Month: December 2016

Victoria, British Columbia is the provincial capital of Vancouver Island, the largest North American island in the Pacific Ocean.  Victoria is located on Vancouver Island’s southern tip.  We are staying in Oak Bay across Beach Drive from the Juan de Fuca Strait, the Salish Sea’s outlet to the Pacific Ocean which lies on the western edge of the island. Oak Bay is the easternmost neighborhood of Victoria and is on the very southeastern tip of Vancouver Island.  

From this vantage point, we have been able to really appreciate the active-ness of the residents, as we watch (or join them) as they walk, run, or exercise dogs on the many sea/harbor pedestrian paths across Victoria. 

Some highlights from our walking path explorations–

Along with checking out the great hiking paths, we have also explored neighborhoods across the island and some of Victoria’s other attractions.


Here is our holiday “card” from Victoria — a sample of Victoria’s version of holiday tree, gingerbread house, and teddy bear competitions — each put together to raise money for charities.   You could view the displays for free but needed to make a donation to be able to vote on your favorite.

The trees were displayed at the Bay Center Mall downtown as well as at the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

The gingerbread house competition was open to both amateurs and professionals, and the theme was travel.  The creations were displayed at the Inn at Laurel Point, another hotel along the harbor.

Finally, the teddy bear competition was displayed at the Hotel Grand Pacific.  I wasn’t as taken with this competition, but I thought the one below was kind of clever.



On Wednesday, Bob and I caught the 8:00 am Victoria Clipper ferry from Pier 69 in Seattle for a 2 and 3/4 hour trip across the Sound to Victoria, BC.  We caught the #5 Express bus on Greenwood Ave. into downtown and then walked a few blocks down Walls Street to the pier.  It would have been a very quick trip there, but we were delayed in crossing the street across from the harbor for quite awhile while a train passed through.

The ferry ride was great — easy boarding process, comfy seats, and a cafe and duty-free store on-board for self-service shopping or ordering via the ship attendants who came through the aisles.  We (just Beth) got a $2 cup of coffee that had free refills for the entire journey.  We arrived into the beautiful Inner Harbor of Victoria.  

After debarking and clearing customs, we walked to the Fairmont Empress Hotel to see if they would be willing to hold our bags for a few hours while we poked around before checking in with our next house sit family.  They allowed us to do that.  

Bob and I then grabbed a bite for lunch and spent a couple of hours walking around the southwestern-most tip of the island.  We walked a designated scenic walkway that took us past Laurel Point, Fisherman’s Wharf, the cruise ship terminal, Ogden Point, and then into Beacon Hill Park. It was a great walk with only one little bit of drama — while trying to take a picture of the kelp? In the water, I managed to drop my cellphone over the railings that ran along the jetty.  The good news was the phone hadn’t fallen into the water, but the bad news was it was on a rock ledge beside (but quite a bit below) the jetty without any stair access.  While Bob waited by where the phone had fallen, I walked quickly to the end of the jetty near the lighthouse and climbed over the railing onto some stone “steps” (stone formations meant for support not for steps) to lower myself (jump) down onto the ledge.  I then had to walk along the slippery ledge (trying not to think about slipping into the water) until I got to where my phone had fallen.  I retrieved my phone and had Bob meet me at the end of the jetty in case I couldn’t lift myself back onto the stone “steps” and then climb back over the railing.  I was able to do this without too much difficulty, but I had attracted an audience to watch my efforts!  Epilogue:  Cell phone works.  I wasn’t arrested.   No kelp were harmed — nor successfully photographed — during this incident.

After picking up our bags, we took a bus into the Oak Bay neighborhood of Victoria where we are doing our new house sit for the fun and lovable (though a bit sick at the moment) Charlie and the quite healthy and independent (though cuddly) Baxter.  The home owners are with family in Edmonton for the holidays, so we will be doing our holidays here.  

We have a great view of the water from the front windows of “our” home, easy access to a great waterfront path and beaches, and a neighborhood shopping street that is lovely during the day and decked out for holidays at night.

 

Where does the time go?  Bob and I wrapped up our awesome Seattle house sit on Tuesday (actually late Monday night, but we hung out for another day) before heading directly to our Victoria, BC house sit on Wednesday (but we’ll leave that for our next post).  We had an active last few days in Seattle with seeing sights, playing with Lucy Lu, visiting with family, and transitioning and partying with our Seattle home owner.

On Friday of last week, we walked downtown to take in the sights of Seattle from the Sky View Observatory at the Columbia Center.  The observation level is on the 73rd floor and provides a 360 degree view of the area.  

Besides the great views, the Observatory provided a fun, warm setting for our picnic lunch as well as some additional fun facts about Seattle.  Who knew —

• Seattle’s annual rainfall is less than Houston, Chicago and New York City.  (What?! We did find the rainfall to be very easy to deal with as it was more mist than downpour.)
• Bertha Landes, elected in 1926, was the first female mayor of Seattle, and of any US city.
• Seattle has more than 500 houseboats — more than anywhere else in the US.
• In a nod to our UK experiences, including our trip to Liverpool, Seattle was the first city in the US to play a Beatle’s song on the radio.

On Saturday, Bob and I walked to and explored Discovery Park, a 534 acre park on the former grounds of Fort Lawton on the shores of Puget sound in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle (thanks again to Wikipedia).  It is a lovely park that has forests, meadows, historical buildings, and coastal areas along with a number of walking paths.  We walked the Discovery Loop path to the South Beach path to see the lighthouse at the outer edge of the park.  The lighthouse stands on the westernmost point of the city of Seattle.  We were happy to see that it is a well-used park.  We continue to be impressed by the level of outdoor activity by Seattleites!

We were able to do Sunday dinner and Tuesday lunch with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Thanks to Teri for her culinary skills and to Teri and Dick for treating (yet again — our IOU list is getting very long!) for lunch.  None of us could recall the last time I’d seen my cousins, but it was long enough ago that I was still taller and perhaps still smarter than them (though that could be argued).  They are now both over 6′ and either currently attending or just having graduated from prestigious college programs.  They were super interesting to talk to, as they managed to keep the computer-related dialogue mostly at a level that Bob and I could understand.  They also had some good responses to Bob’s standard jokes.

After our family get-together Tuesday, Bob and I walked to Golden Gardens Park for one last (this go-round anyway) exploration of Seattle.  It was a great coastal park with lots of steps down from the neighborhood above, an off-leash dog area, wetlands, and beautiful coastline views.  it was also an easy walk from the Green Lake area.

We can’t say enough about the lovable Lucy Lu and her kind and adventurous human.  With Lucy, we enjoyed the walks, ball throwing and (her) retrieving, tug-of-wars with her toys and all of her good nature and affection!

We got to attend an impromptu party that our home owner threw on Tuesday night, meet some of her friends, and learn more about her travels in Africa — including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro!  Super impressive.  We’re hoping our paths cross again some time.

I have glasses!  I picked them up on Tuesday, so I can now really see this great city.  You can officially call me 4 eyes again. And now, back to the real blog.

Bob and I continue to explore Seattle by foot and bus. Last weekend we attended a couple of holiday-related events.  We walked around Green Lake after dark (which seems to be about mid-afternoon these days) to see the luminaries and enjoy the festivities with our current neighbors.  The luminaries were lovely, but the weather kept the crews busy, as the wind kept blowing them over.  We actually enjoyed seeing the locals’ holiday garb more.  This included lights on themselves, their children, dogs, and in one instance a small fir tree being pulled in a wagon.  

Sunday’s event was different but fun as well.  We bussed downtown and then walked to the First Hill neighborhood (so named, apparently for being the first hill as you go out from downtown) to the Town Hall building.  It is now a cultural center/performance hall but was built as a Church of Christ in 1922. It is run by a nonprofit organization and they put on free and low-cost events throughout the year.  We attended their Sunday afternoon Rogue Christmas event which included a number of holiday-themed short story readings interspersed with music from a local band that was composed specifically to correspond with the selected short stories.  It was really nice and provided a more local experience for us.  The short stories ranged from a proposed Ernest Hemingway version of the Night Before Christmas to a short story written by a 17-year old F. Scott Fitzgerald.  On our walk back we got to see the holiday lights in the downtown, South Lake Union, Fremont, and Green Lake districts.

On Monday we explored Gas Works Park as well as some of the University of Washington campus. Gas Works Park is on the north shore of Lake Union on the original site of a former coal gasification plant.  It was opened to the public in 1975 and was added to the list of National Historic Places a few years ago.  It is an interesting site which provides a great view of the downtown skyline (though better on a clear day).

 

From the park we continued along the north shore and under I5 to the UW (not the best UW but a nice one, nonetheless).  We checked out the football stadium (the Huskies are in the top 4 and will play Bama on New Years Eve for a possible shot at the championship game), the student union, one of the libraries, and buildings named for some guys named Allen and Gates — what is it with those two anyway?!

Tuesday we headed back to the Ballard neighborhood to collect my glasses and see more of that area.  We ended up having a bit of a Nordic day which suits my partial Norwegian ancestry.  On our way to the Ballard area, we stumbled on a Scandinavian Specialties store which sold household items and also had a food market and little cafe.  I was thrilled to find Lefse and Krumkake — two holiday treats that I had growing up in WI.  The Lefse that I had growing up was like a tortilla but made out of potato.  We would butter it and then sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar.  Yum!  I learned at this store that it can also be made out of flour.  Krumkake is a crisp cookie that is made by pouring batter onto a hot griddle where it is pressed into a flat disc and then rolled around a metal cone to form a long, tubular cookie.  We always ate them plain, but the store also sold them filled with lingonberry creme.  I am not such a fan of krumkake having burnt my fingers way too often making the things!

We continued on into Ballard and checked out the locks.  This is a fun area to watch boats navigate the locks as well as view salmon and steelheads swimming upstream to spawn (though this is not the best season for that).

 

After picking up my glasses, we headed to the Old Ballard Liquor CO., a local distillery, to sample some Aquavit, a Nordic spirit.  As with gin, Aquavit is a flavored vodka.  While gin is typically flavored with juniper berries, Aquavit is flavored with caraway and then maybe some other spices as well.  We had a great time chatting with the owner and watching two older women sample not only the spirits but the nordic-themed food as well.

Yesterday’s excursion had us check out the cute little UPS Waterfall park and the free Frye Museum.  The park is in downtown Seattle, fairly close to Safeco Field where the Mariners play, while the museum is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  The weather has cooled and the wind was brisk yesterday, so our walk back was quite brisk. In comparison to what other parts of the country are experiencing; however, we aren’t complaining.

So, we’re not really sleepless, though with all the coffee shops here we could be, but I wanted to use the line and it seemed somewhat appropriate as I wanted to show what we have been doing while we are up and about (thus not sleeping).  Bear with me, it hopefully gets better. . . if only because there are more photos and less of my commentary.

We have ventured a little further afoot in the last couple of days down to different parts of the downtown area which has had us walk through the Fremont and Queen Anne districts on the way.  On Thursday, we walked both to and from downtown while stopping to explore the Olympic Sculpture Park, check out a bit of the Seattle Center grounds, and get a quick peak at Lake Union all while enjoying some of Seattle’s hills.  

As a side note for budget travelers:  In comparison to many of the European towns/cities that we have stayed in, Seattle is a bit pricey (and luckily we aren’t shopping for a home here as their housing market is HOT), but we have found some fun free things to see and do.

 

The Seattle Center was originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair and covers 74 acres (again per Wikipedia) in downtown Seattle.  Its most famous building is the Space Needle, but it is also home to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundatione, the Chiluly Garden and Glass Museum, the Pop Culture Museum (formerly the Experience Music Project), the Pacific Science Center, the monorail, and other buildings and structures.  We walked around much of the grounds and then went in the Gates Foundation Visitor Center, which is free.

Thursday night it snowed here which is apparently a big deal.  It was fun to see and the snow stayed around for a bit Friday morning until the rain washed most of it away.  We took the #5 bus into downtown on Friday ($2.50 each on earth-way) to practice how to get to Pier 69 and the Victoria Clipper ferry which we will take over to our next house sit in Victoria later this month.  It was an easy catch from where we are staying (not even a block away) and then a quick downhill jaunt from 5th and Wall to the pier.  Awesome!

While downtown, we walked along the waterfront, meandered through a lot of Pike Place Market, and then toured the HarryPotter-themed gingerbread houses at the downtown Sheraton Hotel.



We are full into our Seattle house sit and are getting some time to really get to know “our” new dog Lucy Lu, catch up on some personal errands, enjoy time with family, and begin to explore the area.  Lucy is great walking (and sniffing) on lead as well as a good ball player (retrieving balls thrown).  She also entertains us in the house with tug-of-war games with her toys.  

We are currently based in the Green Lake area of Seattle — one of many Seattle neighborhoods with lots of local fun shops and restaurants.  The Green Lake area is named after the lake and park of the same name.  Per Wikipedia, Green Lake is a freshwater lake surrounded by a 2.8 mile hiking/biking/running trail which has become my (Beth) default running area for this leg of our journey.  The park contains a community center, Bathouse Theatre and concessions stand.  Tonight it will host a holiday Festival of Lights with luminaries around the lake as well as music and concessions.  We are planning to attend.  Below are some photos of our first walk around the lake with Lucy.

On Tuesday of this week, Bob and I walked about an hour (2.7 mi from the house) to the Ballard neighborhood to get an eye exam and some glasses for me (still Beth) since I lost my prior pair in France.  We went to America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses which promises an eye exam and 2 pairs of glasses for $69.95.  It was one of the best customer-service experiences I have had. All 3 people that I interacted with there we’re very personable.  Also, being in the 50+ age bracket (how do these things happen?!), I got the AARP discount and have 2 pairs on order for $62.95!  We’ll see if they get delivered on time and in one piece.  

The walk to Ballard gave us a great feel for Seattle’s hills and the surrounding mountain ranges.

I (Yikes, this has become quite the all-about-me blog!) also got the opportunity to attend a fun holiday event with my Aunt Teri and her friend Rhonda this past week.  It was at the Women’s University Club in downtown Seattle and featured a Downton Abbey holiday themed play along with champagne and appetizers before a post-play tea.  After the event, the three of us walked down to the Seattle central library which is an architecturally interesting structure as well as being a great public resource.

More of our explorations of Seattle in the next blog.  But will leave you with some Seattle signage that has caught our eye (actually all 4 of them).

Just a quick blog to update you (if we haven’t already darkened your doorstep) on our current location and status.  We arrived back in the US on November 19 via an American Airlines flight from Rome to Philadelphia.  After clearing customs (loving the Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check programs!), we traveled by a reserved shared car (though we were the only passengers) to Wilmington, DE.  Along with our international excursions, we are still trying to get to all 50 states.  Delaware was a new state for us, bringing our total to 43 states visited.  We had 2 nights but only 1 full day there.  However, we braved the chill and very brisk wind to get a good walkabout in Wilmington, including a visit to the Hagley museum and a walk along the lovely (that’s 1 for you Cheryl!) Wilmington waterfront.

 

Since our day in Delaware, we have been visiting family on both coasts as well as the Midwest.  We spent a few days in Alexandria, Virginia with Bob’s brother Eric and his children before heading to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska to visit Beth’s mom, sister, aunt and uncle and Bob’s sisters and their families.  Some of the highlights of this portion of the trip (outside of catching up with family) include — exploring new monuments and memorials in the DC area (Beth and Bob), attending the Iowa vs. Nebraska football game (Bob) and watching Iowa win, hiking and seeing the fun holiday lighting festival in Rockford, IL complete with fireworks, ice sculptures, s’mores, and music (Beth). We have the best relatives ever, and are incredibly indebted to them for their continued hospitality during our wanderings.

From Omaha we flew to Seattle where Beth’s aunt (also godmother) and uncle picked us up and provided us with housing and hospitality for 2 nights before delivering us to our current house sit in the Green Lake area of Seattle (more on the house sit later).  It’s been a lovely (another drink for Cheryl) couple of weeks.  We have enjoyed seeing and sharing in the start of the holiday season with family.

Modes of travel for this portion of our travels — planes (American, Delta, Southwest), reserved car, buses (Greyhound, Vangalder, Megabus), metro, cars (both mooching rides from family as well as a rental car).