Last Stop

Part twelve in a series based on a recent trip to British Columbia with my husband.

Our last stop on the bus tour was Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Everywhere are breath-taking views, but it was impossible to see more than a small fraction of the park in the time allotted to us.

My husband looks pretty small compared to this huge, old tree.

Picture source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_in_a_Wetsuit

Picture source Vancouver Sun

This statue is “Girl in a Wetsuit”. On the left she is perched on a rock. On the right, a gull is perched on her. You can see how the tides affect how much of the rock is visible at different times of the day. (Unfortunately my picture of this statue didn’t turn out very well, so I searched the internet for substitutes.)

Another statue. This one is of Olympic runner Harry Jerome. (Sorry for the blur. We were speeding along in the bus when I took this photo.)

This dome was called Expo Centre during Expo 86, but now it’s usually referred to as Science World.

A cruise ship begins its voyage.

Pontoon planes flew overhead every few minutes. Perhaps they were tour planes.

Lion’s Gate Bridge

This compass points our way back to the bus. This is the last stop on our bus tour of Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gastown

Part eleven in a series based on a recent trip to British Columbia with my husband.

the Gastown steam clock is one of the only working steam-powered clocks in the world. It whistles and  steams on the hour and chimes on the quarter hours with the same notes as Big Ben.

This is Gassy Jack, and the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver is named after him. His real name was John Deighton, and he was the owner of a saloon in this area in the 1800s. Apparently, he got his nickname because he was a great storyteller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gastown is known for its boutiques, restaurants, and galleries.

 

 

 

Gastown is also a place with history. This plaque commemorates the founding of Vancouver.

The plaque says, “Here stood the old maple tree under whose branches the pioneers met in 1885 and chose the name “Vancouver” for this city”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of fun things to see. I only had time to take a few shots before it was time to move on to our next destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monuments and Memorials

Above: A four sided monument, each side featuring a brief description of the contributions made to the city and province by Frederick Haultain, Nicholas Davin, James Ross, and Charles Dunning. In the vicinity sit six paper birch trees taken from Runnymede Meadow in Great Windsor Park, Royal Estate near Windsor Castle. The area surrounding the monument is called Speakers’ Corner to emphasize the importance of freedom of speech and assembly in a democratic society. There are ten gas lamps surrounding the corner that come from King Charles Street, London, England near the Houses of Parliament.

 

Below: The Sisters Legacy Statue portrays two Catholic sisters — one, a teacher, and one, a nurse. The monument commemorates the commitment and courage of women who provided education and health care in the early days of Saskatchewan.

 

Left: The Honouring Tree was erected as part of the 2010 celebration commemorating one hundred years of settlement by people of African ancestry in Saskatchewan.  It is a symbol of diversity as we remember and honour past contributions of people from many origins who call this province their home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below: The Walter Scott statue, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the legislative building of Regina. W. Scott oversaw the construction, which concluded in 1912. He also promoted the creation of the University of Saskatchewan in 1907. Under his leadership, Saskatchewan was one of the first provinces to grant women the right to vote and hold elected office. He did all this, and more, while battling mental illness. He suffered from manic depression (bipolar disorder) his entire life.

All these monuments are located in Wascana Park, in Regina.