Today I went up Grouse Mountain - the trail is called the Grouse Grind, it's just a 2800 foot ascent of scrambling up rocks & steps, there is almost no horizontal distance covered. The view from the top is pretty good, but my camera won't talk to the PCs here so photo updates will have to wait.
Yesterday I had a browse round the ever-so-bohemian district of Commercial Drive. All organic vegan food shops and ethnic basket weaving etc etc etc. In fact just about all of Vancouver is like that. It's like one big Guardian readers' convention. Obviously I feel right at home.
Admittedly I've spent most of the past few days watching Euro 2008. Indeed today's trip up the mountain had to wait until the conclusion of extra time and penalties between Spain and Italy. Fortunately there was still plenty of daylight left when I finally got there. All the Germans here, of whom there are many, as I've mentioned previously, are talking excitedly about the semi-final with Turkey and what could happen in Germany itself if Turkey win. My German is fairly poor but I'm pretty sure that what they were saying amounted to something along the lines of 'it's gonna kick off proper'.
Sore point at the moment is the perpetual presence in this hostel of many meat-headed youngsters, mainly Yanks and Canadians, but sadly some Brits too, who are good for neither co-habitation nor conversation nor anything else. They just make loud noises and have stupid conversations and play with mobile phones and laptops all day and all night. I'm sure I wasn't like that when I was a teenager. Another sore point is the guy in the bunk bed above me, who snores like a freaking Harley Davidson. Still, it's only $20-odd per night, so I can hardly complain.
The excitement stakes will be upped next time. Promise.
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| Downtown Vancouver, seen from the top of Grouse Mountain |
