Our coach arrived on time, the bags were loaded and once again we were treated to a city centre tour as we picked up more passengers bound for Vancouver Island. As people boarded questions were asked of the driver regarding arrival times at various destinations, his answer was a shrug of the shoulders and a muttered "All in good time." His demeanour suggested a certain amount of early morning grumpiness… there were two of us on board!
Only when the bus was fully laden was the full story revealed, as we set off on the main highway to the docks the microphone was switched on and announcements were made as to all arrival times, with an added remark …"Doing it this way means I only have to say it once." Hmm perhaps dry rather than grumpy.
Monday 4/8
It was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed some time on the open decks during the ferry ride before re-boarding the bus for the final leg of this journey. The lugubrious nature of our driver was further evident as we entered the outskirts of Victoria and hotels began to appear, the microphone clicked on again and we were greeted with…"The luggage on this bus has been loaded in the order that you boarded the bus, the hotels we will pass are not in the same order, if you are staying at a hotel we pass you may get off but your luggage will not and you will then have to travel to the bus depot separately to claim it…OK?" microphone off and no requests to stop, what a surprise!
We collected our bags from a driver who eventually had made me chuckle and found a taxi to take us the short drive to our hotel which was right on a five road junction, but handily just across the road from an internet bureau. The streets were crowded way beyond what we expected, an enquiry at the desk as we checked in gave us the information that it was the 150th anniversary of the formation of British Columbia and the next couple of days would be very busy. Our room was on the 16th floor so at least the views of the crowds should be good!
More unpacking followed and then we made our way to the internet bureau, a very helpful owner listened to our story of a new grandchild and said that while printing of photo attachments was not usually allowed he would make an exception for us. Near to the bureau was the tourist information booth and several telephone kiosks, a call home was made to arrange for baby photographs to be sent. Being a port most of what Victoria had to offer was based around some sort of sea trip, a quick perusal found us just what we were hoping for, Killer Whale or Orca watching from a catamaran. Prices were reasonable, though not cheap, and a booking was made for the following day.
We spent the rest of the afternoon browsing round the different musical talents on display for the BC anniversary celebrations, from bagpipes to blues it was all enjoyed. With restaurants aplenty we were assured there was no need to book anywhere but the real speciality establishments, it was now time to test the theory and after a return to the hotel for a swift wash and change we headed back into the quayside area.
We quickly found an appealing restaurant and once again enjoyed some beautiful cooking and wonderful friendly service, mindful of a sea trip the next day some alcohol was enjoyed in moderation, or has my memory dimmed!!
Tuesday 5/8
The walk to our chosen dining place the previous evening had taken us past the meeting place for the catamaran trip and with knowledge in hand we decided to explore the city centre a little after breakfast.
Victoria was much bigger than we had expected with a wide range of shops, and a police force that was relaxed and mostly un-noticed except when a young man pulled up suddenly as he cycled on a pavement. "Hey buddy, if the bike is on the sidewalk you ain't on the bike. OK?" came an amplified voice from the cruising police car. The young man waved to them in a friendly fashion and dismounted.
Very quickly it was time to make our way to our boarding point, lifejackets issued and strapped on, safety instructions issued and we were off. After our previous journey on one of these while in Alaska we knew what to expect, lots of power and the capacity for tight turns, Casey the skipper warned the paying guests before demonstrating some of the boat's capabilities, thankfully. Our onboard naturalist was a young man by the name of Josh, very engaging and knowledgeable, he kept us supplied with a steady stream of information.
Our route took us close to US waters and sightings of a large pod of resident Killer Whales. Although these residents are smaller than the transient whales, by virtue of their diets, I can only say that however impressive they may look on a television screen it does not do them justice. Fantastic speed through the water and unpredictability of where and when they will surface made for a test of camera work.
One large specimen cleared the water completely at one time, we were fascinated and thankful, yet another long time dream fulfilled. As the pod moved on we journeyed to another likely sighting area, on our way passing some Harbour Seals. Josh informed us they were also called rock sausages, or orca hors d’oeuvres! Dolls Porpoise entertained us by diving under the craft and riding the bow wave, absolutely beautiful.
More Killer Whales were viewed with equally spectacular results and then all too soon it was time to head back to Victoria, both Casey and Josh were warmly thanked for their efforts. For a couple of lifetime long wildlife lovers it meant an awful lot to have witnessed one of the ocean's great creatures in the flesh.
A trip to the internet bureau gave us another bonus, photographs of the new arrival were in an email attachment. Our new friend was delighted to print them and present them to us at no cost, what a nice man! Taken on a mobile phone the photographs were not great, but how they were treasured.
Wednesday 6/8
Time for shopping today, I will spare you the details!
At around noon we were to meet on the quayside for a sail on a Tall Ship, we met Len and Sue, the skipper and first mate/partner and struck up an instant rapport. We were treated to three hours of glorious relaxation, with the motor only used to gain freedom from the confines of the harbour, the smooth feeling of movement under sail was absolutely brilliant for most.
Exceptions? Sue had a way of cajoling people into helping do things like hauling sails up, which was my reward for not stepping backward fast enough when volunteers were requested!! Only a short task but it was hot, and the sail was heavy. Meanwhile Josie was basking in a hammock, something not quite fair there.
We struck up conversation with an American couple, David and Judie. They were from Tennessee and quite impressed with my knowledge of Davy Crockett, my boyhood hero although my raccoon skin cap was of slightly dubious fur! Judie had been to Yorkshire on a church missionary visit, David unfortunately became very seasick and for a while just wished to be left alone. Chatting to Judie the places she remembered most were Whitby, good choice, and Skipton, even better..close to home! What a small, small, world.
The views at sea were another first for us with sea mirages, caused by a band of cold air trapped by warmer air above, similar to cloud inversions, producing double images of ships and islands. It was transfixing and with only the odd creak or groan, from rope or sail, not me, it was so good we booked again for the next day, our last. It truly had been so good it took us only seconds to make the decision.
Thursday 7/8
Our last full day of a long and wonderful holiday saw us hit the shops again for more mementos for us and gifts for those at home followed by a sunny wander around the harbour.
Another peaceful journey onboard tall ship Thane was enjoyed, this time with a little more use of the engine due to a lack of breeze. In harbour when we returned was the yacht "Northwind" once owned by Sir Winston Churchill.
Our bags had to be packed ready for the long trip home, three flights and many hours of travelling to look forward to, not! I studied long and hard about the safest place to transport the memory cards containing the 1500 or so photographs I had taken. Some people prefer to keep such items with them, with three flights to be made and the security checks entailing emptying of pockets, I discounted that idea.
All our luggage was labelled both internally and externally and logic told me a suitcase was the best way to transport the cards. The one I chose with a slightly damaged handle which could and did become stuck on a baggage conveyor may have been the wrong choice... Whoops!!
We eventually found time to enjoy our last evening meal of the holiday and slept fitfully, probably distracted by the thought of finally seeing our new grand-daughter Jaime in not too many hours.
Friday 8/8
A light plane ride from Victoria to Vancouver was the first flight of the day. A rather larger plane was the boarded for the flight to Heathrow and a journey which included putting our clocks forward eight hours and took us into Saturday.
A small scare at Heathrow when it was discovered that our planned flight to Manchester did not exist! Another and earlier flight was found much to our relief which was than could be said when only three of our four bags turned up on the carousel.
We filled in the relevant forms and trusted that our diligence in labelling the suitcase both inside and outside would be enough for it to be forwarded.
A call to Lisa was made, would we like to call and see them? Even after twenty seven hours of travelling the decision was easy. More energy was summoned from goodness knows where and a couple of joyful hours were spent cuddling and admiring Jaime.
The missing case? It arrived the next day, without the damaged handle….now how do go about choosing and editing from 1500 photographs!!
