While the most recent two posts detailed busy events on the 27th and 28th of December last year (2016 for those who don't realise it's the new year!), the 29th was a very special day. It was Dot and my 40th wedding anniversary and Bec's Brittany. So Emily arranged to celebrate the occasion by taking us to another country ... Canada ... and somewhere Dot and I have always wanted to visit despite being very close on several occasions. The place in question is Victoria in British Columbia. Never heard of it? Well, it's the capital of British Columbia rather than nearby Vancouver, and it's on Vancouver Island. It's special in another way, too, apart from being rather historic and attractive. It's actually south of the 49th parallel separating the USA an Canada and closer to Seattle than Vancouver itself.
And the trip there from Seattle is lovely. We sailed on a catamaran! Well, I might have provided the wrong image in your minds. The vessel had twin hulls of course, but had no sails. Its powerful engines conveyed something like 250 people at 30 knots across Puget Sound in great comfort and with lovely views of a constellation of islands ... a journey taking a little over two and a half hours. We didn't have to take make luggage as we only stayed one night and returned late the following day. I, for example had a back-pack and Dot carried a hand-held carry bag. But the other 6 members of our party - all of the household here in Kirkland were on the trip, including Max, Ella and Flynn, had to carry rather more. Here we are at the ferry terminal at dawn (c. 8am here in mid-winter).
After a while, Mt Rainier came into view, though not its 14,000 ft summit which was shrouded in cloud
On the port side we followed the snow-capped Olympic Range, which separates Seattle from the Pacific ocean.
And here we are leaving Victoria the following evening, with Ella and Flynn rivited to their tablets.
Victoria is, as I said, lovely and here are a few images. On arrival, but after depositing our luggage at our hotel, we strolled through the city in gathering dusk.
These two pictures show the enormous parliament building lit up.
At dawn the following day we were greeted by these views.
And we were amused to see people arriving arriving by that rather dated means of travel - a flying boat from Vancouver, which Dot and I were tempted to catch in the past.
The more conventional way of arriving from Vancouver.
Parliament by day with, appropriately, Canada Geese in front. Max nearly got himself arrested for chasing them ... an encounter with the law vaguely reminiscent of Emily being evicted from the lawn in front of Vienna's Hofburg Palace when when was 4 years old in - dare I say it - the early 1980s.
Our two major excursions in Victoria saw us visit (a) the famous and very beautiful Butchard Gardens - a national historic site, and (b) the Royal BC Museum. But these will be the focus of our next post.
AS
And the trip there from Seattle is lovely. We sailed on a catamaran! Well, I might have provided the wrong image in your minds. The vessel had twin hulls of course, but had no sails. Its powerful engines conveyed something like 250 people at 30 knots across Puget Sound in great comfort and with lovely views of a constellation of islands ... a journey taking a little over two and a half hours. We didn't have to take make luggage as we only stayed one night and returned late the following day. I, for example had a back-pack and Dot carried a hand-held carry bag. But the other 6 members of our party - all of the household here in Kirkland were on the trip, including Max, Ella and Flynn, had to carry rather more. Here we are at the ferry terminal at dawn (c. 8am here in mid-winter).
After a while, Mt Rainier came into view, though not its 14,000 ft summit which was shrouded in cloud
On the port side we followed the snow-capped Olympic Range, which separates Seattle from the Pacific ocean.
And here we are leaving Victoria the following evening, with Ella and Flynn rivited to their tablets.
Victoria is, as I said, lovely and here are a few images. On arrival, but after depositing our luggage at our hotel, we strolled through the city in gathering dusk.
These two pictures show the enormous parliament building lit up.
At dawn the following day we were greeted by these views.
And we were amused to see people arriving arriving by that rather dated means of travel - a flying boat from Vancouver, which Dot and I were tempted to catch in the past.
The more conventional way of arriving from Vancouver.
Parliament by day with, appropriately, Canada Geese in front. Max nearly got himself arrested for chasing them ... an encounter with the law vaguely reminiscent of Emily being evicted from the lawn in front of Vienna's Hofburg Palace when when was 4 years old in - dare I say it - the early 1980s.
Our two major excursions in Victoria saw us visit (a) the famous and very beautiful Butchard Gardens - a national historic site, and (b) the Royal BC Museum. But these will be the focus of our next post.
AS
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