The charm of Downtown Vancouver through camera lense

Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski

I posted here already photo galleries of Commercial Drive in Vancouver; of quaint sweet Ladner; of course of my beloved Stanley Park. Now it is time for cherry on top of it: the incomparable beauty of Downtown Vancouver.

Były tu już posty w ostatnich miesiącach z ruchliwej, uroczej Commercial Drive we Wschodnim Vancouverze; były z magicznego, zaczarowanego Stanley Parku, z uroczego małego Town of Ladner. Czas na koronę tego piękna zwanego Wielkim Vancouverem: Downtown Vancouver.

Trails, Sun and Moon above Okanagan Lake

Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski

During the long Pleistocene there were few glacial movements in what is known now as an Okanagan Valley. It created an amazing mixture of land and water formations near Kelowna. Of course Okanagan Lake, the largest depository and former deepest channel of the glacier as it retreated from these lands. But there is multitude of smaller lakes stretching to Shuswap and Arrow Lakes to the east and multitude of smaller lakes in the mountains and hills surrounding the valley. Between – a maze of streams and small rivers feeding middle size lakes (Maramata, Kalamalka and Wood – to name just a few) or the huge Okanagan Lake.

Today I went for trek to some of the high hills (mind you – still hills, not proper mountains) on the southeast above Kelowna. It is a mixture of grassland and small patches of wooded area with pines and shrubs. Human habitation is ever encroaching there, as people build more and more monstrous mansions higher and higher. Still, I hiked higher and further. At a certain spot, traversing a deep gully with very steep sides I have noticed a narrow trail from the bottom to the other side. As the gass was half frozen and numerous patches os snow made it slippery, I gladly took that narrow trail. I realized quickly that it was narrow for a good reason – it was not made by other hikers but by animals. The only marks I found were those of coyotes and very distinctive footprints of a bear. As the slopes were very steep, I couldn’t see what was on the other side and ascertain how fresh the footprints were. My chances of running very quickly on that terrain were rather slim. But today our paths did not cross… , LOL. I followed, were I could, old existing trails: aptly named Hoodoo Trail, Coyote Trail and Grassland Trail. In parts – mostly it was just the grassland and the trails appeared and disappeared under the grass and snow.

The view from these hills toward the city far away and the mountains above me was just amazing. An eagle was screeching angrily at me – go home! And laughingly I yelled back at him: never you mind, I will not bother you, go away! Which he did flown away from hi s nest on one of the tall pines. The eagle also gave sign that a true spectacle was just about to begin: the absolutely stunning sunset on the west side and almost full moon on the east. It was something to behold. Hope my camera captured part of it. Enjoy.

Blask Warszawy

fotografie: Janina Zwierzchowska; tekst: B. Pacak-Gamalski

Kiedyś, przed wieloma laty, lubiana i popularna wówczas piosenkarka Rena Rolska śpiewała:

Długą, potem Freta
Między kramy, prosto w ramy Canaletta
W pejzaż malowany
W urok zapomniany, warszawski czas
Konie jabłkowite
Bladym, sennym świtem powiozą nas

Piosenka nosiła tytuł “Fantazja warszawska”. Gdy Janina przesłała mi swoje zdjęcia z jej spaceru z kamerą po Starówce, po Krakowskim, Nowym Świecie, przy Pałacu Kultury – ta piosenka, ta melodia natychmiast grała mi w duszy. Tyle już lat temu, dekady gdy słuchałem jej w odbiorniku radiowym, A ileż razy wiele lat później, gdy z mojej Warszawy wyjechałem, nuciłem ją sam sobie … Wiec, gdy te magiczne zdjęcia zobaczyłem, pomyślałem: co za piękny poemat fotograficzny tego przepięknego miasta. Warszawa moich lat nie była taka piękna, jak dziś. Nie była prawdziwą metropolią Europy, jaką jest teraz. Ale Stare Miasto, Krakowskie Przedmieście i Szlak Królewski pozwalał nam wtedy zapominać o szarzyźnie i brudzie socrealizmu. A teraz … tęsknić. Tak, jak tęskniły generacje tych, co wyjechali z wielu powodów. Do czego? Do miasta tylko? Chyba nie tylko – tęsknili do atmosfery, do swojej kawiarni, do przyjaźni i miłości młodości. Kawiarnia warszawska, ach, godzinami o niej mówić można. Każdy jakąś swoją lub swojej paczki przyjaciół miał. Tak, jak K.I. Gałczyński wspominał jego i jego przyjaciół kawiarnię “Zodiak” w wierszu ‘Warszawianie”‘

Nasi warszawiacy frontem do ulicy
siedzą i pijąc kawę z miną tajemniczą;
szepczą o Rzeczycy, Horzycy, Wolicy
oraz Gombrowiczu i Kurnakowiczu. ^{(fragment )}

Ale starczy obrazów malowanych słowami. Teraz te prawdziwe, Fotoreportaż Czaru w obiektywie Janiny Zwierzchowskiej

On John’s street in Kelowna …

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski-Graham

In the middle of Kelowna there is a magic street called ‘Graham Road’. It is magic not only because of the name (my husband’s and soulmate) but because it is magic during the Christmas time. We went there tonight with my cousin, a good week after Christmas – but there was still plenty to marvel at. Check it out yourself. And next time you are during that time – remember to go there for a walk or drive .

… and few more from her own magical winter adobe

Back to the trails in 2025 around Kelowna

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

Being the last day of the last year I went yesterday for a longer walk afternoon. Not far, maybe five kilometers, to the base of Toovey Hill in Kelowna. On the walk there I met a wonderful iron biker hurrying up to chase off the old year and bring the new one. And he did (as most of you I hope noticed, LOL – it is 2025).

But today the New Year is here. Why not – lets continue that walk started yesterday. And take our two dogs (Roko and Czorcik) along for that walk. We did. But why finish where I stopped last night? No point – newer should be better, shouldn’t it? Czorcik (pronounced Chorcheek which means exactly that in Polish – a little devil) being that tiny devil. agreed, LOL.

We went to the bottom of the hill, crossed a busy Highway 33 and ended up by little church and pond there. We went there once before, I recall at that time was still warm Fall, pond was full od ducks and definitely not frozen. Not today, tough. Today it was solidly frozen. I asked loudly: shall we go back home? Simultaneously we both replied: nah, what for? Let’s go further.

And we did. A lovely old windy road settled between orchards and farmhouses took us all the way to the beginning of Mission Creek Park. A park we know both very well, as we walked and hiked there twice. I posted here short photographic memories of the first trip_[i].

Here are some more of the pictures from the other end of Mission Creek forest, the less travelled, definitely not touristy road.

_{[i] Urban Mission Creek Park and a lake on high mountain in wilderness of Okanagan, BC. – > > Pogwarki < <}

An ode to Stanley Park

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

There is a place full of magic. Place that deserves an ode, a poem. But a poem that you, the Reader, will have to write using your own words. I will just offer you some imagery captured on camera during my last visit to Vancouver ( a city full of its own magic and beauty). Therefore, without further ado, let me take you for a walk through that magical place.

December walk through Ladner

Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski

There are big metropolis like Rome, New York, Vancouver, Paris; there are big cities, major centres of commerce, trade, culture; and there are small towns. These towns are often unknown little gems, picturesque, quaint. Known only to their residents, and few neighboring, equally small communities.

Such is Ladner in British Columbia Lower Mainland. It is actually located near a major artery leading to largest Ferry Terminal connecting Vancouver to Vancouver Island – but hardly anyone from these travelers stop in this little historic town.

It is a charming community. There are buses here, but the truth is that once you are inside – you can get anywhere by foot or biking. Have been here numerous times years ago, when I lived in Vancouver. Now I have come back for a few days to stay with some friends. And did that picturesque walk with my camera. Summer is of course preferable time. But beginning of December offers the chance to see the Christmas lights and decorations. Sometime it feels (after dark especially) like you are in a fairy tale. Here are some pictures from the historic centre of it.

Urban Mission Creek Park and a lake on high mountain in wilderness of Okanagan, BC.

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

Last two days two nice and very different treks. By land and by water. Friday by land, twelve kilometers through amazing Fall colours of Mission Creek Park following the shoreline of meandering and fast-moving creek, and on Saturday a drive Oyama through the snow- and ice-covered mountain to Oyama Lake. The temperature was still too high for the lake to freeze, there was hardly any wind, and kayaking was a nice adventure.

My perfect companions in Okanagan of kayaking – my cousin Lula and her friend Mike – made it a happy outing. For a lunch we ‘invaded’ a large, secluded and totally wild island, without any traces of human visits, made a little bit of clearing on the shore, gathered some dead wood, big rocks from the shoreline to construct a fireplace and had a lunch that tasted better than dinner in Maxime in Paris.

They will most likely return there during summer, so we spent some time arranging the rocks in the water to make a perfect natural harbor for two kayaks. Just a sleeping bag and voila – your private island in wilderness under the ceiling of bright stars!

Mission in Okanagan Valley – trees, sky and shoreline. – Gloria jesienna w Mission nad brzegiem jeziora Okanagan

Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski

Każdy dzień w tej zaczarowanej dolinie, każdy spacer, wschody i zachody słońca oszałamia furią kolorów i kształtów. A jesień to wulkan i lawa widoków zalewająca wzrok. Słów szkoda, bo i tak zbyt ubogie na opis. Więc zdjęcia pozostają tylko.

Every day is like magic, like a tube of tiny specs of lights and shapes attached to you eyes. Words are useless – maybe photos will.