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.