From ugliest to most stunning

After being in Melbourne for a couple of months, I admired many of its buildings, but coming across others I was surprised that such structures were allowed by any council.

A hidden park

Myrtle Park wooded area, opposite North Vancouver’s Strathcoma Park, lay hidden behind suburbia. If it wasn’t for two hikers walking towards the entrance I might have missed it completely.

Kyoto’s Ninomaru-goten Palace

Within the Nijo-jo Castle complex, on a slushy wet morning, I passed through Kara-mon gate and entered Ninomaru-goten Palace. It was a relief to be out of the rain after walking from my hotel to the site, but I soon forgot the wet conditions when I spied the opulent rooms where shoguns once ruled.

A misleading symbol

As the ferry left Williamstown, I noticed a ship  with what I was sure were guns at both ends of the vessel. It was the Sea Shepherd. The name was vaguely familiar, but with an ominous skull and bones symbol on the side, I found the  ship intimidating.

A sight for sore eyes?

An ugly cement structure sat overlooking Indian Arm at the end of North Vancouver’s Malcolm Lowry Trail. It looked like something built during WWII, but it was dated 1916. When Robert Dollar came from California, he constructed this mill site which included homes for key employers and bunk beds for the mill workers. While this was a large operation, all that remained when I visited, was the burner foundation.

Sanjo-dori’s race to Tokyo

While I waited for the walk sign, a young guy on the opposite side chanted in a monotone. No one took any notice, and once I crossed, I didn’t either because I spied the birthplace of Ekiden.

Beyond the beach

Leaving Williamstown Beach, I headed back to the pier passing through the Botanic Gardens opened in the 1860s. Most of the trees were unnamed, but walking between the avenue of palms and by giant Moreton Bay fig trees created a peaceful end to my hour long hike.