It’s not precisely what I expected, but it was just as great. What stuck out to me the most is that Vancouverites really seem to love living there as much as I loved visiting.
On Wednesday night we weary travelers took a short break in the late afternoon to recharge. (It was, after all, Jackie’s birthday and our one night out in Vancouver—we had to be ready.) I went down to Jericho Beach, just a couple blocks from our hostel (about 20 min south of downtown by bus) for a brief siesta, and found myself walking past about 20 games of beach volleyball, a half dozen family picnics, two lovebirds in their 60’s playing dueling mandolins, and a host of other people playing games, enjoying an after-work beer or exercising—all before I could find a place to put down my blanket and open up my book. Out in the bay people swam and paddled, embracing the chilly Pacific water.
The sun was setting slowly but the fun was at full tilt—no one wasting a minute of the beautiful September day. There was a general air of calm but at the same time a happy franticness to get the most out of the evening.
Here’s a photo I took of the scene; it doesn’t quite capture it but you do see the beach volleyball and the dozens of sailboats that were out in the harbor. Now that is a lifestyle I could get used to.
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