Western Skies

The driver of our hop on/off Vancouver trolley tour asked all the tourists where they were from. When I replied “Toronto” our driver good-naturedly quipped, “Ah, the centre of the universe.” Yes, the rest of the country loves to rib Toronto but luckily nobody held our hometown address against us and we had a spectacular time in Vancouver.

The city has doubled in population (to over 2 million) from when I was last there for Expo in 1986. In fact, Vancouver has the fastest growing downtown population of any North American city but it's as breathtaking as ever with tons of greenery and waterfront spaces to explore. Not to mention the mountains which stare majestically down at you wherever you go. If shopping's your thing Burnaby (just a short SkyTrain ride away) is home to Metropolis, Canada's second biggest mall - or you can stroll down fashionable Robson Street.

I snapped so many photos while in Vancouver and its surrounds that I had to buy a new memory card. Here's a selection of pictures, including one of Vancouver's Central Public library building, which cost over 100 million.

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