Thursday, June 5, 2014

Burnaby Village Museum

 

Have you ever been meaning to do something for a really long time.  And you get an opportunity often (like once a year) to re-commit to doing it.  And just as often as you re-commit you also fail because you just can't get it done!  Burnaby Village Museum was that for me.  It is a "tourist attraction" here in the Greater Vancouver area and all I could think was that I should see it because it is part of what we offer our guests in Vancouver and beyond that....well, you know...I, obviously wasn't that enthusiastic.

But I broke the cycle last week.  I was taking my Mother to her "witch doctor" (her words not mine) and after the appointment I took her to the Museum.  It isn't difficult to find as it is on Canada Way in Burnaby.  I would estimate about 30 to 35 minutes from my B&B in downtown Vancouver.  There is complimentary parking and it is part of a greater cluster of art galleries and restaurants all in heritage buildings.  And the Burnaby Village Museum is funded by the City of Burnaby, meaning there is no entrance fee!

My Grandfather and my Mother used to talk about going on the "Inter-Urban Trolley" which was a train that operated in and around Vancouver and Greater Vancouver.  My second last stop was to see one of these fascinating old vehicles.  They were electric, didn't have to be turned around at the end of the line, the driver simply unhooked the headlight and took it to the other end of the train and started the return journey.  Lots of facts were there to read, but alas I was practically kicked out of the site because it was closing time.

We had lunch to start at the Ice Cream Parlour, I had Fish and Chips, which were okay but not terrific.  They had other things on the menu but I opted for that.  My mother brought a sandwich - she's a cheap date!  Then we started prowling around.  There was a General Store, very similar to the one my mother lived behind in the 1930s in Alberta.  There was a couple of private homes, a Log Cabin, a Japanese Ofuro, the Royal Bank (I remember the old banks with their beautiful oak counters), Seaforth School, a phonograph store - I have one at the Guest House and occasionally play it, there was a Movie Theatre playing a Max Sennet silent movie, an old Locomotive and a Blacksmith Shop and Steam Donkey, a Chinese Herbalist and more, much more.

After so many years of saying yes but doing no, I am very happy I experienced this worth while Village from Vancouver's (Burnbaby's) past.

Did I mention the Merry-Go-Round....thank goodness it wasn't running because my 88 year old mother wanted to ride it!  Another time MOM!