view from Sapperton

This past Sunday I went for a walk to check out a new grocery store near home. These are just a few photos that I took along the way. Above is a view to the northeast of Eagle Mountain where I had done three hikes this summer. You can see the microwave tower (red and white) just to the right of centre. There is a great lookout there with an awesome view below.
The second photo show the Fraser River as seen from near the top of the Fraser Cemetery in Sapperton. The image below shows the view of the mountains to the northeast from the same location.
Then there are photos of a mighty oak tree in the cemetery, one of the crown, one just looking up near the base of the tree and another looking at the moss on the bark of the trunk of that tree.
There is also a Monkey Puzzle Tree in the Fraser Cemetery. The photos below show the tree and a close-up of the crown. I hope you've enjoyed the photos.

Strasbourg, France - Strassburg, Frankreich - more photos from summer 1972

Here are some more photos of the city of Strasbourg in eastern France (Alsace) taken during the 1972 trip that summer. You can clearly see why I was drawn to the region three times in a row and I am hoping on another visit at some point in the future. There are a lot of picturesque spots in the inner city (Altstadt) in and around the cathedral (Dom) that is captivating feature in the centre of the city. The image above was taken not far from the swing bridge and the photo below was taken on the River Ill which flows parallel to the Rhine River in a south to north direction. There were numerous tour boats taking people on excursions and there still are. The people of Alsace speak a dialect of German very similar to what is spoken in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region of Germany across the border. French is the national language but many locals understand German. Its a complicated history that I'll discuss at some other point in time.
Above is a photo of the Kammerzell House facing the cathedral square (place in French or Platz in German). The image below shows the front entrance to the cathedral. Its impressive, close up or at a distance.
Then I found a street just filled with flags hanging with coats-of-arms from various towns in Alsace. Can you identify some of them?
The next few images show scenes of a part of the inner city called "Petit France." I find it very picturesque, don't you?
The photo above shows the lock on the canal system. The swing bridge is off in the distance (background).
I also found this fountain in the River Ill and as I've said there are picturesque houses from the middle ages everywhere. That's the swing bridge in the photo below.
Even Alsace is known for its chocolate (Chocolat Schaal). Try taking a street view (Google) of this city and see what it has to offer. Perhaps you'll see how much has changed since 1972 and how much hasn't. I took a journey through Strasbourg using street view over the last two days and found a few changes and other spots I had missed on previous visits. I hope you've enjoyed the photographic journey through Strasbourg's inner city! - V

Strasbourg, France - Strassburg, Frankreich - summer 1972

During my trip to Europe during the summer of 1972 I visited three places in France, Carcassonne, Paris and Strasbourg. This is a street scene I photographed looking up a small street in the inner city. The cathedral is in the background. Its very historic and you can't miss it. This is one of my favourite regions in France: Alsace! When you see the rest of the photos, you'll know why. There are more photos coming along with descriptions. Meantime, enjoy this one! - V

monkey puzzle

On my way to Burnaby Mountain on Sunday afternoon, I decided to walk to the SkyTrain station. This took me past an excellent specimen of a monkey puzzle tree a few city blocks away from home. You're looking at the crown (top) of the tree which is native to the Andean Mountains of South America. The tree's Latin name is Araucaria araucana. You can clearly see the cones (brown). There are several interesting specimens in the lower mainland. This one in Sapperton (New Westminster) is but one of them. There is another in the Fraser Cemetery, at least one on Capital Hill (Burnaby) and some near the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver. There are others as well. - V

Hope for Wildlife I | Knowledge Network

Hope for Wildlife I Knowledge Network

When you have the chance, check out Hope for Wildlife. They do some awesome work rescuing andreabilitating injured and found wildlife. Have a look at some of the videos. They are awesome! - V