Bob and I began our UK adventure Part II with two days in the beautiful seaside town of Bournemouth. Bournemouth is a resort community of over 180,000 on the southern coast of England. It is known for its 7 miles of beaches, but it also has some lovely gardens, a great art gallery, and a pretty vibrant retail and restaurant area. It is apparently a popular destination for hen (bachelorette) parties. We were impressed by the cleanliness of the area, the people we met, and the amount of visitors even in the off season. We arrived late on Tuesday night, the 14th, and left by train for Cardiff for our current house sit about noon on Friday.
Mosaic in the town squareLower GardensWalking the path to Coy PondOne end of Coy PondThe end of the lower gardens closest to the sea The Bournemouth Visitor CenterThe Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery, the former home of Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes who gave their home and art collection to the town in 1908
The view of the coastline and Bournemouth pier from the Russell-Cotes homeThe upper level of the 3-story homeAnother view of the coastline, pier, and promenadeLooking back at Bournemouth, the beaches, and their famous beach huts from the pierA closer view of the beach huts — supposedly over 2,000 of the along the beachOne of the zig zags that pedestrians take to go from town level down to the beachHengistbury Head at one end of the Bournemouth Beach, near the community of ChristchurchChristchurch Cove, adjacent to Hengistbury HeadWalking back to Bournemouth from Hengistbury Head
This house sit went way too fast! We started the Brooklyn house sit last Wednesday and just completed it this (Monday) pm. We head back to the UK tonight on an 11:40 pm flight to London via Lisbon.
Here are some highlights from our brief time in the big city.
First, one last glance at our gorgeous Brooklyn cats.
Boomer and Alf
Last Wednesday, after getting settled into our Brooklyn home, we headed out to take advantage of the gorgeous winter day — 60 degrees! We headed for Prospect Park, but discovered that the nearby Botanical Gardens was having a free-entry day, so we decided to explore that instead. It was good that we got out Wednesday, as the City basically shut down Thursday due to a fast-moving snowstorm that dumped about 8 inches in the area.The Japanese Pond in the botanical gardenThe conservatory building at the botanical gardenA stone path across a creekA lovely hedge displayA witch hazel tree in bloom
Thursday we spent mostly inside due to the weather, so we were eager to get out on Friday even in the chilly weather (highs in low 30s with a crisp wind). We decided to take the subway into Manhatten to visit the 911 Museum and Memorial and then walk back into Brooklyn.
The Oculus, the new shopping center/metro stop to replace the one destroyed on 9/11. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava. Unfortunately, a 23 year old teacher died falling off the escalator after a night on the town.One of the first displays in the 9/11 Memorial Museum (very well done) is a montage of photos of people watching the events unfold on that day.A quilt with the names of all 2,997 individuals killed on 9/11 — in NY, DC, and PA.The museum details the events of 9/11, the recovery/clean-up process, and then the longer-term impacts and rebirth.I love this quote. The installation is to honor all of the individuals killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing as well as those killed in the World Trade Centers on 9/11.This is one section of the memorial outside of the museum. There are 2 areas where the former towers stood — each surrounded by walls with the names of those who died. The plaza also has a number of cypress trees on it, including the only one to have survived the attack.It was a brisk walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, and we have done it before, but the views never get old. We also enjoyed watching the tourists (somehow we don’t consider ourselves tourists when we house sit) taking their selfies on the bridge.Walking towards Brooklyn on the popular bridgeLooking towards the Manhatten bridge‘Nuff Said. It was pretty sweet to get off the bridge down to where the wind wasn’t quite as brisk!
On Saturday, we ran some errands and then headed to the New York Transit Museum which is housed in a former subway station. The museum provided a great overview of the building of the lines (both on land and underwater), the efforts needed to keep the system running ( or get it back in operation) after both man-made and natural disasters, and showed the history of turnstiles, payment methods, and train cars.
Changing types of payment — from cash to tokens to cardsRemember hearing about this? The museum provided a good overview of what happened, how they reacted, and lessons learned.I ljust liked this poster, but it is impressive that the system is over 100 years old. We should all be blessed with good public transportation.A subway predecessor
After the transit museum , we walked along the East River to King’s County Distillery for a tour and tasting.
View 1 of Manhatten from the Brooklyn Esplanade. The new Freedom Tower is the building with the tall spire on it that rises 1776 feet in the air.View 2 of Manhatten from the Brooklyn Esplanade — note the Jenga game shaped building in the backgroundTruth in advertising — it is the oldest and only distillery in NYC. It was started in 2014.Some of the small kegs used to age their moonshine and bourbonThe actual distillery is located in the former navy yard:however, they also have a bar in one of the gatehouses to the navy yard — really cute!
The following is a quick blog to catch you up on out travels. Since we left Vancouver, we have had a lovely East Coast tour. First, we had a great time with Bob’s brother and his family and girlfriend in Alexandria, Virginia, before doing a quick 1.5 day tour of Newark, New Jersey to get our 44th state visited. We are now in Brooklyn to start a quick 5 day house sit for two cats before heading back across the pond.
Below are some photo highlights of our travels.
District of Columbia
Bob’s brother Eric’s girlfriend Kym works for the Library of Congress and gave us a great private tour of this gorgeous building after we went through the exhibit on presidential inaugurations. The exhibit presented some of the Library’s items from past inaugurations, including photos, clothing and jewelry, as well as agendas and menus. Best of all staff were on hand to answer questions and provide additional information.
The Jefferson Building, the main building of the LoC. Jefferson sold his collection of 6,000+ books to restore the library after the collection burnt in the Capitol fire during the War of 1812.One of the beautiful halls. The original building was completed in 1897 and was restored in 1997.Overlooking the main Reading Room. The eight semi-circular stained-glass windows are decorated with the seals of the 45 US states and 3 territories when the original building was completed.A small section of the beautiful Great Hall.The stained-glass ceiling of the Great HallSome of the arches and paintings in the mezzanineOutside of the Supreme Court a few hours before the announcement of Trump’s pick for Supreme Court Justice
Alexandria
Bob’s brother Eric lives in Alexandria. we explored a bit of the area while we were there, and I took advantage of one of the many hiking/biking paths in the area to get some runs in.
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial grounds and buildingPlastic critters being used to keep non-plastic critters (?) off of the grounds of the Masonic memorialA helpful display at the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the Madison Building on the campus of the US Patent and Trademark OfficeThe need/process to file for patents is included in the Constitution, and many individuals have taken advantage. Under Obama’s term, the US moved to conform with most of the rest of the world where the patent owner is the “first to file” instead of the “first to invent.”One of many historical buildings in Old Town Alexandria, though I’m thinking that Washington participated in all of his birthdays!The blue house is a “spite” house — built in the alleyway between two existing houses to keep people from using or hanging out in the alley.Fairfax, VA
Our nephew, Nathan, is currently a freshman at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He gave Bob and I a tour of the campus while we were there. Usually abbreviated to “Mason,” it is the largest public research university in Virginia.Each freshman class signs a board with the year of their anticipated graduation. No pressure Nathan!Bob and Nathan standing by the statue of George Mason for whom the school is named. The esteemed Mr. Mason was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention but was one of only three delegates not to sign the constitution. His objections formed the basis for the US Bill of Rights.Bob found a big head on campus to pose with
Newark, NJ
Bob and I had a quick trip to NJ to earn our 44th US state. That will mean more to some than others, but I’ll spare the rest of you the TMI.
Bob and I took a Greyhound from Union Station in DC to Penn Station in Newark. Easy, inexpensive four hour ride (though no wifi, we did enjoy the Sunday edition of the Washington Post).While in Newark, we slept with (dead) presidents. Sort of, but a surprisingly nice hotel, given that we are always looking for a bargain.Our hotel was near the NJ Performing Art Center. We didn’t catch a show but thought the building was attractive.Oh, oh, oh Stayin’ Alive on the NJ Walk of FameBob by the Big Head of Justice outside of the federal courthouse buildingThe main administrative building on the NJ Institute of Technology campusThe outside of the main public library buildingInside the public libraryCrossing the Passaic River into Harrison, NJA 9/11 Memorial in Harrison made from some of the beams from the Twin TowersAnother bridge across the Passaic River
Brooklyn, NY
We are now at our house sit in Brooklyn looking after two cats below and a lovely apartment/condo in a town home building. More on the house sit later. Both cats are larger than the 2 dogs we just sat for in Vancouver! This is Boomer who can take or leave humans but does like to curl up on the bed and our soft-sided suitcase. He also likes plastic, so we need to watch out for that.This is the curious, cuddly (you will attend to me!) Alf who actually slept on my head last night.
I am finishing this in the midst of a winter storm that is to bring 8-12″ of snow — after having reached a high of 61 yesterday!
Tonight Bob and I leave Vancouver with an ultimate destination of DC. However to get there as cheaply as possible, we will stop and change planes in Seattle and then catch a red-eye to Chicago before heading onto DC. Here are some final photos from our time in Vancouver —
Bob participating in some public art installed to inspire laughter.The awesome Vancouver library buildingDr. sun Yat Sen was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader who is often referred to as the “Father of Modern China.” The pavilion in the Dr. Sun Yat Sen garden.A street in Vancouver’s Chinatown — Happy Year of the Rooster!
We took the sky train to the outlying city of Burnaby one day and then walked back into town. This is the top of a stairway that took us from the residential neighborhoods all the way down to Deer Lake and a lovely (though still snow covered) walking/running path.Looking across Deer LakeLooking back towards the City of Burnaby from Deer LakeFrom Deer Lake, we walked across Hwy 1 to Burnaby Lake, a larger lake, but which is more sheltered by trees. Also has a good walking/running path around it.Part of the path around Burnaby LakeOn Friday we walked south across the bay to visit the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park. I joined some “locals” for a photo.Another view of Vancouver from Bloedel ConservatoryMaria and Carmen, the Conservatory’s red parrotsSome of the flora in the ConservatoryBob and I thought Ruby was the prettiest bird in the place.Part of Queen Elizabeth ParkBob and I have seen lovers locks on bridges all over the world, but we really like this way of incorporating this trend into public art.Vancouver City Hall which is located on the top of a hill in a neighborhood south of the downtown areaVancouver’s famous steam clock in the Gastown area (where we have been staying). It announces the quarter hours with a whistle chime.
A helpful sign to remind us all, that wherever you go, there you are.
Since our last post, Bob and I moved across theBurrard Inlet from North and West Vancouver to East Vancouver before settling again for a bit in Vancouver (are we inclusive or what?). During this time, we have mourned a US transition, celebrated women and dignity for all humans, made our own happy transition to our next house sit, started exploring Vancouver, and been walking and caring for our smallest dogs ever.
Whew! While it is nothing compared to what you are doing to keep the world going, it feels like too much for one blog, but here’s a start.
North Vancouver Public Art
Bob and I ended our lovely interlude in North Vancouver with one last public art walk. Some favorites are highlighted below. My apologies to the artists as I don’t have my (actually our Airbnb host’s) guide to the names of the installations and the artists.
Either this installation or another one like it use to be near Stanley Park in Vancouver. We were glad to see it again and have since seen that it is no longer near Stanley Park.I call this Houses on Stilts. It was near the grocery where we usually shopped.There are three of these figures all involving flowers/plants.
Women’s March in Vancouver
The Vancouver Women’s March was held in collaboration with the other marches being held in the US and around the world, the Vancouver March started with some speeches at Jack Poole Plaza and then marched to the new Trump Tower in downtown Vancouver.
Awesome to hear from my friends and sister participating in events across the US. We were excited that Vancouver held their own March, so we could participate.Bob spotted us in the crowd photo in the Sunday paper. We are to the left of the woman holding the sign “A Woman’s Place is in the Revolution.”
New House Sit
While we had a walk through with our homeowners on Friday evening, we didn’t officially begin our Vancouver house sit until 2:30 pm on Saturday shortly before they left for the airport. They live in a 1 bedroom condo on the 18th floor of a 30 floor high rise in the Gastown section of Vancouver, so we couldn’t move in until they were leaving. While our homeowners are having a break in Cuba, we are caring for their 2 adorable dogs — the playful Milo and the cuddly Bugsley.
Milo, an 8 year old Boston Terrier, with his favorite tug-of-war toy.Milo, an 8 year old Boston Terrier, who can play tug-of-war and fetch with you all day.Bugsley, a 2 year old Pomeranian, just the cuddliest ball of fur you can imagine. He’s quite the sight when he gets going on his little legs too. He is the alpha dog.Night View 1 from the 42nd floor of the neighboring building where we can access their gym, community room, and spa (haven’t tried that).Night View 2 from same location
Scenes from the edges of Vancouver
We have spent a few days walking parts of the incredible trail system that runs along much of the south, west, and north coasts of Vancouver, including through Stanley Park. It’s an amazing trail with some pretty lovely views.
The science museumA different version of big bird — this one (and its mate) are in the plaza of what was the Olympic Village but which are now residencesOne view of Vancouver HarborPublic art from storage elevators on Granville IslandBeaver Lake in Stanley ParkProspect Point in Stanley ParkLions Gate Bridge which connects West Vancouver to Vancouver in Stanley ParkView of West Vancouver from Stanley ParkHeading back into townSome of the walk and beaches
Yesterday we walked back to West Vancouver (still on the North Shore but west of North Vancouver. Deep Cove and Seymour, referenced in prior post are east of North Vancouver and also on the North Shore.). We do not plan to cross the harbor until Thursday.
We headed out of North Vancouver via one of the many trails through local parks. We were headed for the West Vancouver shopping mall (Park Royal) where we had changed buses on the first day, as it was suppose to rain all afternoon and we thought we could poke around inside if the weather got too bad. However, the rain held off until today, so we got to have a lovely walk along the seaway and look at Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver from across the harbor.
West Vancouver Walk
Entering the park on the way to West VancouverFun art in West VancouverCrossing a creekI love this photo. It feels like we are out of the city, but we aren’t. It also just seems like a beautiful winter day.Looking across Vancouver Harbor towards Stanley Park and the many cargo ships moored in the bay.A bench doin’ the wave by the waterAnother view of Stanley Park from across the harborA lot of Christmas/holiday lights still seem to be on here which always “brightens” a walkMural on the side of the City Market where we have done some of our grocery shoppingBob scores another big head photo!
Signs of the Times
We have taken a number of photos of signs that have caught our eye but have been derelict in including them in the blogs. I’m sure it’s been keeping you up, so here are a few from the past couple of weeks —
This was outside of a school in Nanaimo.Outside a restaurant in Lonsdale — I tend to agreeNote: No assaults were experienced in the use of this (and the other) restroom. Can we send this to NCAA and TX to encourage them to find a real issue to address?I always appreciate a funny versus mean way to get a point across.Nothing good comes of hitting either dear or deer
Bob and I have been to the city of Vancouver before as well as to the ski resort of Whistler, but we have never spent any real time in the North Shore (the communities just north of Vancouver Harbor from metro Vancouver). We decided to try to amend that deficiency with a stay in North Vancouver, a municipality of about 48,000. We are staying at another great find on Airbnb with the rate being comparable to lower end hotels/motels but much, much nicer. An added bonus is that the house is directly adjacent to a boulevard with paths that lead onto other city/community paths for a nice walking/running option.
After disembarking the ferry on Thursday, we caught a bus immediately outside of the ferry terminal. We were on that bus from Horseshoe Bay to West Vancouver. We got off in front of the Park Royal Mall and caught our next bus there that took us into North Vancouver — 2 blocks from where we are staying. The whole trip after the ferry ride took just under 2 hours with a 20 minute wait for the second bus. (Important Note: We would not be very mobile if I were doing the transportation planning. Bob is the mobility guru and could probably teach courses on how to use public transport systems around the world.)
My “talent” is deciding where and what to do each day, and Bob makes it happen if only because — happy wife, happy life.
So here is what we have enjoyed during our latest explorations —
Lonsdale
The Lonsdale area of North Vancouver is the area immediately adjacent to the harbor. We had a great day exploring the area on various walking paths and checking out some of the public art and heritage sites from information that our hosts had provided.
Awesome interactive art — you push a button to hear trumpets playing various songs. We were amazed that the 2 song clips that it played for us were My Country Tis of Thee and When Johnny Comes Marching HomeA mosaic on the 1st floor of the Lonsdale Quay Market a small indoor market area with food vendors, retail shops, and even a hotelA fountain outside of the market as seen from the top of the Q tower (see 1st photo)Boathouses along the harborAberdeen Block Building on the Heritage Walk, originally occupied by the BC Electric Railway CoNorth Vancouver’s 1st apartment blockMore awesome artLynn Canyon Park
One attraction that I had wanted to explore was the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Bob had gone many moons ago when in Vancouver for work. The park now charges $39.95/person to enter which is a bit over our daily budget for this extended holiday. However, we found a local park less than an hour’s walk from the house with its own suspension bridge. The park was free to enter and was busy on Saturday when we headed out even though many of the paths were still iced over. We got to cross the bridge and get a bit of a hike in before taking in some of the public art in the Lynn Valley area.
Park entrancePark cafe (closed for season) and restrooms (happily not closed)Suspension Bridge XingNavigating ice on our walk thru the woodsLynn Valley Public Art
We used the public art map and information provided by our hosts to see more of the Lynn Valley area after our trip to the park. The following were some of our favorites —
“The Living Lounge” by Sipper & Liu, 2014, located in the courtyard of a retail center that also houses the Lynn Valley library“Canyon Springs” by Khouri, 2015, at the corner of a residential development“Your Ancient Scribe” by Head, 1986, a tribute to WM Draycott, a chronicler of Lynn Valley life“Rock Report” by Slipper, 2006, outside of the community archives building
Deep Cove
Bob and I covered almost 15 miles on foot Sunday in search of a big head photo for Bob and a walk around a local university. Neither of our initial goals were terribly exciting, but in the process we discovered the beautiful community of Deep Cove and even got to enjoy some sun!
Bob and 2 not-as-big-as-we-were expecting heads, oddly named “Who’sGot the Umbrella?” by Kawczynski, 1992Scene 1 of beautiful Deep Cove HarborScene 2Homes along the harbor
Capilano University
Knowing that we still had a long walk ahead of us (it took us about 2 hours to walk to Deep Cove), we pulled ourselves away from the view to walk out of Deep Cove and back through Seymour before heading slightly north to Capilano University. Per Wikipedia, this a teaching-focused university that currently has an enrollment of about 11,600. We were ther on a Sunday during winter break. We could have strolled around naked and not bothered anyone, as there was no one around. My apologies if you lost your lunch on that last statement.
Our welcome to the small, and very forested, campusA statue along the path through the woods that connects the 2 ends of the campus. Apparently, her head appeared to be cold.What appears to be the relatively new film studies building
Bob and I ferried away from a great trip to Vancouver Island on Thursday. Photos and notes from our last few days in Nanaimo are provided below.
Nanaimo Museum
Nanaimo has its own museum that provides an overview of the history and heritage of the local area. We found it to be cute, informative, and a real bargain at $2 per person. Our main interest in going was to learn about the Nanaimo bar (cookie not tavern) that we had seen throughout the island. We didn’t learn much about the history of the confection, but we did get the recipe.
Nanaimo firstsLooking for a new use for an old tub — bring it to Nanaimo for its annual raceBob and I finally tried a Nanaimo Bar after our visit to the museum. It’s as good as it looks.More words we can’t pronounce
Millstone Estate Winery
After we walked downtown to the museum, we walked for about 90 minutes to the Millstone River Valley portion of Nanaimo to the Millstone Estate Winery. The Bad News: we went on Monday and the winery is only open from Wednesday through Sunday at this time of year. The Good News: one of the workers was there labeling bottles, and he kindly offered to do a tasting for us (6 wines for $3). He was really knowledgeable about the wines (his girlfriend and her father make the wine) and was fun to talk to.
The winery tasting room
Westwood Lake Park
We had a winter wonderland day on Tuesday, as we walked to Westwood Lake Park, the park favored by local runners. It ended up being a beautiful winter hike.
The park sign in front of the mostly iced over lakeThe iced over swimming area of the lakeOur path through the woods with the sun teasing us before we got snowed on againOne end of the lake with trees growing out of itMy favorite photo of the day
BC Ferry to Vancouver
Wednesday we used mostly for planning before our Thursday departure for North Vancouver. On Thursday, we had a short 15 minute, downhill walk to the ferry terminal where we caught the 12:30 ferry for the 1 hour and 40 minute ride to the Horshoe Bay terminal on the Canadian mainland.
Watching our ferry approach the Nanaimo terminalThe front section of the ferry — additional sections contained a shop and cafe, additional seating and work spaces, and a restaurantComing into Horseshoe Bay on the Canadian mainland
Bob and I are currently making the most (according to our unbiased standards) of our visit to Nanaimo, British Columbia. Nanaimo is located on the eastern side of Vancouver Island up the coast from Victoria in the central portion of the island. With a population of about 82,000, Nanaimo is the second largest city on Vancouver Island and the third oldest city in British Columbia. It is known as the “Harbour City,” and was officially so designated by Charles and Di in 1986. Not sure what Camilla calls it.
See below for some highlights of our first three days:
Nanaimo Harbour (local spelling) Walk
Boat Storage facilities at the start of the walk — near Departure Bay where we will take a ferry to VancouverMore boats in the harbour — go figureA view of the walking path as we head into downtown NanaimoPedestrian bridge along the walk in the downtown area“I believe I can fly. . .” — art along the walkThis crab seems desperate to get out of the seaThe Bastion, a defining symbol of Nanaimo that is even included in its coat of arms, was originally built in 1853 to assist in the protection of the new settlement
Newcastle Island
Newcastle Island is the largest island in the Strait of George off the coast of Nanaimo. It is about a 15-20 minute ferry ride from downtown after a stop at Protection Island. Newcastle Island is reserved now as a park to be used only for camping, hiking, etc. We spent 4 hours on Saturday hiking around the island.
We waited inside this moored ferry to catch another one just like it. The ferry was pretty full but most of the passengers were going to Protection Island which is a residential island.Bob, myself, and another passenger were welcomed to the Island. We had to tell the ferry boat driver what time to pick us up or we would have been there until someone else decided to visit.Our proof of arrival
We were spotted by some masked creatures! We also saw a couple of beautiful bald eagles, but we didn’t get a good shot of either one.Looking back at Nanaimo from the island. I think we could almost swim across.One of the cargo ships anchored out in the Salish SeaThe shoreline of the island
Garden Memorial to Chinese Pioneers
This memorial garden is located in a small park near where we are staying
Old City Quarter
The Old City Quarter is a small mostly renovated retail area near the downtown areaSt. Andrews Church adjacent to the Old City Quarter
Vancouver Island University
Vancouver Island University has about 16,000 full and part-time students across 4 campuses, with Nanaimo being its primary campus. It is located on a hill overlooking much of the city.The university sign — we keep wanting to find someone that can pronounce the indigenous language as it looks so complex!One of the totems at the First Nations gathering spot on campusLooking over some of campus and Nanaimo from the libraryThe Peace Garden, and it’s partially frozen pond, on campusAs if homework and exams weren’t enough to worry about!
Buttertubs Marsh
Part of the 46 acre Marsh and bird sanctuary in the middle of Nanaimo
We had our post house-sit transition with our Victoria home owner on Monday. We were glad to welcome them home but were sad to leave two of the cutest pets ever — the indefatigable Charlie who could play catch all day long even while battling a pancreas issue and Baxter, the purr monster.
We are now in-between house sits until 1/20. We knew that we had a hole in our schedule coming out but thought something might come open that would work out for us both in terms of time and location. One in fact did, and the homeowners (in Chiliwack, BC, a little over an hour’s drive from Vancouver) indicated that they would like to have us. However, after sending an initial note of acceptance, they didn’t follow up for a few days and then, when contacted again, said they had selected a couple from Germany. Ach! How chiliwacky of them! They are missing out. Anyhoo, we are now moving onto Plan B which is exploring more of Vancouver Island and the greater Vancouver area.
Since the house sit, we have been in a hotel in Victoria to see a bit more of the area and catch up on some personal business. After we transitioned on Monday and checked into our hotel, we walked to Uptown, a new shopping district to see a new part of Victoria but mostly to get me (Beth) a much-needed haircut. My last one was in France in October!
On Tuesday we had a great walk-about on the Galloping Goose Trail and along the harbor in pretty chilly and windy weather. We toured the BC Parliament building and learned a bit about the building, the BC coat of ATMs, and the governmental structure. One fun fact is that the provincial governments are unicameral while the federal government is bicameral like the US. Also, the Lt. Governor acts as the Queen’s Representative for the government. We also hit a happy hour at the Chateau Victoria Hotel downtown for great sunset views of the city.
A bridge mural on the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, my running path of choice for this section of our trip. I didn’t get close to seeing the complete 55k of it.Beautiful bushes, berries, and buildings along the trailOne of many displays of First Nation culture along the trailThe Isle of the DeadView across the Inner Harbor from downtownBrrrr! View of the fountain in front of the Parliament buildingThe second floor of the main rotunda — most of the Christmas tree can be seen on the first floorCanada is celebrating the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote in Canada. Currently, the 3 major governmental positions in BC are held by women — the Premier, the Lt. Governor, and the Speaker. SighView of downtown Victoria at sunset
On Wednesday we took a bus to the very cute little town of Sidney, just north of the Victoria airport. We poked around the shopping district on Beacon Street, walked through the lovely Beacon Park and waterfront, had French onion soup and rosti at Bistro Suisse and had a tasting flight at the Victoria Distilleries.
Nuf saidThe beautiful Sidney HarborEnjoying the birds enjoying the harborResidential living along the harbor
The very artsy Beacon ParkAnother sculpture in the parkMore sculptures around townDitto Bob’s Favorite Our shared tasting flight — 1 vodka, 1 Eau de Vie, 2 gins, and 2 house made bitters
Thursday, we checked out of our hotel and took an afternoon bus up to Nanaimo, a city of about 83,000 which lies on the Strait of Georgia and is one of two locations on Vancouver Island from which you can take a ferry to Vancouver. We are staying in a lovely private suite that we found through Airbnb. We will be here until next Thursday.
Peckish Travels 
