All the fun of the fair

It's fair season in Vancouver, specifically the Pacific National Exhibition.  Since 1910 they've been hosting a huge agricultural show in Hastings Park to the east of the city and, after its grand opening this past weekend, today was the first official full day of the 104th iteration.  To celebrate, entry was free!  It was too good an opportunity to miss on a quiet Tuesday morning so Meg, Pete and I caught the #4 bus and went along.

It was too good an opportunity to miss for most of Vancouver!  We arrived 15 minutes after the gates opened and had to queue for another 15 to get in.  Inside the queue theme continued and we jostled with a vast amount of humanity to attempt to get anywhere.

One of the big draws this year is an exhibition about the Game of Thrones TV series, including a chance to sit on the famous iron throne itself!  We went straight there - who doesn't want to see a scion of House Davies ruling Westeros? - only to find that the first humongous queue got you a ticket that told you the time you were allowed to join the second queue.  The 8-yr-old and 1-yr-old with me made it quite clear that they weren't about to spend that much time waiting.  Same with the Internet Cat Video Festival, which didn't kick off until 3pm.

We rejoined the seething masses until we found an oasis of calm: ironically, the agricultural part of this agricultural show.  There was a livestock auction for some of the current champions, and we watched a prize goat go under the hammer for around $800.  You'll need a lot of cheese out of it for that investment.

The children's area was also not too densely populated, but after a picnic we decided to cut our losses and head for home.  "You went to the fair on free day?!" someone we met on the way into our building asked incredulously.  It seems that sunny weather + freebie = Vancouverites, an equation I can completely understand, so with that, Wreck Beach, the Grouse Grind, and attendance at the PNE Fair, I'm feeling more native than ever.

So where are you all headed?  The same place as us?  Oh, ok.

Inside - even crazier than out.

But what do you expect, when there are things like this to attract people!?

Finally, some real agriculture.  That is one pricey goat right there.

Some more, less lively farming.

Megan: nearly a llama.

Pete meets a sheep.



Oh, a cute rabbit.

Argh!  The horror!

This is Canada's actual prototype for their space shuttle program.

The kids' colour-in mural.

My au pair earns her keep.

When even the church tent is packed, you know it's a busy show.