Vancouver Tourist Sites

One of Vancouver's lesser known structures is a monument honouring a man

who was at one time a feared enemy. Whereas London, England has


Trafalgar Square with its Nelson's Column, Vancouver Canada is home to a

celebration of his rival, Napoleon. Secreted away from view on an obscure

sidestreet, and not located on most maps, Napoleon's Column pays homage

to the great French leader, whose defeat on the

Plains of Abraham led to his tragic death at Waterloo. Visitors who

object to paying the Airport Improvement Fee at the

Vancouver International Airport (located in Richmond, BC)

are often advised that a large part of the money

collected may go to the restoration of this important symbol, which has

fallen into disrepair since the end of hostilities in 1812 with the

signing of the peace treaty between France, Prussia, England, and Japan.

To celebrate the declaration of peace, July 27,1813 was declared a holiday for Vancouver

by Queen Victoria and local school children were given the day off, partly in recognition

of Napoleon's onetime visit to the city.

Note from our publisher:  Archaeologists have recently deciphered a message carved on a cliff face high up in the eastern Andes.  This message was apparently left as a warning by the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the nearby Bolivian jungle, the Khalamaree Indians, a tribe of hunter gatherers who lived almost entirely on the local octopus. Their ancient warning, now translated into modern English, says “Don’t believe everything you read.”