After being deposited at our hotel for the Vancouver stay - another Fairmont hotel - we were free to unpack our bags in our rooms and do whatever we would like for the evening. I chose to walk around downtown Vancouver since it was just a beautiful warm sunny evening. The waterfront was calling my name...
Walking toward the waterfront, I turned around to take a look at our hotel. Again in the French chateau style, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is located in the middle of the city with not as many opportunities for lavish green grass and vivid flower beds as the Empress, but beautiful and grand just the same.
The serenely peaceful walk along the water included pleasant sounds of people talking, laughing, and having a good time. As I walked along I came across this mesmerizing kinetic wind sculpture. What I like most about these types of sculptures is the fluidity of the art and I must have watched this for a good 5 minutes before moving on. Kinetic wind sculptures have always been a favorite and this delightful moveable sculpture is a fine specimen (check out one of my favorite kinetic sculpture artists, Anthony Howe, here). The beautiful calm of the walk was only interrupted by the float plane engines in the distance positioning for landing or take-off nearby.
Before heading back to the hotel, my last stop was the dock where smaller ferries load/unload passengers, bringing me close to the water to gaze at the scenery beyond.
Some other sites on my walk back were bright murals on building walls, interesting sculptures in front of buildings, the olympic torch from the 2010 Winter Olympics, and signs providing history and pictures from the past - like the size of the trees discovered in the 1800s by eager men not stopping to think of the long-term impact of cutting down these 4000 year-old trees.
Have you heard the bunny story? There are many cute little wild bunnies around Vancouver like the one shown, because a student who couldn't take his bunnies at the end of the school year let them go. There have been many discussions on what to do with the problem but they sure are quite adorable!
I also included books recently read both on this trip and after, which give much more color to the times, people, and area. I always check my local library first before buying any book.
Back at the hotel, the tour group gathered for a leisurely dinner in the hotel restaurant and we retired to our rooms to relax and prepare for sightseeing around Vancouver the next day.
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