Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden, 1

You wouldn't think that the end of summer would be a great time to visit a botanical garden, particularly at Vancouver's latitude. Nor would you think that a botanical garden less than fifty years old would be worth a visit. But you'd be wrong on both counts in Vancouver. The VanDusen is young and relatively small as these things go, but its compactness allows some spectacular groupings, brilliant color everywhere, plus an impressive interpretive program. Prior to becoming a botanical garden, it was a country club, and therefore there are some older holdings among the trees. Anyhow, we wandered initially, then took the excellent hour+ guided tour on a golf cart. And then wandered some more. 

Main building, visitor center, etc...are we in Bilbao?!

High tech

You wouldn't think this necessary at Vancouver's northerly latitude;
but it was indeed a warm day

Enough narration...

Mixed setting of Monkey Puzzles

Among the several water features

Abundant sculpture, including this interesting Dying Gaul

Fall color already (we've been following it down from Fairbanks)

Among the older trees

Homage to Zen

Maze, overseen, appropriately, by Monkey Puzzles

Our volunteer guide/driver, here stepping off the golf cart to show 
us something; she was extremely knowledgeable about all manner
of plants and similarly articulate; and an excellent driver

Vancouver's Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

We have been fans of Asian gardens since a visit to Japan in 1983. Much later, in 2008, we visited the Lingering Garden in Suzhou and there experienced our first Chinese garden. The Sun Yat-Sen garden in Vancouver was the first re-creation of a Chinese garden outside of China and was constructed in the early 1900s by Chinese crafts-persons using traditional methods. We found it highly impressive. August 31st.

Yes, it's in Vancouver's Chinatown

It's actually a large, walled compound, the house, several pavilions,
the gardens and water features interspersed...

Love these weird rocks

One like this used to hang in our bedroom

A Guzheng, a sort of Chinese zither harp...there was to
be a concert/demonstration later in the day

Revolutionary, statesman, political philosopher; founder
of the Republic of China

Vancouver's Granville Island

Granville Island is an artificial island dredged up from False Creek in the early 1900's--I swear I am not making this up--designed mostly for heavy industry. Things change. After the decline of heavy industry there and the usual seedy phase, it has become the artsy/fartsy/touristy district...galleries, theaters, many interesting shoppes, and restaurants. We explored Granville Island on our 2nd evening in Vancouver and had a great dinner there too. Interesting place, August 30th.

It was not our first visit to Vancouver...in 1972, specifically, July 21st,
we were there, and bought this brass bed (now long-gone) in a place
(unfortunately) called Gaslight Village; Vicki and Rebecca reading together
in the bed, c. 1976, has always been a favorite family picture

Some manufacturing still going on

Superb photography gallery

What happens when industrial goes artsy

Ample historical information

View from our table at the resto

Vancouver has many skylines...

Sandbar Restaurant...for me, first installment of a week's seafood...

What? Your town doesn't have a rental BBQ raft?!

My repas

Hers

Feeling a bit crabby

Last time we ate under a bridge was at the Galata Bridge, Golden
Horn, Istanbul...

Much interesting contemporary architecture in Vancouver

And sculpture

Interim Update #1,289 101 Nights On The Road

After 15,000+ miles and 101 nights on the road, we are back in Cary, NC...preparing for our next adventure, of course. Yes, the blog is nearly two months behind, but I'll catch up eventually. And soon, possibly. We'll be in Orlando during the rest of October and most of November, feeding the Mouse and blogging. And preparing for the next adventure. And whither then, I cannot say...

Preview of coming attractions...