I've often heard people say they love Vancouver because it's such an "outdoors-y" city, and that "it's so close to nature". I think this is in no small part due to Stanley Park; a huge expanse of parkland and reserved nature that literally sits side by side with downtown Vancouver. I can only imagine Central Park in New York City as being the only comparable reserved recreational space in such an inner-city area where the cost of land is at a premium. It's insane to think that someone had enough foresight to reserve and keep this 1000+ acre space free from development and commercialisation when the city was developing. I'm glad they did.

Sjane and I have spent the last 2 days exploring the sights and environment of Stanley Park. I have included in the corresponding photo album a couple of GPS trackers we've used to see where we went and what we actually did in our travels. The first day we circumnavigated the park (I didn't have my phone with me hence no photos) and basically ran and walked around and occasionally stopped and smelt the roses. It took over two hours and we covered over 15km. My feet were a bit sore after that and so we thought we might dig around inside the middle of the park and see what there is to see. We covered over 15km again, I took hundreds of photos (which I have abbreviated into about 30 of my favourites for your viewing pleasure) and we were both gobsmacked again and again by the beauty and enormity of this park. We spent nearly 4 hours just walking and running around it, and we really have only scratched the surface. The number of trails, the variety of wildlife (think squirrels, birds in every form from duck to finch to goose and massive seabirds), the breathtaking views and the serenity one can find so close to the hustle and bustle of a major centre all make me want to go back again for more.

Needless to say the feet are aching again, but I think it was well worth it when we go through the photos of the magnificence that is Stanley Park.

I'm quickly falling in love with Vancouver.