Travelog for: Hedgie

Today we went to Granville Island (it's not actually an island).  There are many artists and galleries here, and British Columbia's most prominent art school, Emily Carr University.



First we went to the pond to see if we could find any turtles, but we didn't see any.



We did see some tame geese, though.





There is a farmers' market here every Thursday.



The Net Loft is full of stores selling specialty crafts.



I went to a place that many people on ToyVoyagers would appreciate.



This is Burrard Bridge.  It was built in an art deco style.



Many many boats dock here.



This is the Granville Street Bridge.



We went to the market next, which is filled with grocers, fish markets, candy stores and places to eat.







Next we went to Ron Basford Park to eat lunch.











Rogers Chocolates is an amazing chocolate store.  Abby bought each of us a treat.





Fun Fact: This is exactly where Abby released Zeinab.  Of course, she did not leave either of us behind...





As we left, we noticed a small rock art exhibition.

Today we are going to Bard on the Beach.  Every year they put on four Shakespearean plays.



Today's play is Henry V.



We were very early, so we only picked up our tickets, then decided to kill time by going for a walk.  This is the planetarium/Museum of Vancouver.  Cool building, no?  Abby says she has always liked the crab fountain out front, but it was not turned on today.



We made our way over to Granville Island, where I was the other day.







At Granville Island we went for dinner at the yellow building in the last picture.  We ate pizza.



Fun fact: This restaurant was Swiss House during the Olympics.

Rather than walk back, we decided to take the ferry down False Creek.  It is called that because it is actually an inlet.









We were taken to the other side of False Creek, then had to wait for another ferry to take us back to Vanier Park.  This is one of the only beaches in Vancouver.  Around the corner is English Bay, and that is where they hold an international fireworks competition every summer (but we were travelling when it happened this year).



This is where we are heading.  If you look closely you can see the white Bard on the Beach tents.



Our ferry arrived.





The dark line of trees is Stanley Park, the largest park in Vancouver.



We got off the ferry near the Maritime Museum.  At the dock they have some replicas of famous boats.  This one was my favourite.  She is called Munin and is a half-size replica of the Gokstad.







This is the Maritime Museum.



Vanier Park.



This is an art piece that is part of Vancouver's Biennal.



On the other side all the signs are pink.





It was time to get in line to go inside the tents.  I looked through the program while I was waiting.



Pictures are not allowed of the shows, but Henry V was really good.  During intermission we ate ice cream.

SunnyHH and I decided to have a bath.  Archaeology is dirty work.

A new TV has arrived.  Who could it be?



It's Roderich!





Sadly it is also time for SunnyHH to continue his travels.  We went on a great adventure together and I will really miss him.

Today we are helping Abby make dessert for her family.

First you mix together crushed pecans and grated chocolate.



Then you add brown sugar and mix it together.





Next, the secret ingredient: Kahlua.  Just a splash will do.



Press it into a pan and that is the crust.



Next, melt some chocolate and let it cool.





Then you mix together butter, sugar, instant coffee granules and another splash of Kahlua.





Add the chocolate and some vanilla extract and mix it all together.



Next you add an egg.



You add four eggs in total, mixing for a few minutes in between each egg until it looks like this:



Pour it onto the crust.



Then you have to refrigerate it to let it set.  While you are waiting, eat the leftover filling.



Remember to top your piece with whipped cream and chocolate!



If you do not want to eat raw eggs, don't ask Abby for this recipe.  If you do not mind, then try it.  It tastes amazing!

We are going to a special event in Vanier Park: a free outdoor movie to celebrate the launch of a new exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver.



we showed up early to get a good seat.





There was a free bike valet and free food.



We ate some blueberries.



Also some organic chips.



Abby's sister works for the museum and had to take pictures of the event.  We decided to help out until it was too dark.



Shhh!  Eat Drink Man Woman is starting!

Simon Fraser University is where Abby goes to school.  This is the Convocation Mall, where graduations and all large gatherings are held.  It's covered for when the weather is bad.



The Academic Quadrangle is where many classrooms, places to eat, lecture halls and offices are found.  The raised square is two floors, and there are two floors below where I am standing.





The campus is on a mountain and on a nice day there is a good view.

We are attending the opening of the new Museum of Vancouver exhibit, Home Grown.







There was live music.



Also speeches.











Abby's sister contributed two videos to the exhibit.  Most of the footage of the videos is from Abby's back yard, like these raspberries in the spring/summer video.















This is from the fall/winter video.  The wheat isn't Abby's backyard, but I didn't want my picture taken with compost.





This display is all about collecting seeds.





The canning wall showcases preserves made by the people in the Vancouver area, and people are encouraged to add to the wall.  It was a bit slow to get started, so Abby's family donated six different jars of preserves.





These seeds were free to take.

The other temporary exhibit at the MOV is Fox, Fluevog and Friends.  They are famous shoe designers and were huge in the 1970s.  Fluevog is the main focus of the exhibit because his main store is in Vancouver.





















There was a kids' station where you could draw your own shoes.  Do you like our design?















The shoes on the left are the 'Munster' shoe, the ones in the middle are the 'Jack White' shoe, and the ones on the right are the 'Iggy' shoe.



Finally, these are some of Fluevog's favourites.

The Fraser River is the largest in British Columbia and is named after explorer Simon Fraser (which you will remember is also the name of Abby's school).







It is sockeye salmon season here and the first year in many that they have been abundant enough to fish.  We bought four (Abby wouldn't touch these.  Dead fish make her squeamish).







Keep watching this space because you will see more of the Fraser River very soon.

The Othello Quintette Tunnels were originally part of a railway line that was built when silver was discovered in the Kettle Valley area.













The views here are beautiful.

Continuing on our journey, we drove to Yale.



We stopped to look at the river and pick blackberries.





Yale used to be a very important town along the road that took miners up to the Barkerville gold rush.

Continuing on...



Oh look, tunnels!







Our destination was Hell's Gate, called that because is is the narrowest part of the Fraser River, only 33 metres (110 ft), and is usually deeper than it is wide.  Twice as much water flows through here per minute than Niagra Falls!  When explorer Simon Fraser came through here in 1808 it was such a harrowing experience for him that he wrote in his journal, "surely this is the gate of hell."





You have to take an airtram down.













This is where we came from.



When Abby bought her ticket we were given a coupon for fudge.  I can't wait to use it.



There is a bridge that going across the river.



The concrete structure in the water is a fish stock.  When one of the railways was being built they hit a fault and the resulting avalanche blocked off most of the river.  They built the fish stocks (one on each side) to help salmon get upstream to spawn.







This is a chart of the various water depths.  The water level right now is about at the top of the green.  In the spring it can get much higher.



I am not sure exactly why there is a giant chair here, but it is even large for humans.



This is what I look like from outside the airtram.



Another view of the fish stock.







Along the fence are various signs with information about the history of the area.  Can you spot the glaring grammatical error in this one?  (Hint: one of the sentences seems to be missing some words).





I took a few minutes to look at the river up close to see if I could spot any salmon.



This place isn't just a tourist destination.  chipmunks live here.







Time to head back.



In the car, we ate some delicious fudge.

The Hope slide is the largest landslide in Canadian history.  Four people were killed and only two of the bodies were ever found.













Roderich and I decided to make an inuksuk from some of the rocks.

The last place we visited on our mini road trip was Bridal Veil Falls, called that because the waterfall sort of looks like a veil.