Vancouver Island

When we arrived back at Chris' place we had a couple of days before we came across to Vancouver Island. Chris was kind enough to let us use her MG and the weather was kind enough for us to go topless. We weren't the only ones enjoying the unusually sunny day at this time of the year. We must have seen at least 30 bikes during our cruise through the forest and along the Fraser River. John also had the opportunity to ride a Harley Street Glide. This was owned by a guy who had planned a 2 day trip through part of the Rockies with John on his two Harleys. Unfortunately the travel insurance wouldn't cover 'real' bikes so sadly, John missed out on this highlight. It is what it is, says John.

We caught the float plane from the Fraser River to Vancouver Island Harbour in a Sea Otter. The flight lasted about 40 minutes, was really smooth and we were amazed at how many islands there are in the bay. (You can see the plane behind John on the left).

 We spent our first day on the island sightseeing the usual tourist spots - gardens, cathedrals, the breakwater... Although it didn't rain at times it was quite blowy and chilly (read cold), especially on the breakwater on the way to the lighthouse. John even put his rain jacket on! Still, locals will be locals and many passed us doing their lunchtime jog in shorts and t-shirts!

In one of the many lovely parks we came across this sculpture called Sleeping Beauty. In Spring she is covered in flowers, but at the moment it's mainly moss - guess she's getting ready for winter too.

 This Mile 0 marker shows the beginning of the Trans Canada Highway which runs to the easterly tip of Newfoundland.It's the world's longest national highway at 7,821km in length. We've travelled on parts of it in the West and East, but left out the longest bit in the middle.

One of the prominent landmarks in Victoria, reflecting the British background here, is the Empress Hotel. It used to be covered in vines which at this time of the year were a glorious red. sadly (for tourists anyway) the current owners have removed it. Its copper roof still creates amazement though. Like most cities Victoria has its share of monuments and statues. Along the waterfront John said 'That sculpture looks just like Stan!' It depicted a returned sailor from the war and coincidentally our good friend Stan did serve in the RAN during WWII.

 Our accommodation for our stay on Vancouver Island was in the Royal Roads University. Their grounds are picturesque with the centre piece being Hatley Castle and its gardens.
Our room in the student accommodation building wasn't as spectacular but was a very comfortable suite and provided easy access for the many walks through the gardens.

The castle was built in 1908 to look like an English Castle and has bathrooms, electricity, hot water and central heating. It was built be one of the Governors for his wife and family of 12 children. In the late 30s when they could no longer afford its upkeep, it was sold to the Canadian Government who built a Military Academy in the grounds. Eventually the University bought the property and now has about 4500 students through its doors. Most of the students are external.
They also host weddings and other functions here as well as rent the student accommodation when its available.
We fly back to the mainland tonight and weather permitting head up to Whistler in the next few days. We'll post again when we get there.