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Lana and I were up at 6 and at breakfast at 7. The day was grey, but the forecast promised sun later. G & Z joined us shortly thereafter, and we checked email and surfed as we ate. The Pacific Coach Lines bus picked us up at 9 for the trip to the ferry. |
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One of our fellow passengers was Lamar, a 6 foot 7 inch behemoth of a man who ran a few high-end strip clubs in central Florida and was very well traveled. He was very gregarious and kept us all entertained with his stories. He was also fluent in Spanish, switching easily to the language as he spoke to a couple of Hispanic ladies sitting directly in front of us. |
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The bus took us aboard one of the BC Ferry Lines high speed ships (I forget which one), a huge thing with 3 car decks and two passenger decks. The crossing was beautiful, and we spent most of the passage outside, soaking up the scenery.
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Just before docking, we re-boarded the bus in the bowels of the ship. We had been the first vehicle on (loading at the stern), so we were parked in the bow, and I was fascinated by how the front of the ship opened up and mated with the dock so the vehicles could roll right off.
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We rode about 30 minutes from the docks at Sydney to downtown Victoria, watching the sun break through the clouds. By the time we arrived, all the clouds were gone and we were treated to a warm, sunny spring day. Total travel time: 4 hours and 30 minutes.
The bus dropped us at the bus depot, right behind the Empress Hotel, where I cranked up the GPS, located our hotel, and led our group on a 6 block walk, pulling all of our worldly goods along with us. We checked in at the Harbor Towers hotel, getting an 11th floor, 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath suite with sweeping views of the harbor.
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It was now about 2, and we were all hungry. We asked the girl at the reception desk where a good place was for fish and chips, and she recommended a spot on the waterfront called Blackfish. We missed it. Walked right by it and never saw it. We continued to walk, and soon came to a little grassy area where a group of young people were lounging around, smoking dope. “Odd”, I thought, "right here in the open". Little did we know this was to become a theme of the trip…
After running a short gauntlet of homeless people, we found a place mentioned in the guidebook called Canoe. It was a restaurant/bar/brewpub right on the water with a stunning view. Looking over the menu, the girls spied a drink called a Bellini, and they served them in pitchers.
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After a huge lunch of excellent fish and chips, we sauntered back to the hotel, taking pictures and soaking up the sun. It was WARM, probably in the 80's. People were sunbathing all over the place. And smoking dope. Later we found out that the last few weeks had been absolutely miserable, cold, rainy, with a bit of snow and sleet. The Victorians were very happy to see the weather turn. I guess Weed grows better in the sun... |
| We stopped by the harbor docks and took a 45-minute tour on the little ferry that shuttles people around. |
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Zena, the Ever Gregarious One, made friends with everyone she met, including this retired Texan couple that had just gotten off an Alaska cruise, and this native Victorian man who wrote historical novels. Zena bought a book. We thought she should have gotten his number.
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Gina bought ear bling. |
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Later, near dark, Lana, Gina, and I walked about 5 minutes down to Jackson Bay, where the cruise ship docks. The water view from there is south, looking across the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, onto the snow covered peaks of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. We walked out on to the breakwater, made some pictures, then strolled back to the hotel, where we had some snacks and a nightcap before turning in. |
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