VANtastic!

So I arrived for my Canadian adventure (1 month blissful holidaying!) in Vancouver on the 15th of June- day of the famous Canucks Hockey Grand Final... and infamous Rioting that followed.

I wasn't the one to capture that famous pic, in fact I was out of downtown and safely back in my hostel by the time the rioting started. However the shame and embarassment that the city felt was very real in the ensuing days of my stay. Everytime I ordered coffee (arbutus- best muffins with coffee in vancouver!) or walked into a store and people heard my accent, they started off by appologising and explaining that Vancouver wasn't really like that. After running along Jericho Beach and through leafy Kitsilano, seeing the mountain views from every angle (they have town planning laws that protect certain mountain views!), checking out community gardens (check out the amazing pic of this luscious garden in Kitsilano above), cycling through Stanley Park and Hitting Grouse Mountain and Capilano it was clear to see the pride people took in the appearance of their city.

I ended up leaving with so many positive thoughts of this beautiful city- perhaps summed up in this picture on the left. This was a photo I took of the Vancouver wall of love. It grew organically on the hoarding put up where the glass windows of The Bay store had been smashed  during the rioting. It appears the real Vancouverites just needed somewhere to convey their emotions and express their feelings- what they created was an optimistic view of the city and positive direction for it to follow post-riots. Thank you Leafy, Liveable, Laidback (and VANtastic!) Vancouver- I'll be back!
L. x