A very long day!

Monday – a Canadian holiday too, apparently!  Who knew?! Our first full day in Victoria!

Hello!

Robert needed to catch the 5:45 a.m. shuttle bus from here to the Vancouver airport, so obviously, we were both up early.  The bus station was literally two blocks away, so, as he needed to be there a half-hour ahead, we left the flat at 5 a.m. for a very short walk.  There were two people ahead of us waiting, but it just took minutes to get ticketed and luggage tagged.  A large contingent of Asian people arrived then, bringing, seriously, four HUGE sack-like bags (not suitcases!) to check, some of which were overweight!  No idea in the world what was in them all – the bus driver was NOT pleased, to put it mildly.  Robert had an uneventful trip to the airport – bus, then ferry service to the Vancouver side, and finally bus again.  He did say that it was obvious that it is still summer weather on the ferry, as no heat was turned on at all – and on a cold and dank morning, he said it was freezing!  Robert arrived on time, and was able to get his boarding passes, but he couldn’t check in his suitcase for an hour or so, so he got breakfast as he waited.

Here in Victoria, we were facing a cold and damp morning.  I was so tired when I got back from seeing R off, that I went back to bed, and had a nice hour + nap; really needed it!  Then, up to face the morning and decide on a plan for the day.

Mom and I went walking about 9 a.m.  An umbrella was definitely in order, but turns out that Mom hadn’t used her in quite a while, so guess what?  It was broken and needed to be trashed!  She insists that she doesn’t need one, as long as she has her rain hat…We first walked  past the Empress Hotel – lovely as usual, with incredible gardens!  Parliament was looking as regal as ever!  Apparently there is some sort of wooden sail boat event going on; some of them were absolutely exquisite!  Then we walked around the wharf – I do hope that Robert gets back before the wooden sail boats leave the area. We then headed down Government Street, as many of the shops were opening up.  We stopped first at Munro’s, which is supposedly Canada’s best book shop – have to admit, it is really good!  I was able to find a couple of new mystery books (the cozy kind that I like!) which will help pass the time, as I find I’m not exactly ready to resume my Mesopotamian history or Hittite language books…

 

From Munro’s, we turned in to Murchies, which apparently is a very old tea shop in Victoria. Mom had coffee and an oatmeal raisin cookie; I had hot chocolate and a chocolate chunk cookie (half of one, actually, as it was HUGE!)  

 We then passed through Bastion Square to Wharf Street, up Yates and back to Government, stopping here and there to look at things.  I was FINALLY able to find my Canadian mittens!  During the Vancouver Olympics, the Canadian team members all had red woolen mittens with white maple leaves on the palms!  They were so popular that they sold out, and while I have looked occasionally over the years, I was never able to find any!  Well…here they were!  So, naturally I bought a pair, and have inquired as to whether R wants a pair or not! 

Got back to the flat about 11:30 a.m., in time for lunch.  Mom had left-over noodles from last night, and I made a ham and cheese sandwich on a bagel.  For dessert, we had stopped at Rogers Chocolates and each gotten one piece – milk chocolate and almond for Mom, and dark chocolate and caramel for me.  Speaking only for myself:  YUM!

We took a brief rest after lunch, and then headed out for a drive.  We first went through Beacon Hill park, which I fondly remember from prior visits. 

 It is a really lovely park that stretches down to the beach.  We first stopped for a few minutes to watch a cricket match that was in progress.  I tried explaining it to Mom, but it was hard to do! 

Then we drove the coast road, stopping occasionally to take pictures and to walk a bit.  The sun was no shining, and there were puffy clouds in a very blue sky!  Lovely way to spend an afternoon!  After almost two hours, we turned and headed back to the apartment – rest for both of us, and perhaps a drop or two of wine??!!

I’m thinking the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner tonight.  It is within ready walking distance, and while I know it is a chain, I’ve always enjoyed the food and the atmosphere…so we’ll have to see!

R checked in from Seattle – 55 minute flight on a prop Bombardier – two seats and two seats.  He has also (MUCH more importantly!) found a charger for his cell phone!  Yippee!!  In these circumstances, chargers are very important, and we had only brought the car chargers with us for some reason…I was able to purchase a charger myself this morning, so my cell phone is happily all charged up and ready to go!  Robert has Maggie (my ipad) with him, and honestly, I feel lost without her!  I do have the GPS though, which is good.  Robert should be able to use the Maps app on Maggie to help him find his way.  As she also speaks, that makes a big difference!

More later!

m

xxx

Hi!  Just back from the Old Spaghetti Factory – and boy, has the menu changed since our last visit!  In the “good old days” they basically needed to know what sauce you wanted with your spaghetti!  Now they’ve got ribs, and chicken and steak – all sorts of interesting things! 

 Mom and I walked over about 5:30 p.m. and were able to be seated right away; I do remember very long waits in the past.  While I stuck with Lemonade, Mom had a Marguerita! (sp?)  How about that!  She also had clam chowder to start, with spaghetti and meat sauce.  I had a green salad with blue cheese dressing and the Manager’s special – half spaghetti with Mizithra cheese (which is delicious!) and the other half with meat sauce; YUM!  And, while Mom brought a box back home, I can honestly say that I was definitely a member of the clean plate club tonight!  We both finished off with dishes of spumoni, which tasted much better than I remember!

We sauntered home via the wharf and past the Empress.  Lovely strolling weather; I am so surprised, as today started so cold and rainy!!  Beautiful evening!

Tomorrow we are hopeful for a visit to Butchart Gardens, and we have reservations for lunch in their dining room!  Stay tuned!

Much love,

m

xxx