After staying in 4 hotels over the last 7 nights, I figured a reprise of the “hotel” theme for my Vancouver Then and Now series would be in order. The original photos are from the City of Vancouver Archives’ online collection, and some of the new images are from Google Street Views.

Then and Now Vancouver Hotels

1944
Clarence Hotel, 515 Seymour Street

Photographer: Jack Lindsay, Item #: CVA 1184-227

2009
Malone’s Bar and Grill

1927
Hotel Pennsylvania, corner of Carrall and Hastings Streets

Major Matthews Collection, Item #: Hot N34

2009
Portland Hotel Society-Pennsylvania

1927
Hotel Georgia, 801 West Georgia Street

Major Matthews Collection, Item #: Hot N36

2009
Rosewood Hotel Georgia 2014

1925
Murray Hotel, 1119 Hornby Street

Photographer: WJ Moore, Item #: Hot N6

2009
Murray Hotel

1913
Wigwam Inn, up Indian Arm

Major Matthews Collection, Item #: LGN 1028

2009
Wigwam Inn, up Indian Arm

You can read other posts in this series, including “Then and Now” hotels (part one), apartments (part one and two), tourist attractions, parks, and more. Just a reminder that the City of Vancouver Archives are presenting a special film showcase this Sunday and I have 4 tickets available for my readers to win. See this post for details.

After closing in 2004, the Robson Square Ice Rink is now renovated, re-surfaced, and covered with ice in time for some winter fun and 2010 festivities — of Olympic proportions.

“Before”

In 2006 I profiled the rink, which was in limbo — looking for sponsors and ways to reconstruct the skating surface without damaging the offices and classrooms that had come to surround it. In recent years it was a popular venue for dance classes as Vancouverites would meet to tango and salsa under Robson Street through Dance Sport BC.

With the return of the ice in an opening ceremony at 9:30am today, the rink will be open for a free public skate from 12:00pm until 9:00pm today. Regular hours will be:

Free Public Skating
Public Skate and Cafe: noon to 9 p.m.
School Groups, Coaching Clinics and Skills Training: 9 a.m. to noon
Extended Public Skate Hours from Dec 21 to Jan 1: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Hours Christmas Day (noon-5 p.m.), Boxing Day (9 a.m.-9 p.m.),
New Year’s Day (9 a.m.-9 p.m.)
Extended Public Skate Hours during the Winter Games

“After” Photo credit: © Michael Wong on Flickr – Used with Permission

“After” Photo credit: © Michael Wong on Flickr – Used with Permission

According to Metro News, General Electric spent $1.6 million in the past three years restoring the rink and the glass-domed GE Ice Plaza will be used as a central location for public celebration during the Vancouver Olympics. Skating will be free if you bring your own skates to wear but you can also rent for $3 (kids 12 and under can rent for free). Free skating will continue to be open to the public as of today and running through the 2010 Olympic Games.

[poll id=”40″]

Update: I stopped by today to take some photos. There were plenty of lunchtime skaters as well as live entertainment from a brass band.

Update: To answer some questions, they have helmets available to rent as well as plastic carts to push around on the ice, assisting young ones and those who cannot skate very well.

Update: You can cross OVER the ice rink on the FREE Olympic Zipline, read more here.

Update: Due to an attack on my site, this post was republished and comments have been lost.

Update: The rink will re-open the first weekend of December, 2010 per UBC Robson Square. Construction update here.

Upon returning to Zurich, we went out for dinner last night in the industrial district, where our hotel was located. The Schiffbau used to be a ship building yard/warehouse but is now a centre of theatre, dining, drinks, and entertainment.

There we met up with more representatives of Presence Switzerland, along with Martin Elbel & Martin von Walterskirchen from OSEC.

Following a farewell aperitif and dinner, we headed to the Zimtstern event a few block over in another warehouse building.

I will have a full post about Zimtstern (official outfitters of the 2010 Swiss Olympic team) but it was nice to see Claus Zimmermann of the company once again (since we met him last time we were in Zurich) along with his brother Florian, who hosted us at the hockey game a few days ago.

We were sat along the catwalk in the front row of their 2010/2011 collection fashion show as we checked out the modern, colourful and functional snowboard and skate gear from Zimtstern.

Awaking in Zurich on a Sunday morning was peaceful an invigorating since it was the first time I had more than 5 hours of sleep on this trip. I chatted with John for a bit as he winded down on a Vancouver Saturday night before I ventured out for a small photowalk around the area. Sunday means all shops are closed and since we’re in the industrial part of town, which is actually home to tech companies, dotcoms, and startups, the streets were bare save for a few dog-walkers emerging from their condo lofts.

I’m writing this just about an hour before we head to the airport although this post will be published later in the day, probably around the time I arrive back in Vancouver. I have more posts about my visit, which will be more Olympic and Vancouver 2010 related so they will be peppered amongst my regular local coverage over the coming weeks.

I would like to thank the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Switzerland for their hospitality and for giving us Dr. Sibylle Ambühl as an amazing guide. Along with her colleagues, Tania Humair, Xenia Schlegel and a host of others I hope to see in Vancouver this February, we were well taken care of and loaded with an abundance of useful information about this country. The guests they lined up to guide us, and for us to interview were also extremely helpful, friendly, and insightful.

Signing off from Zurich as the sun makes its way up to its peak in the rose-coloured sky, I have a new-found knowledge of this country’s pillars of economics, politics, and deep-rooted traditions. The efficiency, the environmentally sound practices, and the hospitality of its people is hard to match. That, and the entire country, from bustling urban hubs to goat-grazing alpine meadows, is utterly unique and refreshingly cool.

All of my posts from Switzerland can be viewed here.

After a night of good food in a wood-paneled room above the world’s largest whiskey bar we set out from our Hotel Waldhaus Am See to explore St Moritz on foot.

Our guide for the morning was John Webster, an Australian who traveled the globe and decided that there was no place better for him to live than St Moritz. He set up his life in this historic town (sitting at 1,800 m/5,910 ft above sea level) and is an extremely charming ambassador for the City.

St Moritz is divided into two communities, St Moritz – Bad (on the West side of the lake) and St Moritz – Dorf, on the North side. The city is known for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948 however it was also the birthplace of the bobsleigh, competitive winter sports as a whole, the skeleton (tobogganing), and winter tourism. The alpine ski starting point atop Piz Nair has a 100 per cent vertical drop, which is the longest, steepest start in the world and various other venues are either the longest, fastest, or oldest of their kind in the world.

Aside from Winter sports, St Moritz is also a summertime destination with a trail network that spans over 180km. Athletes such as Lance Armstrong come here for altitude training, while windsurfing and sailing on the lake are also big attractions. John also noted that they have three seasons in St Moritz; Summer, winter, and building as we noticed cranes and construction work dotting the landscape.

Due to its mineral springs, the area was originally a place people traveled to for cures, spas and even pilgrimages as in 1519, Pope Leo X gave total absolution to all who made the journey to St. Mauritius Church. For centuries it was a destination but there was no real infrastructure until 1815 when the first formal spa facilities were constructed.

Soon after hotels followed, including the five-star Carlton (that was originally built as a holiday home for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia), Palace Badrutt’s, and the Cresta Palace.

Heading up to the city from the lake-side promenade, we crossed through the central parking garage. To reduce the amount of cars on the narrow roads, this massive multi-level lot is carved inside the face of the mountain and uses a series of escalators (including the country’s longest) to get pedestrians up to the village level. Along the way, the Design Gallery of St Moritz outfits the passage walls with a photography exhibit.

The city was deserted when we started out and John explained that during the winter, locals go about 4 straight months of working 7 days a week so in the off season they take plenty of much-deserved time for themselves. However bare the streets were in terms of actual people, there was no shortage of high-end names; from D & G to Cartier, Versace, Prada, and Bulgari. At 10am on a Saturday morning the locals you do pass by are completely dressed to the nines in suits and sleek leather apparel, even when out walking their dogs.

Winding up the stone passageways I couldn’t stop taking photos of the buildings, which all had such beautiful architecture and detailing. John said that the etching we saw on the sides of the structures was called “scrafitti.” This is the process of etching coloured patterns into the plaster while it sets over a period of several weeks.

We passed by the oldest farmhouse in town, where we were told that livestock would be lead through the bottom door and kept on the lowest level of the house during winter months. The heat from the animals’ bodies would then rise up through the floorboards and keep the families nice and toasty. Now, the building is home to a restaurant and a pizzeria on the very top level. The ornately-carved wooden doors were a sign of status and wealth.

Continuing our inclined stroll through the twisting streets I noticed the abundance of colour — bright blue, yellow, and red alpine flowers were spotted throughout courtyards while the scraffiti-surfaced buildings boasted deep brown, and orange hues.

Making our way all the way up to the original site of St. Mauritius Church, which has its own leaning tower, which is still structurally sound. From there we learned about the history of the bobsleigh and the Cresta Run before heading down to the Olympia Bob Run (which will be covered in another post).

Walking back through town we passed the outdoor curling rink used during the St Moritz Olympics, and stopped off at Hanselmann for some coffee and treats.

Sitting in the confectionery where Audrey Hepburn would have her afternoon tea, the legend that is St Moritz had yet to soak in. The profound history of ancient ruins and sporting innovation mixed with modern glitz and glam all melts together in this wondrous place. Snuggled in by mountains on all sides with a lake that reflects its naturally glassy scenery, I think my breath was simply taken away for the entire duration of our guided walk.

Although this side of St Moritz may not be the most affordable for most (compared to our quaint hotel across the lake) it is still a destination to be explored for countless reasons.

Hopefully my hike-loving husband will want to return with me someday in the summertime so we can get a bird’s eye view of one of the most amazing places on earth.

You can get your own taste of St Moritz at the House of Switzerland Canada during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Located at Bridges on Granville Island (and the Mountain Club in Whistler), the House will have a St Moritz theme and will be entirely open to the public throughout the Games.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.

We set out from Zurich to Chur by bus then hopped on the Rhätische Bahn to ride the rails over to St Moritz.

To gain altitude heading toward the Easter Swiss Alps, the train twists and turns its way through tunnels and over bridges, gradually making a climb. This series of spirals and arched bridges earned the line UNESCO World Heritage status.

We rode in the very last car which was decked out in carved pine, which is a trait of the region, and dined on meats, cheeses, and wine.

I fell in love with train travel when I took the Rocky Mountaineer a few months ago and I have to say rolling through the Swiss countryside cranked my adoration for this mode of travel up to 11.

At one point we simply had to head into the 1st class car, drop the windows, and snap every photo and video that we could to capture even the slightest essence of the area’s beauty.

Hopping off the train just shy of St Moritz we were whisked away to the base of the Alps to ride a gondola up to the top of Diavolezza. I live in a city surrounded by mountains (and I’ve even hiked my fair share) but there is simply no comparison anywhere else in the world to these majestic towers of ice and snow.

At the top, we had the chance to have a drink with Christian Meili, a Swiss bobsleigh champion (competed in Lillehammer and Albertville), who is active in the St Moritz bobsleigh club. We’ll be visiting the Olympia Bob Run tomorrow so I’ll fill in some of Meili’s insights on that post.

I started to feel light-headed and a bit woozy at the peak when we were walking around in the snow and the group came to realize just how high up we were. In comparison, at the bottom of the gondola we were already at three times the height of Whistler’s peak. 15 minutes later atop Diavolezza and it was a whole other world.

I’m going to let many of these photos speak for themselves although my camera could not even capture the millions of shades of blue that were glistening off every peak, rock face, and snow cap looking down on our group.

Tonight we’re staying in St Moritz before heading back to Zurich for our final night in Switzerland. I have at least 5 other posts up my sleeve but those will have to wait until morning. As Vancouver gets through their Friday workday, the sun has already tucked itself behind the mountains as I write this by moonlight. All I can say is, what a day.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.