20th Anniversary Weekend: Victoria, B.C.



A great beer - the view from our room -
the view from the breakfast table - new shoes & rose petals
- fun architecture - our walking map

Gregg & I had a wonderful time on our weekend in Victoria.
We walked all over town, watched the Swiftsure sailboats depart, saw bike races, ate well, drank well, rested well, shopped a little, laughed until it hurt and enjoyed being alone together.

We got up early on Friday morning (5:30!) and drove for an hour and a half, in order to catch the early sailing of the M.V. Coho from Port Angeles to Victoria. Around us were a number of sailors with gear bags, going to meet their vessels. They were on their way to participate in the Swiftsure sailing race (I've written about this in years past; it's always on Memorial Day weekend, which is the weekend of our marriage).

When we arrived in Victoria after an hour and a half of sailing on the ferry, we stood in line with others to go through customs. After answering the agent's questions about our reason for visiting Canada, and our plans, we were allowed to head out of the building and over to our hotel. We were going to leave our bag with the concierge until check-in time, but happily, they were ready for us early. We dropped off our bag and freshened up, before heading back out to start exploring the city on foot. Discovering places on foot is one of my favorite things to do, and even though we've been to Victoria many times over the past 20 years, we are still finding new restaurants, parks, shops and sights. I love that city - I could happily live there, if only our health care systems were willing to swap services.

We think we could live very happily in a place like this floating house...
just smaller!



We walked up to Fort Street, where there are antique and furniture shops, as well as some great restaurants. One of my favorites is a Japanese restaurant called Sen Zushi, and I had been dreaming of eating there again. We stepped into its quiet ambience and enjoyed a slow meal of the freshest sushi, miso soup and lots of green tea. We then stopped in a bakery to buy a couple of treats to take with us for dessert. We also stopped to buy a 6-pack of delicious apple cider, one of the great alternatives to beer in Canada.

Walking around the waterfront is always a pleasure. We love to see the boats in the marina preparing for the next day's start. There are several different classes of sailboat in the Swiftsure, and several races, but they all start on Saturday morning.

After a rest, we walked back up to Fort Street to enjoy dinner at Cafe Brio. Their speciality is fresh, local ingredients, superb tastes, two portion sizes, beautiful presentation and a romantic - yet friendly - atmosphere. Local paintings line the walls, and the art-deco light fixtures give off a soft, warm glow. Our dinner was delicious, and it was fun to be surrounded by a variety of people, including a courting couple, as well as a jolly group of sailboat racers, eating heartily and preparing for the morrow. All told, we walked about 6 miles on Friday.

On Saturday, we got up early enough to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the dining room of our hotel. One of the many reasons we like this hotel is that the dining room overlooks the harbor with huge windows. On Swiftsure race day, it is a great pleasure to eat while the boats pour out of the harbor on their way to the start at Ogden Point. After breakfast, we started our walk along the waterfront to Beacon Hill Park, which affords fabulous views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. The sailboats gathered at the starting point, created a glorious sight.

After the sailing race commenced, we found that we were walking along the path of a cycling race. The Tour de Victoria was taking place on Dallas Road and beyond, so we saw some of the cyclists whizzing past. Ryder Hesjedal, a Tour de France contender, is a local boy, and he was inaugurating a new cycling event in town over the weekend. There was a lot of excitement around him and the events.

Sign observed in a holistic medical office window on our walk.

We walked a looooong way on Saturday - 10 miles in all! Highlights included shoreline, parks, beautiful Craftsman-style and Victorian cottages, gardens in bloom, a neighborhood farmers' market and our favorite coffee shop for a cup of java. Mid-afternoon, we stopped for an appetizer, beer (for Gregg) and cider (for me) at the Irish Times Pub. We had planned to eat dinner there, but by 8:00 p.m., the line of people waiting to get in was still out the door and into the street, so we gave up on that idea, and moved on to a fabulous little place called Ferris' Oyster Bar & Grill. It was a perfect dinner for both of us: a burger for Gregg, halibut for me, yam fries and salad for both.

We toured an historic building that is being converted into studio-condominiums, but decided that they were too small to consider, even for the future as empty-nesters.

On Sunday, we got up and ate breakfast, again enjoying a windowside table and the view of the harbor. We then packed up, checked out, left our things with the concierge and walked around the other side of the harbor to a neighborhood we haven't explored yet: West Bay. It was a lovely walk.

Along the way, we discovered this driftwood sculpture

We don't normally check in with the Tourist InfoCentre, because we know where we want to go in Victoria, but I was looking for a map with distances on it. They had a wonderful walking/running map, which showed a number of new routes, distances and time to allow. This walk was one of them, and we ended up going about 6.5 miles that day, before boarding the M.V. Coho again and heading for home. Walking so much is great for taking any guilt out of eating and drinking well on vacation - actually, it's great at home, as well!

Finally, for Maribeth, who does not like my new shoes. They were super-comfortable until the last couple of miles of the trip. For brand-new shoes to go that far, comfortably (without socks!) speaks well of their quality. And you may not believe this, but I received lots of compliments on them!

For Maribeth:
we thought of you in many places!

The week preceding this little get-away had been chock-full of writing deadlines and filming. After such an intense week, I needed to let go of the story of Katie's illness and focus on the present. We were given a warm welcome, and even treated to chocolate-dipped strawberries "on the house" as an anniversary treat from our hotel. Canadians are fabulous: friendly, kind, open, and interesting. I love the way I feel when visiting their country. Gregg and I had a superb vacation, and came home feeling truly rested and refreshed.

A Little Vacation

Gregg and I went away on Friday, and returned last night (Monday, May 26th -- Memorial Day). We were celebrating that anniversary that I mentioned in my last posting.

It has become our tradition to go to Victoria, B.C. and spend a few days hiking, exploring, window-shopping and eating, rather than purchasing gifts for one another. Since our anniversary falls on Memorial Day weekend, we have an extra day off, and it coincides with the Swiftsure race, in which sailboats depart Victoria on that Saturday, and return on Sunday.

We enjoy being in Canada; we feel at home there, and often dream of spending more time in British Columbia in our retirement. We love the culture of the salt water and the people of B.C.

Gregg and I both love to travel, walk or hike, eat and drink well. Our personalities and temperaments mesh well in "explore and discover" mode; I am an instigator, and Gregg is a nurturer. He does all of the packing. I generate ideas and think of the variables. We both make preparations, decisions and plans together; we each carry our weight. Gregg is the easiest person to be with that I have ever known. He has his own ideas, yet is open and flexible. Gregg is happy-natured, a good story-teller, has a great travel-memory, loves being immersed in new cultures, good food and drink; he is sensual, yet considerate and free. He can look at everything, yet not feel the need to buy anything. Traveling with him is wonderful.

After taking a walk and having coffee together at home Friday morning, Gregg and I left David and my dad cutting rounds from newly fallen trees in our woods and loading it into the Explorer to take to my parents' house. We drove to Port Angeles, where we parked our car and boarded the Coho ferry, which is coincidentally as old as I am. I recall riding that ferry as a little girl (and experiencing the first --and only-- seasick feeling of my childhood). We carried our bags on, and looked around at the many sailors heading over for the race, with their bags of gear -- and the anticipation, excitement & camaraderie showing on their faces.

After arriving in Victoria, we walked along the harbour to our hotel, which has a marina and a great view of the waterfront. We checked in, stashed our bags and began to explore some of our favorite browsing streets. We stopped in to have a drink at an Irish pub, listened to some music, and then walked back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner, which was at Camille's in Bastion Square. Our friend, the Rev. Dick Middleton, has recommended some great restaurants in B.C., so we have taken to calling those "Dick's Picks." Camille's is one of those. We walked in, down a short flight of stairs, and sat in a cozy booth. The food was excellent, and beautifully presented. We took our time over dinner and wine. Then we walked back to the hotel, about a 15-minute stroll.

The next morning was the start of the Swiftsure race, so during breakfast, we were able to watch the yachts heading out of the harbour to the embarkation point. It was very exciting to see the various sizes and types of sailboats going by. Susie, are you paying attention? I am going to email you more, later. Yachts of all types and sizes, with captains & crews aboard!

We walked to the starting point, mingled with the crowd and heard the commentary over the loudspeaker. It was sunny, cool and festive. Then we walked around the Beacon Hill park and back to our hotel to change and get cleaned up for the rest of the day.

Our plan was to pick up a rental car and head out to one of my favorite places in the world, Sooke Harbour House in Sooke, B.C. We have spent most of our anniversaries there. It is the coolest beach house inn that I have ever encountered. We have have tried a variety of the rooms, and we have our favorite, where we usually stay. No two rooms are alike, but all are full of local artwork and comfortable antiques, a port decanter, fresh cookies, a small refrigerator, coffee, tea, etc. Each room has a fireplace, and all but one has a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. The restaurant is rated as one of the best in Canada; they specialize in organic food, and they have their own, amazing, beautiful, enormous garden. This is just a part of it, shown below.

Having said that, we found that they are starting to cut a corner or two, which is sad (especially when one is paying a premium price for a room). They used to pack your lunch for you, and that is an "extra" charge now. So enjoy the breakfast, but don't expect lunch anymore.

We checked in, changed into walking clothes and went out to walk Whiffen Spit, which is adjacent to the inn. The spit has a little lighthouse at the end of it, and it gives lots of opportunities to stop and admire the view of the harbour and the Strait.

We had a wonderful prix fixe dinner that night, starting at 8:45 p.m. It included four courses of fantastic, local food. Organic salad with edible blossoms, smoked tuna, scallops, grilled halibut, chocolate bombe, blueberry clafoutis. We enjoyed every bite, and savored our wine with it.

The next morning, breakfast & coffee were delivered to our room, which had a sitting area, sofa and a deck overlooking the water and the garden. We took our time with breakfast, and then packed up and headed out to Sooke Regional Park, my favorite place to hike. We had a picnic sitting on the rocks on the shoreline, as we watched a group of kayakers and a whale-watching boat go by. We also saw some of the Swiftsure boats on their way back to Victoria. Then it was time for us to head the same way.

After checking back in to our hotel in the city, we walked some more (starting to see a pattern?) and returned to dress for dinner. That night, we went to Restaurant Matisse, for the first time. It is an intimate, unpretentious, excellent French restaurant, and we loved our dinner and beverages there. The fresh petit-pois soup, bouillabase, halibut, wines with dinner, flourless chocolate cake and tawny port were heavenly. We spent two and a half hours eating and talking, drinking and enjoying each other's company.

I cannot begin to describe how much fun I had this weekend; it is the best time I have had since Katie got sick, in September of 2006 (she was diagnosed in October, but we were trying to find out what was wrong for three weeks prior to that). I am so very thankful to my parents and brother and sister-in-law for showing David such a good time. I am grateful that Gregg and I could take the time to be alone together, and that we love each other's company. We both have hurting hearts, but we still love each other. This is a gift, as it does not always work that way after the passing of a child.

I thought about Katie (and our family and friends), but I did not tell a single person about her. Not on purpose; the subject of children just didn't arise with anyone we met. Gregg and I discussed David and Katie, along with many other topics, but I was just Karen all weekend, the Karen who is in love with Gregg, who has a future with him, God willing: helping David to prepare for college; meaningful work; retirement; shared interests. We had no responsibilities on this trip, except to show up for our reservations, breathe and discuss what we wanted to do next. It was bliss.