Dear Friends, Here come some more greetings from me this time from the Pacific Ocean and a pleasant 6- day trip to Vancouver. An excuse was another conference. I did not complain much about packing my suitcase in less then a month after returning from Europe. It was an excellent opportunity to visit Soraya and her husband Hanif and stroll down the streets of Vancouver s downtown This trip to Vancouver was one of the calm trips (in other words, without too many adventures). Honestly, I had neither desire nor energy for craziness I guess it was time to slow down a bit and take a deep breath after 6 months of continuous traveling adventures... Vancouver was waiting for me with a pleasant mix of sun and clouds and somewhat warmer weather from snow in Edmonton that morning. This was my second trip to Vancouver after a short 3-4-day visit with Louise in the summer 2003. A combination of the ocean with the mountains in the background was spectacular Downtown was full of high skyscrapers (I have no idea why these tall glass-covered buildings still fascinate me ). Next to the downtown was a huge Stanley Park surrounded by the ocean. Lot of hikers, runners, cyclists, rollerblades with a sound of waves and a smell of the ocean Fantastic Vancouver has an interesting metro system: Sky Train that actually goes 5-10 meters above the ground. Although a ride itself was interesting, I was puzzled by the fact that there was no driver Later Soraya and her friends explained to me that all those trains are automatic. So there is nobody to blame if the train closes the door in front of your nose and goes away Vancouver also has a Sea Bus to take you from the Downtown to North Vancouver with wonderful views of the downtown skyscrapers even if it rains 1
Here are a couple of views from Vancouver s streets, beaches and parks interspersed with spectacular shades of fall colors 2
I also stopped by the Science Centre and enjoyed a number of interactive games, interesting patents and machines, and illusions. (Take a closer look at the picture on the left. You may notice that parts of that picture are actually spinning ) Here I also enjoyed the I- MAX experience and a visual journey to the beauty of the Mediterranean and the history of Ancient Greece. Fantastic and at times dizzy experience But the most spectacular exhibition in Science Centre was a very unusual exhibition of the anatomy of human bodies. The real human bodies that were prepared using a process of plastination (please, do not ask me what that means ). Probably some of you would think by now that I m going a bit crazy considering the things that begin to fascinate me. Although I was not very enthusiastic about visiting this exhibition, Soraya, Hanif and a couple of my colleagues insisted that I do not miss it - and I can tell you that I did not regret going there If you get a chance, I recommend you to visit this unusual exhibition and realize that human body is a spectacular masterpiece and that we should really take care of our own And here are a couple of words about the things that happened behind the closed doors those 6 days in Vancouver One of the most interesting parts of this trip was food. Almost every evening we enjoyed different cuisines: from Persian and Indian, to Serbo-Croatian (my favorite pastry baking), Italian and African. It is amazing what you may end up eating when your friends are cooks from different parts of the world. True, you can also learn to eat rice with a spoon (and realize immediately that this is much easier then using a fork ), cut chicken with a simple use of a fork and spoon, and be so excited that you could forget to put a tea bag in your tea and realize it once you get to the bottom of a cup. Finally, cooking with Soraya was an experience in itself 3
The best part of this trip was friends. There was nothing better then experience a warmth of your friends house after full days of wandering around in a new city. It was wonderful to spend more time with Soraya after 1.5 year and finally meet Hanif, Soraya s husband. Besides enjoying Soraya s and Hanif s company, I met a few other interesting people, tried some new dishes, and played poker for the first time. I have to admit that I enjoyed poker but only after an hour when I finally figured out what the was game about. Overall, my perception of Vancouver would not be that pleasant if it was not for friends 4
And in the end, for nature lovers, a magic sunset on the Pacific Warm greetings from Vancouver, Sandy 5