Canada

Today I’d like to talk about my two favorite places in British Columbia, Deer Lake Park and Grouse Mountain.

Deer Lake Park is a very special place for me. It is located in Burnaby, which is a small city outside of Vancouver. Three hours after landing in Canada as a permanent resident, my friend Olga, who lives in Vancouver, took me to this park. It was May so all of the trees and flowers were in bloom. The rhododendrons were particularly amazing. We were surrounded by white, pink, yellow, and burgundy flowers. I had never seen so many of these beautiful rhododendrons in one area. Another surprise for me was seeing Canada Geese wondering freely around the park. They had no fear of us. In fact, they wanted us to feed them.

Visitors to the park can walk along the boardwalk that goes around the lake. It takes approximately one hour to complete this walk. As you walk along the many connecting trails that surround Deer Lake, you can see wildlife such as majestic great blue herons fishing in the shallows or turtles sunning themselves on logs, and possibly beavers building dams in the marshy areas to the west.

To the north of Deer Lake, you'll find Burnaby's cultural centre, which includes the Burnaby Art Gallery, the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, the Burnaby Village Museum and more. Before COVID-19, it was a hub of activity during the busy summer season. There were weekly concerts and festivals on the Festival Lawn. However, if you want to be alone, you can find a quiet place too. I advise people to visit the park at different times of the year.

The park is only 20 minutes from my house by bus, so it is easy for me to get there. I often enjoy going for long walks there.

My second favourite place in the Greater Vancouver Area is Grouse Mountain. It is located in North Vancouver. Both locals and tourists visit this spot all times of the year. During the summer, guests enjoy hiking, zip lining, paragliding, sightseeing, lumberjack shows and more. Throughout the winter, people go skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. Other activities include mountain top skating, tobogganing and sleigh riding. Grouse Mountain also has several excellent cafes and restaurants where visitors can relax and enjoy the amazing scenery. There is also a refuge for endangered wildlife that people can visit. There are two grizzly bears that live there (they lost their mothers when were very small). They are very pretty, but I would not like to meet them in the forest. Visitors can get to the top of the mountain on a skyride or climb on foot, which, takes about two hours.

I feel very fortunate to live close to these two amazing parks.