Victoria, B.C.

The Famous Fairmont Empress Hotel

Enjoying the famous "High Tea" with our friend Barb

View from Barb's Apartment of the Inner Harbor

We have returned from our trip to Victoria, B.C. We had a great time with our friend, Barb. First we left on 9/28 and went to Port Angeles, WA, to spend the night at a B & B. It was very nice and we enjoyed our time there. On Tuesday, we took the 2:00 pm ferry to Victoria. We wanted to take our time and enjoy the trip as much as the destination. We arrived at 3:30 pm and Barb was waiting right outside the ferry terminal. She directed us to her apartment and we were blown away by the fabulous view. She lives on the 12th floor and when we looked out the window, we were looking at the inner harbor and to our right was the Empress Hotel. To the left, the cruise ships docked. It was amazing. Both of the bedrooms also had the same view. That night we went for pizza and settled in for an evening relaxing. The next two days, Barb took us on driving tours of the island. We saw one of her favorite beaches, French beach, where large waves roll in. It was exciting. The tide was coming in and where we sat would soon be covered by water, but we stayed a while and just enjoyed the wildness of the waves. In contrast, the next day we went to a very small, very private, quiet beach that she loves. What a difference. She took us to the site of the new HUGE WalMart complex that is being built. It will not only house WalMart, but shops, restaurants and condos. It is over 850,000 square feet. On Friday, we went to the Empress Hotel for tea. It's one of those things everyone should do when they go to Victoria. Being served tea on gold embossed plates, tea out of silver tea pots and cups you could almost see through was a thrill. All of us even managed to get our pinkies up as we sipped our tea! We also had a great view of the inner harbor and were treated royally by the staff. It's not something one would do every day as it's quite pricey, but it's a fun thing for the "bucket list". Saturday we took a ride on the little ferries in the harbor and learned more about Victoria. It's such a wonderful city to visit. Two of the nights we were there Barb took us to her friends' houses for dinner. We were happy to meet her friends and the dinners were exceptional. We all laughed so much, our stomachs hurt! Even with our sightseeing and visiting friends, we took plenty of time to just relax and spend time visiting and catching up. Barb's apartment is so cozy and nice that it was easy to feel at home. Sadly, Sunday we boarded the ferry at 4:00 pm to head back to Portland. It was just such a great week and the time with Barb was exceptional. We feel so fortunate to have met such a wonderful person in our travels. Thanks again, Barb, for a great week.

Now we're on the road again and we'll be sending more frequent posts of our travels.