Spring Blossoms in Vancouver 2020 – Life Before Stay Home

I know feel good posts don’t get much traction online, but I thought I should write one, in case there are people out there who needs a break from the gloom and doom reporting out there. So here is my little excursion out into spring in Vancouver, days before the whole of BC when into snooze mode.

Unlike Singapore, Metro Vancouver didn’t go into a dramatic “circuit breaker”. A few weeks after “Toilet Paper Exercise”, “Home Based Learning” took place, which was followed by “Stay Home Challenge” a week later. Spring started about a week before “Home Based Learning” kicked in, and “Stay Home Challenge” , so it was in that small window of time that I managed to grab some time after work to catch some early blossoms.

3rd and 4th Avenue, Rupert Street

3rd and 4th Avenue along Rupert Street was one of locations with a vantage view of the surrounding neighbourhood. It also happened to be one of the avenues with superb tree-lined views. I particularly liked this location because I could take pictures of the blossom against the skyscrapers in Brentwood Town Centre.

Sunrise Park overlooked the neighboourhood. By making the slight climb up the slope, one would be offered a good view of Burnaby to the east and the North Shore mountains to the north.

Of course, the surrounding neighbourhood also offered great views with the clear blue skies.

Following this, it was a one-hour journey to Queen Elizabeth Park before sunset.

Queen Elizabeth Park

I had posted a satire post earlier about Queen Elizabeth Park – when I visited it both in Fall and Winter last year. The fact is, despite its distance from downtown Vancouver, it is still a relatively easy park to walk in, compared to the more rugged Stanley Park, or the trails in North Shore Mountains.

The Duck Pond on the way up served as a good halfway stop. One could feed the ducks, enjoy the glittering sunshine on the water, or just sit down and take in the sights.

I thought the ducks in the pond were all they had in the park. From this parade of ducks, I could say I was wrong!

In my past 2 visits, I skipped the Little Quarry Garden, so I decided to do a detour. The garden itself was a badminton court sized sunken landscaped area in front of the Seasons in the Park restaurant. The higher ground around it, though, had better views.

Queen Elizabeth Park on a sunny spring day is really a gem. The snow-capped North Shore mountains was a sight to behold. The urban sprawl in the foreground stood in stark contrast with the nature looming at the back.

The plaza around the Bloedel Conservatory still offered great views overlooking the larger Queen Elizabeth Quarry Gardens.

Since it was still early spring and Queen Elizabeth Park is on a higher elevation, many trees were still bare, much less to say, blooming.

There were still signs of flowers and colours, though.

In better times, there is plenty of open space for people to hang out and enjoy the sunshine.

Looking forward to the time when I can return to Queen Elizabeth Park for its colourful and lively atmosphere!

I have blogged about other (perhaps more lighthearted) aspects of life in Vancouver, Canada which you can browse through. Please Like and Share this post if it touched your heart. Follow this blog for more reflections and sharing about life as a Singaporean in Canada.

Read also on my late spring walks here:

Spring Blossoms in Vancouver 2020 Part 2 – Short Walks Around Neighbourhood

I’ve also made a video (found below) from my hanami hunt, which provides more sights of the blossoms.

Till then, sing while you can.

Editor’s Note: This article was first posted on Sing in Can blog in 2020. It is now re-posted with edits on Live.Life.Love as SiC has closed down.

The photos were taken with Google Pixel. They were edited by either Google Snapseed or Google Photos, to give a richer sense of the sights I encountered. Feel free to contact me if you would like to use these pictures for your own use!