New hiking boots ...

Enough already with a week of high mountain blips ... here are some high heel boots instead. Spent my first day exploring Vancouver and jumped off the sightseeing bus at the first authentic looking coffee shop I found.

It happened to be in the part of the city called Gastown ... originally a seaport, sawmill and the end of the line for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and it apparently became a rough and tumble area for sailors, loggers and travellers. Today there is still a visible presence of the homeless and beggars, but this sits alongside contemporary fashion and homewares shops, cool restaurants and all the while backing onto the train tracks and cruise ship docks. Interesting mix.

The shoes were on sale for $259 ... but so not my thing.