Vancouver (Part Two)

On my last day in Vancouver, I wanted to head into another part of town to see the Museum of Anthropology, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. I popped on a bus into the West End, which is absolutely beautiful. Quaint old bungalows, unique boutiques, and organic grocery stores. The campus itself was also beautiful.

My first stop (after working at the local Starbucks, of course) was the Nitobe Memorial Garden. After visiting a traditional Ming Dynasty Chinese garden, I thought it would only be fitting to also explore a traditional Japanese garden.

Beautiful, but not quite as peaceful as the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden. Mostly, I think, because it was in the middle of a bustling campus, and full of boisterous college students. I might just have to go to China and Japan to compare the originals, to get a true feeling of each type of garden.

Next, I headed up the street to the Museum of Anthropology, which focuses on art and artifacts from the First Nations peoples of British Columbia, specifically the Musqueam (on whose land the museum was built), the Haida, and the Kwakwaka'wakw.

One of the museum's most important pieces is The Raven and the First Men by Haida artist Bill Reid. It depicts a moment in Haida history when Raven saved the first men from a giant clam shell. This massive cedar sculpture is depicted on the back of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.

In addition to First People's art and artifacts, the museum also has a huge collection of artifacts from cultures around the globe. Rather than store the bulk of these collections in cases locked away from public view, the Museum of Anthropology created the Multiversity Galleries. This consists of dozens of display cases, organized by geographical region, which highlight key artifacts from those cultures, as well as tons of drawers which visitors can pull open to discover even more treasures. It's like getting free reign to explore are really cool, really huge antique shop.

Very cool. One day, when I have a few days to spare, I would love to go back and just wander through the entire Multiversity Galleries, exploring every case and every drawer. It would be like taking a walk through the entire expanse of human history.

That marked the end of my time in Vancouver. Check back to get the details on my time in Seattle, with Buzz blog sisters Dona Sarkar and Heather Davis. More soon!

Hugs,
TLC