IT WASN'T THE WORST of weather but certainly not the best as we ventured over the Alex Fraser Bridge on a gray Saturday in search of a particular toaster oven in stock only at a New Westminster store.
I don’t recall visiting the Queensborough Landing Mall before. The stores there seemed fairly new.
After finding what we wanted, we headed for the Westminster Quay Public Market, which I haven’t visited for some time, in hopes of buying fresh vegetables to bring home for dinner.
To our surprise the Quay building that is usually filled with shops was closed, potentially for months of repair, and we found ourselves in the midst of halted construction.
We were delighted, however, to discover a menagerie of colour and interesting sights at the surrounding boardwalk.
It could have been a dull day but work had completely stopped and it was all about play.
As it happened, we had stumbled upon the annual Multicultural Festival that was kicking off a larger series of events.
This was the first day of New Westminster Hyack Festival Week, May 22 - May 29, which will feature different daily events throughout the city.
Among the multicultural foods there were tables laden with handmade wares that added great splashes of colour, including the evil eye jewelry that made us stare.
Although the boardwalk celebrations will eventually clear, Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours will remain as always for sightseeing excursions.
And the subtle beauty of the murky Fraser River will continue to flow past the Fraser River Discovery Centre, with its various rotating exhibits, and provide mooring for the hardworking picturesque boats.
Oh, Penelope, you make me realize how long it has been since I've visited New Westminster, the city where I was born. Thank you for the beautiful pictures reminding me there are good things to see close to home; beautiful things happening even when I'm far away, as I am now.
ReplyDeleteYou found what you wanted, and had a wonderful play day in spite of "halted construction" and probably some traffic congestion as well. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to that festival, but I felt as though I were there as I followed your day from the bridge photo (great one!) to the mall to the public market, with the mood of excitement building with each discovery! My school has about 30 countries represented in the student population. I'm thinking that festival would make a great field trip next year.
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