Thursday, December 10, 2015

Sunny Day!

This is the first clear blue sky I've seen since arriving in Vancouver. As soon as one ray of light touched a glass building, the whole city seemed to have lightened up. The sun was everywhere and the light was bright because there are so many glass skyscrapers around.


I've always though tall mountains close to water make an impactful scene together. The peaks I can see from my bedroom are about 1,400 meters high and even if they're small compared to others, the fact that you're standing at their feet and looking straight up at their foreheads makes them feel much bigger than that. The skyscrapers in the North of the peninsula are built on lower ground than the building I am in. In the photo below you can see a glimpse of the Vancouver Lookout. During the night, it has red lights glowing on top like a Christmas tree.


Today I've explored the Public Library in detail. It has 7 levels with books sorted by topics. For instance, you get the Children's books on one level, Fantasy, Fiction and Mystery on another. In bookshops around Bucharest, amongst the local books and international best sellers, you sometimes see a few colorful covers belonging to fiction stories from overseas under the "Foreign Books" section. Those were the ones I was always looking for. When I entered the Fantasy and Fiction sections here :D [I need an emoticon for a really big grin] there were countless colorful covers beckoning to quench my endless thirst for exciting stories. I recognized some books from home and found other promising titles. Can't wait to get back there and read! The library - as in the building with the books - is surrounded by cafes and places to get a nice hot drink for you and your books.

This is not your ordinary library; you don't just borrow books here, this place takes its role seriously in the community and organizes many events and workshops for the people. There are many technical workshops which teach attendants how to use a computer, a tablet or the internet, but also more advanced technology such as video and sound editing. There is an actual recording studio for those workshops within the library. Then, there are workshops focussed on careers and finding a job. There are creative writing workshops for children, teens and adults and reading clubs. (http://www.vpl.ca/) They're awesome. :)
The library also has a green roof. Here is a nice replica of the library displayed on the 7th floor near the special collections, close to the original copy of "A Christmas Carol".


Cheers!