, it was very clean in most places. It’s so pretty.
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Such memories, we spent ages watching the seaplanes and the cruise ships in Vancouver and walked the waterfront so many times. Absolutely loved the city and even though we were there for 3 weeks could have stayed all summer.
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We loved Vancouver too and could have stayed much longer. The seaplanes were amazing.
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I wonder when the Canadian Trail was created? I didn’t see it on my last visit, Vancouver is a spectacular city, but the other night I saw a news report on a much less salubrious area which is overrun with drug addicts who are addicted to Fentanyl. I am so glad I didn’t wander into that part of the city,
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Vancouver is so pretty and, as you can see from my photo, we had a wonderful view of the city and waterfront. I took so many photos of it. I know the area you’re talking about. It’s one street and I have never seen anything like it. So sad and very intimidating.
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oh I so have to go back . . . must work on MrB!
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I’ll keep helping out with beautiful photos you can tempt him with. 🙂
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Fantastic, thank you 😀
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I miss Vancouver! It has been too long since I visited 😦
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Time you went again Lorraine. 😃
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Such a beautiful city. Thanks for making it real to us.
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You’re welcome! It is a lovely place.
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The white sails at Canada Place look wonderful. It must be hard work keeping them so white!
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They’re made of fibreglass so I wonder if they self-clean when it rains. I’d like to think so.
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That would be handy.
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Looks like a great adventure. I love watching seaplanes. It always amazes me to watch them land on the water. 🙂
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I would love to go for a ride in one.
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It’s a lovelyl city, and your photos are so inviting. I visited Vancouver in the mid 1980s and was struck by how clean and airy it was.
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We enjoyed our time there and I would go back.
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It’s been about thirty years since I’ve been there. I don’t remember it being so huge. It is a beautiful place. The vivid colors in your pictures show how clean and beautiful the air is as well as what a great photographer you are. 🙂 .
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Thank you Marsha. We really enjoyed Vancouver. It’s so pretty.
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Agreed!
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Vancouver truly is an incredible city. The white sails a great landmark from so many locations.
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With the water and mountains, it is in the perfect location. We had a wonderful week there.
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