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Victoria, British Columbia
Sunday, June 12th Ferry to Sidney, Sidney to Victoria - 29 Miles After morning coffee at The Spot we walked down to the Ferry and paid our $34.00 dollars for our passage to Sidney, Vancouver Island. The trip was calm, I tried buying liquor at duty free, but hey were sold out of my favorites...Amaretto and Baileys, I ended up buying some hand lotion which we have used daily.
Arriving in Canada we were processed very quickly as the bikes are the first of the ferry, I had to ask the customs official to stamp our passport, from there we headed to the town. At the first pastry shop we saw, we stopped and bought macaroons and a salmon paste pastry and other sweets. We walked the town a bit and enjoyed the many book stores. We decided to leave the town and get on our bikes to begin the ride to Victoria and be there before 4:00 pm. Our hosts in Victoria, Norman and Mary were going to a movie that evening so they asked us to be there early to get settled in before they left the house. We had a nice ride on the Galloping Goose Trail and Lochside Trail which connects the two cities. The trail consisted of roads, trails, boardwalks and bridges with no traffic except at intersections where the trail meets with the regular traffic. |
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We stopped off at a Market and bought our hosts a dessert pastry. When we arrived we put away our bikes and got cleaned up, soon after we had Chili and cornbread for an early dinner and afterwards Carmen and I rode into Victoria to walk around a bit.
We visited the Empress Hotel, which Queen Victoria once visited in the 1950's. On the way back we had a couple of pieces of pizza and beer then headed home after a long day of travel. I had pain free riding today thanks to no hills.
We visited the Empress Hotel, which Queen Victoria once visited in the 1950's. On the way back we had a couple of pieces of pizza and beer then headed home after a long day of travel. I had pain free riding today thanks to no hills.
Carmen - Today was a lovely day .... Sidney is a great place! Our very first stop was at a bakery, that was very different from the other pastry / coffee shops we have been to. The pastries were not dainty and beautiful....they were big sized and filled with many different items. They had chocolate, apple, spinach, salmon paste, beef, curry chicken and many delicious looking breads! I would love to take lots of variety - but settled on a curried beef pie, and a chocolate croissant. I love that this town has many beautiful book stores! I couldn't spend much time in them because we had to head out and ride to Victoria. We met a group of ladies that gave us advise on the trail and roads to take. They were most impressed that we are on this tour and that it is my first time to take on the challenge of a tour. We are fortunate to have people encourage us, everyone has been very friendly and helpful. It has been a week since we left Houston and I am beginning to feel that I am stronger at riding and making decisions when in traffic. I am not fearful that people will run me down, I have been impressed with everyone waiting and giving me the right of way when on the narrow paths of the islands. Victoria is every bit as beautiful as I imagined from the pictures I had seen online, but I do not feel the calm that I did while being under the trees.