For those who haven't seen this view themselves, this is what you see if you look west while heading over the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. I just adore the sheer height you get from the bridge, and the dichotomy between the shining mass of the city to the south and east and vast expanse of forest, mountain, and ocean to the north and west is what every city should strive for, both for ecological preservation and for the pure enjoyment and love of the people who live there.
I think I'll have to say that this view is tied for my favourite "view" with what you see when you're heading to Victoria from the ferry. I unfortunately don't have a picture of this view, but I'll explain as best I can; obviously this won't do it any justice but it will give you a bit of an idea. The lower island is a mass of rolling hills - no mountains to speak of (Mount Doug is not a mountain, I don't care), just hills and small valleys everywhere. There is a particularly large hill between the depression Victoria is in and the rest of the peninsula that the highway comes down from, so you can't see any of the area to the south. As you come to that last hill, though, you pass the "Welcome to Victoria" sign and then the hill just disappears, and ahead of you just see the Olympic Mountains rising up, covered in snow and cloud toppins across the sun-reflecting Juan de Fuca Straight, and then before that is Victoria, small but beautiful with church spires and building towers poking up from the core, surrounded by a dense sprawl of beautiful houses, hills, and trees with Christmas Hill and Mount Doug bulging to the left.
Like I said, that really doesn't do the view justice at all, but the second I come over the hill and see the mountains, I know I'm home, and I think anyone else who experiences that view finds a smile on their face, even if they don't share the same adoration for the city as I do.
Anyway, I'm curious to know what other people have as their favourite views. I know there are at least two of you :P so if you want to add a comment or just send me an email that'd be neato. Views you've actually seen I think are more powerful, but there's a picture you have that is just damn gorgeous and you have made a point of finding that view someday, that's fine too.
I think my all time favorite view is driving down Mountain Highway in North Van at night. The road is really steep, and straight ahead you can see the dark valley and all the little lights, and then above that there are the mountains and the ski hills. I go that way every time I drive home from my grandmother's house, and ever since I was little, I've always loved seeing the thousands of lights down below. I know it's awful, but when I see it I always think, "ahh... civilization. This is where I belong. I never want to live anywhere where I can't see the lights of a city at night." It's kind of a "there are people out there"/"people DID this!" feeling. It makes the world seem a little less lonely and a little more magical. Nobody else seems to get it, but it always makes me smile.
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