Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
North of Downtown Vancouver you’ll find Stanley Park which is a recreational zone on a half-peninsula named after conservative politician Frederick Arthur Stanley who was Governor General of Canada when it opened as a park in 1888. Stanley Park today has a large forest, contains the Vancouver Aquarium and offers long bicycle routes along the shore (‘seawall‘) giving you great views on the city center and the aeroboat harbor.
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Vancouver is a city at the Pacific Ocean and for sure you would want to know a bit about sea life. For that reason there’s the amazing Vancouver Aquarium located within Stanley Park. The Vanaqua is the largest marine science center at Canada and was opened in 1956. Today there are 300 species of fish that you can admire, but to me the real stars are the local corals on display that have been beautifully set in scene.
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Underneath the Granville Bridge you’ll find Granville Island, a half-peninsula within the False Creek. It is an artificial island created to host industry and it was converted in the 1970s and attracts many visitors these days. Highlight is the Granville Island Public Market that sells gourmet food which gives you the chance to try a lot of different local produce. It is surrounded by bars and restaurants and you can conveniently sit at the shore of the False Creek and enjoy views on the sea arm.
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Public transport at Vancouver relies on the fantastic automated SkyTrain flying through the city as well as busses. But the most lovely means of transport is for sure the Aquabus: little boats operated by just one person each touring clockwise on the False Creek. Just jump on board, tell the operator how far you want to go and buy a ticket from them via credit card directly while floating on the water. Perfect for a round course with beautiful views or to access some nice places across the city.
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The historic city quarter Gastown can be found in the east of Downtown Vancouver. It was once the germ cell of the city of Vancouver and a very industrial area with a harbor and a saw mill; the place is named after the first innkeeper John ‘Gassy Jack’ Deighton. Gastown burned down in 1886 and there are not many buildings that survived. Icon is the steam-powered clock located at the intersection of Water Street and Cambie Street. Every hour it gives a whistle four times and blows steam once.
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There aren’t many spots from which you can enjoy great views on the city center of Göttingen: you can get to the canteen of the Neues Rathaus, access the small terrace of the Kunsthaus or get on top of the Bismarckturm. But none of them normally gives you the chance to have a delicious sundowner while focusing the university town’s skyline. Fortunately, the FREIgeist hotel brings good food and drinks to the Nordstadt of Göttingen – an area in the past not known for fine dining and great cocktails. It has indeed the only real rooftop bar of the city, so get a drink and enjoy sundown!
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Grasse is known to be the world capital of perfume and therefore that’s all a visit about. The region surrounding it is used to grow different kinds of flowers (mostly lavender, narcissus, cassia, mimosa, violet, iris, roses, jasmine plus bigarade oranges) used in fragrance production and whenever you stroll through the narrow streets and enjoy good views from the mountain you’ll always have a nice scent in your nose.
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Since 1946 every year at the Festival de Cannes the best movies, actors and scripts are awarded, with the Palme d’Or as the most important trophy. We all know the yearly pictures of celebrities waving from the red carpet in front of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès at Cannes. You can find the Palais directly at the harbor after strolling through the nice streets of the city center and discovering the roofed markets of Cannes.
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One of the best features of Nice is for sure the Promenade des Anglais, the walkway between the beach and the beautiful old city center. It is seven kilometers long and named after the English that started in the second half of the 18th century to spend their winters at the Côte d’Azur. Everyday people are strolling along the shore, having a bath at the pebble beach, playing pétanque or enjoying a drink in one of the many bars. The beach is by the way partly public and in some sections commercialized giving you the choice to either have free access or to enjoy sun loungers and bars directly at the water.
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Already had your daily dose of sports? If not, it could be the time to climb up to the Parc de la Colline du Château on a 90 meters high rock above Nice. Walk to the east end of the beach where you’ll find the steps up to the Tour Bellanda from which you’ll have amazing views on the beach of Nice. Continue further up the hill, through parts of the former fortification to the park and from there continue to the Belvédère du Château with a great panorama of the city and an artificial waterfall underneath.
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