|
Featured Travel Article: Vancouver,
Canada
Vancouver is the principal city
of British Columbia, Canada's most westerly province. Vancouver is comprised of
a very diverse, multi-cultural population of approx. 550,000 inhabitants. There
are many attractions worth travelling to in and around Vancouver on your Canada
vacation. Here we list just four of them, but see the links to the other
websites at the bottom of this article for more vacation information for the
region.
Granville Island:
Granville Island lies at the
heart of Vancouver city and is surrounded by water. The centrepiece of Granville
Island are its public markets which are made up of over 50 permanent vendors and
an ever changing array of artisans, farmers and cottage industry food producers.
Here you'll find all the gastronomic delights from fishmongers, to butchers,
bakers, and green grocers, ethnic food vendors, craft vendors and casual
eateries. Everything is on display, from bakery backrooms to a mini fudge-making
factory.
But Granville Island is not
limited to its market. It also houses tennis courts, theatres and galleries, and
is a popular spot for all sorts of artists. Vacationers can enjoy boat tours,
water activities and kids programs as well. If spending your vacation in
Vancouver, you could make the Granville Island Hotel your base camp for
travelling in and around Vancouver.
Stanley Park:
This vast parkland of 1,000
acres was originally a military reserve and is only a few minutes travel from
Vancouver's downtown. Travellers to the park will find a variety of attractions
and activities on offer. Features include the Lost Lagoon Nature House which
offers natural history information and guided walking tours. The Lost Lagoon is
a haven for many varieties of birds including swans, ducks and Canada geese. The
small islands in the lake make a natural nesting place for the various species
that live here. There is the 'pitch and putt' golf course and the rose garden at
the heart of the park.
Other attractions within the
park include the Vancouver Aquarium, the Theatre Under The Stars, a miniature
railway, a children's farmyard and water park, bathing beaches, tennis courts, a
heated ocean-side swimming pool, and an 8.5km perimeter seawall. The park also
boasts 4 restaurants and a number of refreshment stands.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge:
Travel just 10 minutes from
downtown Vancouver through Stanley Park and over Lions Gate Bridge to Capilano
Road. Upon reaching the Capilano Canyon, you suddenly find yourself in a
picturesque wilderness. This is the same wilderness that inspired George Grant
Mackay so much that he built a cabin for himself and wife at the very spot where
the bridge now stands. Mackay, with the help of some local Indians, was the
first person to pull a taut hemp rope and cedar plank bridge 135 metres across
the Capilano River in the late 1800's. The present bridge was built in 1956 and
is no longer made of hemp rope, but rather pre-stressed wire cables. Travelling
across it can be quite an experience as the bridge responds to your every step
as you look down the steep gorge towards the river over 70 metres below!
In addition to the bridge, the
site also plays host to a tea house, a souvenir shop, and a series of totem
poles and native carvings dating back to the 1930's.
Rocky Mountains Train Vacations:
Many different vacation
packages by rail exist departing from Vancouver and visiting Western Canada and
the Rockies region. These vacation tours vary in length from two days to an
eight day travel tour ending in Calgary and taking in the historic towns of
Kamloops and Jasper, beautiful Lake Louise, followed by Banff, and then on to
Calgary. The Rockies is comprised of breathtaking scenery and wildlife and there
is no better way to see it than to travel in the comfort of a Rocky Mountains
railway car.
For more Vancouver vacation
information, visit the Discover
Vancouver website.
For more British Columbia vacation information, visit the Tourism
British Columbia, Canada website.
This article is ©2005,
TravelSEEK.biz.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the written permission of
the publisher.
|
