morleymooseisontheloose: Pre Covid-19, part 2

Hard to believe it was only one month ago that Ritsue and I made the pilgrimage to Victoria after season 3 of the Good Doctor wrapped. (We were planning on travelling a lot farther than that, but the scare of the Covid-19 virus kept us close to home). On this day we went to historic Fort Rodd Hill. It was very chilly, 3 degrees, and with the wind chill it was more like -5 c!

At least the virus hasn't stopped the flowers from coming out.

It was a gorgeous day for a ferry ride.

Off to a good start....

It has probably been 5 or 6 years since I have been on the ferry. I do remember the spectacular scenery, though.

.....it was time for island time.....

.....LAND, HO!

First stop, Sidney, a short 5 minutes from the ferry. It didn't take long for Ritsue to get friendly with some of the locals.

Maybe a little too intrusive?

Nuttin' to say, just a couple of old salty dogs enjoying the sun.......

Happy hour! The view from the Rumrunner pub in Sidney.

We would find a lot of happy hours in the next four days......

.....the Beacon Landing in Sidney.....

........Seahorses Café in Brentwood Bay.......

....Bartholomew's in Victoria......... to name a few.

A quick last look around Sidney....

.....not quite sure Ritsue wants to leave this place!

....I could see myself living here.....

....start heading to the car...

.....good-bye Sidney.....for now......

....and hello Butchart Gardens!

(We were there on March 12th, and they closed due to the pandemic on March 26th.)

The sunken gardens. There wasn't a lot in bloom, but it was still a pretty special place.

Not the social distancing pose, it just looks that way.

The Star pond.

Looking out to the inlet.

This dragon fountain is a gift from China and the city of Suzhou.

They even had a carousel. As you can imagine, there was not many people visiting today. Maybe because of the time of year, or more likely, the news on the impending global pandemic was starting to sink in.

Ritsue found her own private little horesy ride.

Lunch at the Seahorse café in Brentwood Bay.

Then it was time to check into the Beaconsfield Inn in Victoria. This place was awesome!

They upgraded us to the Emily Carr suite. (assuming because it was off season and people were starting to cancel their trips due to the virus).

Ah yes, fancy shmancy! (enjoyed the jacuzzi tub in the background, just sayin..)

We spent a lot of time in the library.....

....ahhhh, a little sherry as the evening night cap. There are 10 rooms in this inn, and we had the place to ourselves for most of the two days we stayed there.

In the mornings, we had breakfast served to us in this quaint little dining area.

Then it was tourist time, we strolled around the harbour, taking in the sights, like the iconic Empress hotel. I stayed there for 4 nights at the start of the Olympic Torch Relay back in 2010.

....and the B.C. government Parliament buildings.

The James Cook statue, who apparently discovered the harbour in 1778

One place that does not fit into the Victoria old English theme is Big Bad John's.

Totally worth the experience though, the décor is as hillbilly as it comes. Are those bras hanging from the ceiling?

.....aaannnnnd you can eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor, I'm home!

Then we went to Paliacci's for dinner. Normally you cannot get a seat in this popular restaurant, but it was at the start of the whole covid-19 thing. (Less than a week later, all restaurants and bars were shut down.)

The Princes of Tides seafood salad was amazing!

This tuna main dish was equally as satisfying.

The walk home. The parliament buildings were all lit up, "kira kira" style.

Ahhhh, back home. It was a real treat to have this place all to ourselves

The next morning, fresh scones and coffee in the dining area.

Princess Ritsue is certainly enjoying the French toast!

Highly recommend!

We went for a bit of a drive. We started, of course, at mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway, a route that travels some 7,821 KM across Canada, ending in St. John's Newfoundland.

At mile 0 was this plaque honoring the journey of Steve Fonyo. He was once a Canadian hero who fell from grace. The only one we still remember is his predecessor, Terry Fox.

We spent a short amount of time at Fort Rodd. It was very cold for that time of year. (Almost one month ago!)

The wind was nasty!

With those freezing temperatures, it's not hard to believe we and one other couple had the whole place to ourselves!

Let me out of the stockade? Get me out of this weather? (I'm guessing both!)

Happy hour! (Bartholomews, downtown Vic.)

Dinner was at a popular pizza place on Cook Ave., Pizzeria Prima Strada, recommended by my sis Judith and her hubby Les.

Back at our mansion, the best of both old worlds, a real fireplace, and reruns of a show I grew up with, "Happy Days"!

The next morning. Again we were not disappointed at the Beaconsfield!

Pumpkin quiche, are you kidding me?? Love this place!

There's a happy princess right there, driver!

The stained glass window was a nice touch.

We checked out and headed out on Dallas Rd. towards Beach Drive. I remember this drive so well when I worked on a t.v. show for 4 months in 2014, called "Gracepoint".

Disappointment! I remember the Oak Bay Beach Marina back in 2014. You used to be able to go down and see the seals around the boats. This area was closed due to the cooler than normal temperatures.

After, a quick calamari snack at.......

......the Penny Farthing pub in Oak Bay......

....it was off to our new digs for one night, the Amethyst Inn on Fort St. in Victoria. This place was built in 1885.

Later on that day, we had a chance to go for a walk and have dinner (pre co-vid) with my sister Judith and her hubby Les.

A beautiful and peaceful, albeit freezing, stroll.

Leaving the Amethyst Inn, time to head home and hunker down until the end of the pandemic.

A quick selfie in Sidney......

...a diffrent view of Mount Baker than I am used to at my place. We were in Sidney to meet.....

......Jude and Les for coffee.

We were actually worried the ferries might not be running by the time we wanted to go home. (Service has been cut drastically though since the whole covid thing started.)