Victoria and Seattle

On a sunny Saturday, we went on a hike at a provincial park on the Saanich peninsula (just north of Victoria) where Mark showed us a great spot for a view of the Saanich farmland, with the sea beyond (he knows all the best spots!).  Some day laddy, all of this will be yours....

On the sunny Sunday, Tony and Carolyn went for a long bike ride along the 33 km Lochside Trail to the end of the Saanich Peninsula (from Victoria to Swartz Bay). It wasn't until we were sitting down for lunch at a pub at Swartz Bay that it dawned on us that we had to ride all the way back again.  Oh well, a lovely but tiring ride there and back.

On the Victoria Day weekend, we took a foot passenger-only ferry to Seattle.  3 hours from downtown Victoria right to downtown Seattle -- sweet!  Above is a very long line up at the original Starbucks, which is in downtown Seattle.  Interestingly, the Seattle Mariners were playing the Boston Red Sox while we were in town, and the series was called "coffee vs tea".

Pike Place market is a famous site in Seattle, with stalls and stalls and stalls (did I say "stalls"?) of every kind of produce and other foods, flowers, etc.

 

And another famous site in Seattle, the space needle!

  
We also took in the Seattle Art Museum -- here is a rather interesting installation in the lobby.   Something about the existential angst of the human condition or whatever...

A very recently opened highlight when visiting Seattle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass sculpture gallery--all the pieces are made of blown glass; above is one of the pieces that was indoors.

 

and a sculpture in an atrium....

  
and some sculpture incorporated into outdoor gardens.

Here is one of the most disgusting sites--(no, not Tony)--the gum wall, down an alleyway (near Pike Place market) where hundreds, probably thousands, of people have stuck their wads of gum. yuch!

While waiting for our boat home, we took a walk along the waterfront, part of which goes through another outdoor sculpture museum.

 
Back in Victoria, we watched a bit of the Victoria day parade; the Highland games were on at the same time, hence the kilts!


 
Then it was back to work, with evening strolls in Beacon Hill park, which is across the street from our apartment. One feature is a putting green. Here Tony puts for birdie, literally (and, yes that is a peahen in the distance).

Hope you had a great Victoria Day weekend, wherever you are! Love, C & T

Victoria and the wild west coast

 As we begin the month of May, outdoor activities, including patio/deck sitting and outdoor happy hours, are the order of the day.  But the truth be told, we have had such terrific weather in Victoria, we haven't noticed much of a change since February. It is an odd thing not to notice a dramatic change in weather come Spring.  Here we sit on Mark's deck after an afternoon hike.

 One Saturday morning, we went on a tour of downtown Victoria.  But we had an unusual set of tour guides: local poets.  Stopping at local sites and sculptures or other artwork, the poet would describe the site and then read a poem, usually their own work or a work by a local artist.       

Still on the tour, Tony surveys a wall mural in one of the downtown streets.

 On route to the west coast of Vancouver Island (sometimes called the 'wild west coast'), you have to cross a nearby ridge called the Malahat. Here Carolyn takes in the view.  Way off in the distance you can see the Olympic Mountains in Washington state.

 The scenery on the way to the west coast is great.  Here we stopped to view Lake Kennedy.  

 Here Carolyn and Mark relax by the campfire, watching low tide from our campsite overlooking Barkley Sound. A lovely scene.  In fact, the entire west coast region that includes the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet are beautiful.  

One of the reasons people flock to the Tofino region is because of the lovely sandy beaches that are great for surfing. It is indeed a world-class surfing destination, although full body wet-suits are a must.  Here Carolyn and Tony and a group of newbies listen to instruction on how to surf.  

 Then we took to the waves...  What a riot! Although it was very difficult to actually stand up, we eventually accomplished this feat near the end of our session in the water.  Here Tony, aka Kelly Slater, finally stands up to ride a wave into shore. Totally bitchen Dude! 

Years of yoga finally pays off as Carolyn masters a wave. 

 In this sequence of four pictures, Tony wipes out but takes Carolyn with him as they head into shore...

                                                                       Going...

                                                                      Going...

Gone....!

 Tofino is known as a laid-back destination.  It advertises itself as a place that is "half the speed, but twice the fun..." Here a tourist kicks back underneath the town sign--appropriate we think.

We checked out some of the local sites in the town itself.  Here Carolyn is in front of the harbour.

Back in Victoria after our wild west coast tour, we check out Beacon Hill park, just across the street from our apartment. In the evenings, we often take a stroll through the park. Here is one of the pretty ponds and a walking bridge.  Victoria is truly a lovely town! 

Love to all!