Vancouver, British Columbia - Museum of Anthropology

Some items from my heritage:



China



China



Phillippines



Phillippines


* There was little in the way of European artifacts, so I've skipped Czech.

There's more!

But alas, sleep beckons. Will post more as I'm able. What an outstanding day!

Vancouver, British Columbia - Museum of Anthropology

This is for you, Sis!





Sections of house frontal totem poles - Haida people



Traditional Haida argillite carvings



Haida artifacts

Vancouver, British Columbia

We rounded out our day by going to see the Museum of Anthropology, near the University of British Columbia, both gloriously right on the shores of the North Pacific.



UBC campus



UBC campus







The museum is spectacular. The back walls are all glass so you can see the totem poles with a natural background but still keep them well protected from the elements. Although you can't see it here, the ocean lies just beyond those trees.

Vancouver, British Columbia

View of downtown from the SeaBus



View of another SeaBus leaving the port

Capilano Suspension Bridge, North Vancouver, British Columbia

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is Vancouver's most famous landmark.

Originally built in 1889, today's bridge is the fourth bridge at this location, 450 feet across and 230 feet above Capilano River. It is the world's greatest suspension footbridge. There are several others here, all connecting to scenic platforms high in the trees of a 300 year old west coast rain forest. Amazing!!

Also within the park is a beautiful collection of totem poles and art by First Nations people in the area.

All these pics were taken with the "real" camera; click to see them full size.



Collection of 25 authentic totem poles by local tribes





I was ok on the CN Tower in Toronto, which is much higher than this and on a serious note scared Nickie enough to turn her knees to jelly. Here on the swaying suspension bridge, however, the tables were turned. Just look at her, all smiles while I try not to hyperventilate. Disgusting!

















This last one's for you, Sis! Click the pic to see a close-up.

Vancouver, British Columbia

On the way to Capilano Suspension Bridge. It's in North Vancouver, separated from downtown by a delta, so the best way across is the SeaBus. The SeaBus really is like a very wide bus the way it rides. There are windows all around the front, back, and sides. It's quite a pretty view, although it didn't come out in this set of pics. Caught it on the way back, in the next set.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Rain has its own beauty in unexpected places. Click the picture for a better view.

Vancouver, British Columbia - surrounding areas

Vancouver, we've found, is just the same as any other big city - nothing to write home about. But the surrounding suburbs... gasp! Forests full of evergreens and trees turning colors for fall, quiet lanes, friendly people. Lovely!

Random observation

Vancouver itself, while having its appeal, is missing one vital ingredient we found present in virtually every other Canadian city we've been to: the "good morning" factor. Everyplace else we've seen, if you happen to see someone on the street, they will normally say "hello" or "good morning," etc.; if not and you say it first, they will always respond with a greeting and a smile. Vancouver is the one exception. If you see people on the street, they will look down and away and pretend you're not there. It's just like home in that way, unfortunately. I would imagine it's due to the number of people trying to pull a scam or panhandle for money. Either way, it's a bummer to see. The other ingredient is the trust factor. Apparently, people in Toronto and Ottawa think nothing of leaving their doors unlocked all the time. We've seen people leave cars running with the keys in them while they popped indoors for an errand. But in Vancouver, you begin seeing sign after sign informing you that you're on camera surveillance, and others informing you that you're entering a neighborhood watch anti-crime area.

Ok, two vital ingredients.