November 2 Weather has much improved. It's clear, sunny and cold. They're all complaining about the temperature but it's colder than usual for here. It's still warmer than yesterday though. Today's route takes us on a scenic drive around the Oak Bay area into downtown Victoria where we're hoping the Street market is still on. Turns out it wasn't but we had a nice wander anyway. First though, a lovely drive. Oak Bay is one of the very exclusive areas of Victoria with some houses, well, estates really, assessed in the million dollar range and higher. There are marinas dotting the coastline around the peninsula and there are golf courses as well. Mind you, we also passed farms which are only barely 10 minutes from downtown. Victoria seems to have all bases covered. There's a very large natural park called Beacon Hill which is extremely popular. In addition to walking trails, ponds and open fields, there are also recreation areas, a putting green, a wading pool and the tallest totem pole looking out over Juan de Fuca bay towards the mountains in the U.S. We also passed a signpost marking Mile 0 (Trans Canada highway I think) although there's also a similar thing in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland. So there, I've been at both ends of the Trans Canada Highway! That's pretty neat when you think of it! I wonder if there's a marker for the middle of it somewhere in Ontario or Manitoba? There are no sky scrapers in Victoria which enforces tight height restriction bylaws. A few apartment and condo buildings might hit 15-20 floors but that's it and there aren't many of them. Victoria is situation around a harbour on the Saanitch peninsula on Vancouver Island. One side of the harbour is lined with newish condominium developments stretching along to Esquimalt where the navy base is. They command an impressive sweeping view of the Inner Harbour. Along the harbourfront are century old buildings housing shops and offices and some restaurants. The grand old Empress Hotel rises up elegantly. Afternoon tea amid Victoria swank will set you back a fair piece of your day's budget but it's fun if you wish to spoil yourself. The domed British Columbia provincial legislature building dominates the next stretch, next to the Royal BC museum. This museum is filled with social and natural history artifacts and IMAX screen. All that will keep you busy for a day. Don't miss Thunderbird Park behind the museum where there are some very old totem poles. There's also a wax museum next to the legislature, right next to the dock where the ferry from Seattle comes and goes. Back to our travels: We decided to find a quick snack to start us off. We parked in a multi-level parkade that is free on Sundays. We found Market Square, which is a complex of shops and restaurants in heritage buildings surrounding a pretty outdoor courtyard. This being a chilly though sunny November Sunday morning, downtown Victoria wasn't very busy at all even though most of the shops were open. It was nice not having to deal with crowds. We decided on a slice of pizza and found a small takeout place with very good pizzas though it didn't look like much as far as the décor goes. They had a few high tables and stools so we sat in, perusing the wall papered with flyers and ads for everything from services (learn to fix your own bicycle!) to upcoming performances of every genre, many for the Halloween weekend just passed. Out the other side and out of Market Square on Pandora Street we approached Chinatown, the second oldest Chinatown in North America. It's size is now greatly reduced to just a few blocks but it was once a large community and included notorious gambling houses and opium dens located mainly in the FanTan Alley area. FanTan Alley is still there, bookended by Pandora and Fisgard Streets. It is the narrowest street in Canada and only widens ever so slightly after entering to reveal a handful of small but funky shops. There is a second hand record store stocking lots of old vinyl and collectables including posters. There's another music store with instruments and there were several stores containing imported goods. One had some really lovely items but one that had a lot of small rooms, nooks and crannies was filled with a lot of tacky stuff, smiling buddhas everywhere though there was a small alcove with a reproduction of a gambling den. Very much catering to tourists. The first store, Whirled Arts, I think it was, was far more interesting. There was a restaurant in the alley as well as one at the Fisgard end of it. Fisgard street has a large elaborate Chinese archway at one end and is lined with restaurants, businesses and markets with some fruits and vegetables you probably won't recognize. Even the telephone booth was fashioned with a pagoda top on it. For your money, though, there are some very good and authentic Asian restaurants in this area. We headed back down Government Street to Johnston street which has it's old buildings all very brightly painted with contrasting trims in equally bright shades. One shop selling bath soaps and things had a machine outside that was creating bubbles which floated merrily into the chilly breeze. We had a look in this one shop that was full of joke items including a pencil sharpener shaped like a nose. Some rather unusual items good for a laugh in here like rare action figures depicting Jesus, Sigmund Freud, Moses (complete with tablets of "stone") and a librarian! We could have browsed in there for a lot longer! Down along the waterfront for a photo of the bright blue Johnson Street bridge, a cantilevered bridge spanning an arm of the harbour. It opens from one side, not up the middle and is a pretty bridge for it's sky blue colour. We drove across it and drove through Esquimalt. This is land that used to belong to some of the local First Nation tribes (possibly still does). The west coast navy has a base here, as I mentioned. There are some very nice parts and some rougher areas as well. There is an English Inn consisting of 4 or 5 Tudor style buildings and a replica of Anne Hathaway's cottage (the original being just outside Stratford Upon Avon in England). We headed back home for about three. Vanessa's parents were coming for Sunday dinner. Vanessa's dad was a computer programmer and systems analyst so we had a lot in common there. Chloe made us all very lovely thank you cards for her birthday presents so that will have a prized place in my photo album for the trip. After a nice leisurely and very tasty meal, we relaxed and watch CSI. Tomorrow I'm taking a bus downtown to meet an internet pal, Angela, who's taking the ferry up from Seattle in the morning. November 3 Another sunny day with a chilly breeze. Perfect for walking around though. Caught the bus and made it to our appointed meeting place by 11, Murchies Tea and Coffee on Government Street. Again I was surprised that the downtown was not that busy, with either cars or people. Apparently though, this is mainly a tourist area, not a business area, and in November, tourist season is over. There are distinct advantages to traveling off season! The bus ride was painless, only about 10 minutes straight through to downtown (bus number 6 in case you're wondering). Spied from the bus: sign at a garden center "Better Gnomes and Gardens". Victoria is a city of gardens and gardeners. Also a city where a lot of people retire from other places in Canada. This is evidenced by quite a few medical supply shops, one of which I saw had rows of walkers, electric rod on scooter-chairs including a Cadillac version all encased in clear plastic. Rows of them out front like a car dealership! I arrived at the tea shop in Murchies and had only just got sat down with a frothy chai tea (in a cup the size of a deep soup bowl!) when Ange arrived. Big hugs! We settled in with our treats and got acquainted and almost immediately agreed the other was just as nice as we hoped/expected. This was the first time we'd met face to face, both being Corrie fans but having "met" each other online via Live Journal where we both have "blogs". We had a browse round Murchies' Merchandise, all the varieties of tea and all of it very expensive. Next! We browsed our way up and down several blocks of Government Street, taking photos in and of shops and merchandise that took our fancy. We spent money in a good few of them too including the lovely Munro's Bookstore which is right next door to Murchies in what used to be a bank, the drool-inducing Rogers' Chocolates, Native art at Hill's Native Art, truly a feast for the eyes and a feast for the body and soul at LUSH where you can get all hand made and all natural body and bath items. LUSH wouldn't allow photos taken inside the store but I took one surreptitiously at an angle and Ange took some from outside the store. Onward and upward. A walk through Bastion Square to find a suitable pub or restaurant for a late lunch brought us to D'arcy's on the waterfront corner of the square. We had a leisurely meal and a great chat. The only problem with leisurely lunches is that the time passes too quickly. It was three o'clock when we left and Ange had to be back at the ferry by 4 so we decided not to go too much farther afield. We walked down to the waterfront to get better photos and hurried over to Thunderbird Park for a look at the totem poles. Alas time to part ways. I hate saying "good bye" so it was "until next time" and then said "good bye" anyway. Habit runs deep! I walked back and had a look in some of the tourist souvenir stores behind the conference center and the Empress Hotel. I did manage to find a place that sold stamps for a couple of postcards I had and when I got back to the tourist information center, expecting to wait awhile, there was my uncle waiting for me. Excellent. Back home I had only a very light supper of pasta. Not even enough room to finish the salad. Hung out with Steven and the kids for a bit and got some laundry done. Lunch get together tomorrow for the local Coronation Street mates , more commonly termed a Ping, at Spinnakers and then up to Parksville with Karen and Betty. Up Island: Parksville Photo Albums

 

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