From Place To Space: Discovering Vancouver

It’s been a week now that I am back from my trip to Canada and the USA and my lightweight jet lag has been worked off properly so I thought I’ll start with my series of travel related posts covering my 3-weeks road trip experience to North America. Last week I had a soft launch with this post about a community garden in Vancouver. The Canadian West Coast metropolis was my first stop so here we go with a little Vancouver recap.

Vancouver is a great travel destination: You like city life. Check. You like nature. Check. You like mountains, you like beaches? Double check. Vancouver has managed to acquire an enviable image. It is the city where urban life & nature collide, where people are very, I mean very outdoorsy and where a sporty attitude is a prerequisite for future inhabitants. The possibilities for a healthy outdoor life are paramount: bike trails everywhere, an abundance of parks, water sport activities, hiking and climbing spaces just to mention a few. And that outdoorsy attitude is omnipresent on the city’s streets.

For a first time visitor like myself the most important to-see destinations were quickly determined: the busy waterfront, bustling Gastown with its cool shops, bars and restaurants, a stroll through Chinatown (did you know Vancouver has the largest Asian community in North America), walk’n’shop in the liberal West End, discovering the famous Granville Market, a cruise on the Burrard Inlet. And I herewith confirm – yes, do all of this if you end up in Vancouver one day.

And with all the outdoor activities you can count on one phenomenon: hunger. To tackle that problem opt for a healthy, locally grown lunch in the beautiful restaurant ‘Rainier Provisions’ in Gastown or a bite at ‘Nelson the Seagull’ followed by yummy donuts from the Cartems Donuterie (I had the earl grey donut with rose petals) and topped with a delicious cup of tea (and more tea to take home) at David’s Tea or a fresh coffee at Revolver Brew Bar.

But the best food experience will lead you on a boat at first: Take the water taxi to Granville island and discover the abundance of food at Granville market – you can’t resist the all the juicy, fresh fruits, the luscious delicatessen and fresh bread and pastries. You can easily spend the entire day there eating and drinking, walking around, visiting art galleries, the famous Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and one of the many breweries with local microbrews.

For a serene, almost zen-like experience head to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden – you can either join a guided tour or do it my way: Stroll around by yourself, discover hidden corners, sit down and contemplate, behold the beauty of the jade tigers, sip on a cup of Chinese green tea, and challenge yourself in Chinese calligraphy – at least you’ll know if your talented or not. I know now. I’m not.

For more nature in town experiences take a boat cruise on the Burrard Inlet to opposite North Vancouver, walk around the immense Stanley Park and sit down at sunset hour on Second Beach or the English Bay to immerse yourself in the flaming reds and oranges of a Pacific sunset. Don’t miss the trendy Yaletown quarter with cool shops, restaurants and a hip crowd. During my stay in Vancouver, I’ve discovered two very cool interior design stores that I will share with you in separate blog posts soon. Stay tuned!

I left Vancouver invigorated with a fresh spirit of an urban life that has embraced its surroundings – the beautiful and vast nature – and has defined urban life in its own terms: a life strongly bound to nature and outdoor activities. A pretty healthy city life.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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