Bears-top of Grouse Mountain
Totems-Stanley Park
              Theology College-Universty of British Columbia
Vancouver 

Dallas and I arrived in Vancouver yesterday (3 July ) around 2.30pm after a 13 hour trip from Auckland, with four other NZ principals, Allan and Elizabeth Forgie, Bruce Ritchie and Violet Pelham.  We were met at the airport by Gaila Erickson (conference organiser) and Kathy (assistant arranged to look after us).  We were taken to British Columbia University which is a lovely university situated on a peninsula of its own and surrounded by a huge forest reserve.  There are over 45,000 students at this university when school is in!  Absolutely beautiful site and great buildings.

We are staying in the Theological College, so Dallas has be banned from all swearing whist we are here.  This building is in an archiectural style of an old English Castle.  After a quick fresh up we had drinks and nibbles on the top floor of this building with wonderful views out over the harbour towards Vancouver Island.  Gaila filled us in on the weeks programme then we headed to Mahoneys, pub on the campus for dinner and a few more pints of the local ale.

4 July

Late start this morning.  We were picked up this morning by Kathy and two other Canadians, Pat (School Superintendent in the north-very rural area) and her husband David.  All of these people are extremely friendly and hospitable.  We set off for Vancouver City and Stanley Park-a huge reserve area along the coastline around the inner harbour.  After lunch there we had a short visit to Gas Town, old original part of Vancouver, and then we were taken to the top of Grouse Mountain by gondolier for an absolutely 5 star meal.  The service, food and wine was very high standard, and the view from the top of the mountain, down over Vancouver Harbour was stunning.  We walked around the top for a while after dinner looking at the brown bears (enclosed), but huge and impressive.

The drive back from Grouse Mountain took us down through Vancouver City and around the coast line back to the university, with a fantastic red sunset of the mountains.  This is one beautiful city.  

Tomorrow we are being taken to Whistler where the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held.