Victoria, sweet Victoria

This next post is on Victoria. Our friends Rich (yep, that Rich) and Siobhan, went off and deserted us a while back to relocate to Victoria. So, because we miss them, we went to see them there. Being the great hosts they are, they put us up, took us around and showed us a rockin' good time.

First they shared with us a few of their favourite places in and around Victoria;

The shoreline...

Mount Douglas - you can see Mount Baker in the background here...

and Gord's Head (i think..)We also got to catch up with my classmate Kaoru who has also moved out to Victoria to continue her culinary studies...

Of course there was a bit of local BC wine to share...

just a bit more posing, and then some (temporary) tattoo creations

A little wandering the streets at night to enjoy the views...

The next day Joe and I did some wandering through Chinatown and the alleys there

Fisherman's Wharf and the boat houses

we visited with some of the locals (harbour seals)

before we headed off on the next leg of our adventure.

It was hard to leave Victoria...but we plan to come back!

Ode to Rich...

This post is dedicated to our friend Rich...













...really, I don't think there is much more I can say.














except, we do love him....








...oh, and he demanded his own post

Vancouver Island - Shawnigan Lake

Monday afternoon, Joe and I made our way to the Ferry Terminal in Tsawwassen to sail over to Vancouver Island. The rain had cleared out and we had some gorgeous views along the 90 minute tour.

Unfortunately, from browsing photos, one may find that a little too much travel can do strange things to you....or perhaps it is spending that much time in close quarters with your spouse...

When we made it to the island, we began our drive to Shawnigan Lake where Netta and Scott were waiting for us to arrive. The drive was incredibly scenic, showing the fall colours...









and we had the chance to stop and have a coffee while traveling through the Malahat area - the vistas were stunning!







...the presiding king of the house (Brogan) greeted us at the front door and entertained us throughout our stay...



















Our gracious hosts pointed out some scenic areas to visit, fed us, took us to meet friends and took us boating on Shawingan lake and warmly opened their beautiful home to us.

We visited and loved Cowichan Bay (more affectionately known as Cow Bay)

where we had a great lunch at the Deli/Cafe with home made soup and bread from the local organic bakery (see the bike above the door...quirky outside, but pure unadulterated bakery goodness inside)

We visited a local winery, stopped in Duncan to browse and then visited an old logging town Chemainus where the town history is shown through murals on the local building walls.

We'll leave you with our parting experience (unfortunately you just can't capture this) we saw a bald eagle floating over the road hunting for his lunch...while we drove into Victoria to meet friends for ours.

Vancouver

Sharon and I have both been to Vancouver a few times, but we had more visiting to do. First, say good-bye to Harrison Hot Springs:

Then off to Coquitlam to see another "long-lost" cousin of Sharon's for a somewhat spontaneous visit. Niesje was also at a distant wedding that weekend, but returned in time so we could connect with her and Bill, albeit briefly, during the day.

"A rose between two thorns."

We then sprinted off to see a slew of Rampersads in West Vancouver. Some of which are old acquaintances (the cousins and their other halves), some are just old (Uncle Carl), some are new to us (the fresher batch of the cousin's kids).

the freshest

at Cari and Phil's house

We were fed a large spread, loosened up with some scotch and wine, attacked by some children, and after starting to reconnect with this side of the family, we left. It was great seeing everyone after such a long time, but we had yet more visiting to do! Just as well for them, though... it was a "school-night" after all.

Our final destination for the night: an old family friend of Sharon's, Joanna. She is also the one we thank for our house - as she came all the way to Toronto to be our real estate agent when we were buying our home back in 2002.

Joanna put us up for the night in her beautiful condo in English Bay.

Next day, the rain started! It was for the best in the end, as we got a chance to catch up the next day, instead of going for a bike ride through Stanley Park.

Onwards we went, to catch a ferry bound for Vancouver Island where I realized I still had a set of keys to Joanna's place.  I guess subconsciously I wasn't ready to leave...