On to Victoria

Once settled into the Sylvia Hotel (Darlene arrived within an hour of me, both of us using Vancouver's excellent transit system), we headed out again with Cousin Jane to go for a spot of lunch. Over to Denman Street, and up to find a restaurant. Totally unplanned, we ran into Bonnie, Darlene's niece, who was going down the street in the opposite direction. I would not have recognized her: she had lost weight and looked so much healthier than the last time I saw her. So the entire West Coast family was together, and we had a Greek lunch to celebrate. We arranged a schedule for the next few days, and then returned to the hotel. Weather, which had been predicted to be wet, was in fact dry-ish, with the odd bit of sun.

I had a lovely walk along the Sea Wall with my long-time friend Art and his wife, Suzanne. Darlene caught up on some sleep. We then all got together for a drink and some appies in the Sylvia bar, before Art and Suzanne headed off to a movie, and we repaired to our room for an early night.

The following day, surprisingly sunny and not too cold, we walked a bit on Denman, then went to visit Bonnie. She has moved, and is now in a wonderful apartment and a wonderful space. No booze, no cigarettes (except the marijuana type), and really well-put-together. A long visit with her, and the a terrific supper out at Amici Diei, a little Italian place on Denman. Jane was sick and in bed, so she was not seen that day. But the following day, Jane was ready to receive visitors, and we were at her place in the morning for tea. Turns out the tap on her bathtub broke, and she had water flowing and a plumber on the way, so we stayed in her small (650 sq.ft.) apartment to have our tea and wait for the plumber. Still a lovely visit.

Then a long walk over to see a statue inStanley Park that Suzanne had been involved with. It commemorates the role of the Portuguese in the settlement of Vancouver.


That evening, we had a meal at Art and Suzanne's, although Suzanne was under the weather, so we didn't see a lot of her. Again, an apartment which seems quite modest in size, and turns out to be about 750 sq.ft. of space. I am surprised at the ability to manage in small spaces (of course, being able to get out almost all days of the year helps a lot). Lots of food and drink, and then to bed.

Tuesday was a travel day. Jane met us for breakfast at the hotel, and then we started our journey. Raining hard (the first rain we had had in Vancouver), so we taxied to the ferry, and got on in good time for the 90-minute ride to Nanaimo, to be met by Barry with a smile and a hug.

It was a rainy day in Nanoose. Fog settled into the bay itself, so the mountain was not visible. But the house was warm, and the company was warm, so we were happy. Supper, conversation, sitting by a fire, and then to bed.

And the next day, also rainy and quiet, filled with conversation and food, we were off to Nanaimo to catch the bus down to Victoria. Once there, we met up with Pat and had a meal across the street from the hotel before tumbling into bed.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Douglas St,Victoria,Canada