Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Second Trip Around Vancouver

Hello dear readers,

When I'm in a new place I can't stay put. I have to explore everything and walk everywhere. So after a week long cold and being held indoors, I'm all over Vancouver these days. Yesterday's "stroll" completed my jet lag recovery since I woke up at 8 am instead of 5 am. I had breakfast at Gutenberg's (Egg Benedict with turkey this time and a giant waffle) and went to apply for a Social Insurance Number.

Today, I had to go groceries shopping, but since I was quickly done with my visit to Service Canada, I decided to make a tiny detour by MacLeod's Books and The Paper Hound Books which happen to be very close to each other. Both shops have floor to ceiling large bookcases filled with books to the brim and a lot of piles of books everywhere. There are so many books that they form mazes around the shop. There are new books, old books, timeless books, rare books on pretty much any topic you could want.

After I accidentally found the exit and persuaded myself in getting out of the shops, I kept walking down Pender Street. It was still early to go grocery shopping in my view and I thought I could just have time for a brief stop at the cinema in The International Village Centre. But as I was walking I saw Opus down a street to the left and I couldn't resist. Opus Art Supplies holds my other weakness - notebooks and ink :D I rolled down the hill towards the shop and relaxed my eyes on the large variety of notebooks, papers, fountain pens, ink, pencils and other art supplies. With all the packing I've been preparing for my move to Canada, I had forgotten to take a few ink cartridges for my pen. I was reminded of this when my pen suddenly dried up while I was writing. I hate it when that happens because I'm usually writing something important with my pen and by the time I find a replacement I forget my idea.

After I unglued my eyes from the notebooks and got my ink cartridges, I went to see if the Vikings and Dragons shop was open in the International Village Centre. And it was! I browsed around and there were rune dictionaries and collectibles, jewelry and statues. I've never seen so many dragon statues in one place. At 1:15 pm I was up on the 3rd floor at the cinema and got a ticket for The Good Dinosaur just as it began. I haven't been to the cinema in a long while and the experience of the big screen was welcoming.

When the movie was done, I decided it was time to go groceries shopping. The shops closest to me are Urban Fare and Choices Market. They have fruit and vegetables, meats and cheese, a salad bar and a hot food bar. Also, you can find a few pet accessories and cleaning and cooking articles. And light bulbs. There is always a wellness area in each store which has supplements - not to be confused with a pharmacy. (You find post offices in pharmacies :)) At lest the one near me has.)

It's been raining all day with brief stops so I didn't take any pictures. Instead, I bought a new umbrella (from the pharmacy) and someone stopped me to ask where I had bought it which is odd because you can buy an umbrella here in nearly every spot where there is a cash register.

Well, that would be it for today. I'll return with more tales as I explore Vancouver.

See you.