We have rarely taken a trip “just because”. Usually we are goal oriented with destinations (plural!) in mind and a general time line of progression. This trip has been somewhat different in that our plan was to plunk down here in Victoria and to explore or not as we chose. We are goal-oriented people generally and have struggled with the actuality of no time boundaries in the two days we’ve been here.

We left Heather in Spokane on Wednesday morning with a flight to Seattle. After an hour layover there, we took a quick hop to Vancouver Island. Once through a very polite customs check, we tried to exchange U.S. currency for Canadian at ant ATM. My mind went blank…I couldn’t remember the PIN for the card. We opted for using our pocket “walking around” money to get Canadian. The money is multi-colored, with a clear pane in one section. Best of all, I got a pocket full of one and two-dollar coins! Nothing feels more like having money to spend than heavy coins jingling in a pocket.

We caught a taxi into town…it was longer than anticipated and was nearly $100 dollars in Canadian. No cheap hotel shuttles to be had.

Our hotel is a boutique hotel. That is, it’s an old hotel with lots of old-school charm, making up for its age and lack of modern conveniences. We often stay in these and enjoy them. They hearken back to the 30s and 40s most often, a period we both resonate with. Both of us grew up with parents listening to or humming old music as they worked about the house. The music became part of our lives as well.

We woke to a cold and crisp morning with no plans in mind. Out the window we could see the harbor and the seaplane docks. Across the harbor is the parliament house. We putzed around, read, drank coffee from our in-room machine and finally went out to find breakfast, which we did in an Irish pub in the old Victoria Fort down the street. (I had the full Irish with bacon and sausages, mushrooms, grilled tomato, eggs, hash browns, and toast. I don’t know why the Irish don’t lead the world in heart problems if they truly eat like that.) 

A brief stop back at the hotel and then we wandered, down to the harbor, past the old customs house and maritime museum. Nearly every building of the late nineteenth century or the early twentieth, was under repair in what appears to be a very concerted effort to preserve the past. Kudos to Canada! We continued along the harbor, the winter sun brilliant in our faces until the road curved just before The Empress Hotel. By mid-afternoon we had worked our way up Government Street and back to the hotel. Later, we ventured down the street for a small supper; we were still full from breakfast.

We’ve settled in the room for the night with a feeling that we had a rich day without doing a lot. We’ve got pictures, we’ve got memories (and a shopping bag full of teas from Murchies.)

Tomorrow, we’re going to High Tea at The Empress just because.

 

 

Posts