Day 16 - Gas Town then home

Today was our final day in Vancouver. Unfortunately, Lara and Ian were both still quite unwell, so they made the sensible decision to rest up in the hotel until we were due to depart for the airport around 3:40 pm.
With a few hours left to explore, Cindy, Graham, Jon, and Jo decided to head out towards Gastown, as Jon was particularly keen to find the local viewing tower. While Gastown is celebrated as one of Vancouver's oldest and most historic neighbourhoods, the ultimate vantage point turned out to be the Vancouver Lookout. We didn't actually go up inside the building itself, but we still managed to catch some absolutely Fab views looking out over the bustling port, with the water and the dramatic North Shore mountains stretching across the horizon.
After taking in the sights, we wandered into the historic heart of Gastown, which is famous for its charming cobblestone streets and striking Victorian architecture. We made sure to time our walk perfectly to see the iconic Gastown Steam Clock. Built in 1977 over a live city steam vent, it uses the underground steam pressure to power its gears and blow five brass whistles. Our watches said exactly 12:00 when the chimes finally rang out the Westminster melody, meaning the hands on the clock face were actually running four minutes early at 12:04—a common quirk caused by the fluctuating steam!
As we strolled further through the historic streets, we admired the beautiful heritage brickwork. One spectacular, triangular brick structure immediately caught Jon's eye, reminding him exactly of the famous Flatiron Building in New York (the historic Hotel Europe building). The architecture and the brickwork were truly magnificent.
From there, we took a slow, relaxed walk back through the retail and theatre districts of the city. We capped off our morning by grabbing a bite to eat at a lovely pub not far from the hotel.
Returning to the Sheraton Wall Centre, we reunited with Lara, Ian, and the rest of our travel group who had been staying over in the hotel's North Tower. It was wonderful to catch up, swap stories of our independent Vancouver adventures, and say our final goodbyes before heading out to the coach to begin the long journey home.Read more