Island Holiday part two

The morning after my pub night in Victoria began with a train ride north to Nanaimo. The station, a one-roomed shack I've walked past plenty of times without even recognising, couldn't have been much closer to my hotel - right across the street. The train itself had just a single car, and seemed well aged, but was cosy inside.

The ride to Nanaimo is two and a half hours, an hour longer than a car's journey, but what a ride. You can't be in a hurry for something like this. The snowy scenery made it even more special. As we left town and our train rose in altitude, the experience grew positively Alpine, and when we eventually saw the inlet, it was way far below. We crossed two brides over ravines of frightening depth. With no railings or fencing, it seemed that if we all went to the windows at once, we might tip over! I was grinning like a kid. And at every stop and crossing, it seemed someone was waving at us.

Arriving in Nanimo, I had a walk of about three blocks uphill to Kennedy House, a charming character bed and breakfast. My upstairs room had a nice view of the harbour and inlet between the tree branches. I didn't linger long though, heading out to downtown and starting with a visit to one of my favourite music shops in all of BC, Fascinating Rhythm. Their selection always seems to have something I want, and I often marvel in seeing a recording there that's hard to find. I also love that much of their stock is used and thereby quite inexpensive. My perusal turned up two titles, one a treasure - a classic sampler from a favourite label, 4AD, that I'd not known about.

A visit to Serious Coffee reunited me with a pot of Market Spice Tea, an old friend from Seattle. By then it was about time for an early dinner. I ended up at the Modern Cafe, which had been reliable on a previous visit.

Wow. My dinner was way above expectation. I settled on a chicken club sandwich, which doesn't sound like much. I started with the salad, and soon I didn't want to finish. Greens in a viniagrette were topped by surprises like salted almonds, a spiced peach slice, and two slices of supremely tasty bleu-brie cheese. The sandwich also impressed with a spicy (but not too spicy) chipotle sauce, nicely cured bacon, and a herb-infused baguette. The weakest link was the wine, a Merlot from one of the bigger BC wineries serving as the house red. I love it when a meal makes me smile.

Back to my room and its super cosy bed. In the morning breakfast included eggs and bacon with toast from homemade bread and with homemade marmalade. After some pleasant chat and a chance to meet their dogs, I bade farewell to my hosts and made my way into fresh snowfall to linger some more downtown and eventually make my way to the ferry.

I ultimately decided to take the 25 minute waterfront walk to the ferry terminal. Bad idea. Most of the scenery was obscured by a thick snowfall that I had to keep shaking off my clothes. As impatient as I am, waiting for the bus would have been a better outcome. A cup of tea at the terminal was enjoyed. The ride to Departure Bay in West Vancouver was enlivened by high winds and choppy waters. After a skilful docking, two bus rides had me back home quickly to get warm and reunite with family.

Holiday on the Island

I'm enjoying a few days off in Vancouver Island. Just me. My only agenda is to relax, read a lot, and eat and drink well.

My trip started with a surprise snowfall. Fortunately the roads were clear. I was also fortunate to get a ride to the Tsawassen ferry terminal with Margo, who needed to pick up mail over the border in Point Roberts, saving me about an hour in transit time.

I'm travelling light: just a shoulder bag. No camera, no books, no magazines, few clothes. It's just simpler when travelling alone. If I want to get up and explore the ferry or train, it's easier with one bag than with two.

I do have the iPad. I'm still delighted with it. It's an Anything Box: it can be just about anything a flat rectangle can contain. It's a deck of cards, or any board game I want. It's a library of books, especially free books from public domain authors - I have Shakespeare, Mark Twain, H.P. Lovecraft and many others loaded. It's a magazine; this week's Macleans and the current Uncut from England are loaded via Zinio. It's a video game arcade. It's a video player. It's a browser, letting me type this blog. It is endless distraction whenever I want it.

Boarding the ferry, I had the unfortunate realisation I'd forgotten to pack the charger though. I resolved to shop for one and eat the cost as a Dumb Person Tax.

The Vancouver to Victoria ferry is probably the busiest in BC but my ride was still pleasant. I initially sat on one side at a window, but when Aerosmith started cranking from a Guitar Hero video game in the adjacent arcade, I decided to relocate to the front centre to get a more panoramic view. It was my first exposure to the Gulf Islands as we passed between them, often rather closely. Snow dusted the fir trees.

Two younger guys a few seats away started pulling out instruments. An acoustic guitar. Aww man, I thought. Next came a tambourine, then a shaker. Now I was really getting worried; surely I would be subjected to some awful music shortly. Sure enough they promptly stood up at the front, introduced themselves, and launched into just two songs. I shouldn't have worried. They played very well, a cheerful Latin-tinged sound and a unique vocal delivery, roaming the aisles. After their two songs, they brought out CDs to sell, and as the trickle became a flood, it was clear they'd won over quite a few new fans. Some even asked for autographs. I just kept grinning and basking in the glow of the impromptu community.

A pod of killer whales was spotted. We also saw the unusual sight of a crew member shoveling snow from the deck.

Listening to randomly ordered songs, I realised I was listening through some songs I would otherwise skip over, making time for things I usually don't. Slowing down, and adjusting to "island time".

At the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal, I chose the slower of the two waiting double buses because the faster express had an immense line of waiting riders, and I was in no hurry. It was nice to be reacquainted with the motions of riding the top of a double bus, and the journey through Saanich and Sidney was scenic, with lots of coastal and countryside views.

In town, I spent the better part of an hour shopping for a charger (always more expensive than you expect) and then wandered a bit before crossing the Johnson Street bridge and walking along the north shore of the Inner Harbour to an early dinner at the legendary pub Spinnakers.

I was hoping for a seat at the upstairs bar and the chance to connect with a few other beer geeks. This was not to be. The entire upstairs was reserved for a ticket-only Firkin Festival of cask ales from around the region. Getting a table at the downstairs restaurant, I was further chagrined to find that my first two choices of cask ale, the Jameson's Scotch Ale and the Abbott Ale, were both unavailable. I made do with their fine Spinnakers Ale, and later washed down my fish and chips with a pint of their cask ESB, which Macleans reportedly called one of Canada's top beers.

I walked back, admiring the harbour at night and the now-lit strings of Christmasy lights adorning Parliament. I checked into my room at the Swan's Hotel, right above another of my favourite pubs. Soon I was downstairs to partake of my two must-haves from their brewery: the Extra IPA and the sublime Rileys Scotch Ale, happiness in a glass. A fine ending to a fine day out.

Halloween

Here is a photo of our headless skeleton. Yes, Sarah seems to enjoy being a pile of bones for Halloween; this is the third time I have painted a skeleton costume. I vote for something different next year!