Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski
It is continuation of my journey back in time, to the late 90ties of previous century. To the time me and John arrived to BC from Alberta and lived on Capitol Hill there. We were young, in love and the city had such a cosmopolitan taste to it.
From the very top of the Hill, right at the end of our street, there was a forest and a trail I have taken many times toward the Confederation Park. But before I got to the Park, I used to walk there through trails less travelled, wild actually. At the end of these wild overgrown trails I had a secret, invisible to most, narrow access to the shore. I used to call it ‘beach’, but truth being told – it wasn’t a beach at all, just a very rocky outpost, surrendered by rusty and cement relics of an old industrial activity from many years ago. But it always offered me tranquil time to think, relax, sunbath at times. To observe the busy fjord in it’s full glory, and the North and East Vancouver on the opposite shore. It is amazing how busy the fjord is commercially – pipes and pumping stations to transfer the oil from tankers, pleasure crafts. But mostly the industrial, the heavy lifting so to speak, often not noticed by a typical visitor-tourist.
In fact not that much has changed. The Inlet still is a ‘working horse’ for the economy of this region. Just in a more cleaner, efficient way then in the old days. But rusted scraps are visible in that wild shore everywhere.
Maybe first just a few photos from my way toward Capitol Hill via very long walk along the Nanaimo Street in East Vancouver.
…. and the Hill and shore
… from there I wen back to civilization (why I don’t know, LOL) to lovely Confederation Park. It did change a lot, too. Back in my time it was mainly just a vast green space, lots of benches to sit, group of old Italian guys playing bocci in the dirt. Now there are sport fields and tracks for running everywhere, huge sport and aquatic pavilion, and the old Italian guys are gone, too …
Wawa called me from New West and offered to pick me up by car. I can’t say that I wasn’t happy to have this boy as my dear friend (I know that he is rather grown up man – but being my friend he has to put up with me calling him a ‘boy’, LOL). My age gives one some level of impunity from punishment, ha ha ha. By the time he called I was exhausted and my legs (not just the injured one, but both) just had enough. But now that I had a car and driver – why going home?! Of course we went up Hasting, turned on the north side of Burnaby Mountain toward Port Moody and visited a narrow, old beach on the very narrow part of the fjord. I used to come to that beach many a times and swim in the very deep and rather fast moving water. That was an icing on the top of the cake of my long escapade. after that – just a pleasant chat and drive home (in Wawa’s car, naturally).
The entire day, just like the previous day, stirred a lot of memories of the best years of my private life.
Here is the visit to that narrow strip of Burrard Inlet.
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