Fun in Stanley Park

Like all the world's great cities, Vancouver is proud of its magnificent open spaces. It has one of the largest public parks close to the city centre - Stanley Park, named after a 19th century governor of that name who help bring it to fruition. This dude stands proudly on his plinth at the entrance:

The park covers a thousand acres alongside the Burrard inlet on which Vancouver stands, and is close to down-town. Some is laid out in formal gardens as the following pictures show. There is for example a rose garden and areas dedicated to azaleas or other flowering plants and shrubs set among carefully cultivated lawns. Another part is host to a group of totem poles recording native heritage.

Yet other exhibits include this gun emplacement which fires a round every day at 9pm to sound the curfew, a tradition dating from the 19th century. And, like Copenhagen, a young lady sits perched on a rock - this time to mark high tide.

The grounds abound with forests of Douglas Fit, Hemlock, Spruce and other native species and these provide a home for lots of wildlife ... of which I was only able to spot the attached picture of a squirrel diving into a hedge.

But the biggest attraction so far was the aquarium, home to lots of species of fish and invertebrates along with various kinds of birds and mammals. The displays were well done and the facility was bursting at the seams with people the day we were there, which was a public holiday. The pictures show some lovely jellyfish, a rare Beluga Whale, some blue Macaws, and a group of highly endangered penguins from South Africa.

The park provided a lovely day out and also had spectacular views of the city and its surrounds.

AS