We arrived\u00a0Thursday\u00a0night\u00a0\u2013 and I must say we flew Alaska Airlines from Vegas and it was quite nice\u2026.OK no TV\u2019s like Westjet\u00a0but the prop plane we flew from Seattle to Victoria was almost brand new and was a very nice short trip \u2013 I\u2019m thinking I\u2019d like to check Seattle out one day \u2013 not really sure what\u2019s there but it seemed interested what we could see.\u00a0 The airport is quite large \u2013 we had to take 3 trams from one gate that we arrived in \u2013 to the departure gate. It gave me the impression that I might be a good navigator on the Amazing Race as I went marching through like I knew where I was going! Add a freaky husband and it might not have been as smooth \u2013 Chloe followed along like a sheep \u2013 trusting sort isn\u2019t she!!<\/p>\n
We collected our suitcases & cleared customs in Victoria in a matter of under 15 minutes from the time of deplaning\u00a0to walking through customs \u2013 I LOVE IT!!\u00a0 I am not about to reveal whether we claimed the total amount of what we spent in\u00a0Vegas\u00a0but we had receipts to prove what we wrote on the claims form\u00a0and that\u2019s all you need to know! The Customs agent asked if there was a big item that I spent my amount on \u2013 and I pulled out my Vanna White skills and showed off my new Coach purse! He must have a smart wife as he said they sure go for a lot less now a days don\u2019t they \u2013 my response was Yes, Yes they sure do!<\/p>\n
Budget was our next stop for the rental car & after a brief period of being lost in the parking lot we found the little white Ford that will carry us around while in Beautiful BC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve rented a Carriage House for the 5 days we are here \u2013 well actually we are here only 4 as we leave early morning on the fifth. It\u2019s over by the University of Victoria \u2013 close to Telegraph Bay\/Cadbora\u00a0Bay. Kathleen our host is a 50 something\u00a0free spirit who had decorated the Carriage House in a very comfortable feeling. It would sleep 3 comfortably \u2013 a fourth if you wanted to take over the futon in the living room space. There is all the comforts of home and it\u2019s only downfall is the road traffic but it\u2019s really just background noise and after Vegas it\u2019s peanuts! We are a 5 minute walk away from Telegraph Bay and some funky shopping another 5 minutes down the road \u2013 neither we have been to. Realizing how quickly our time on the Island is going to go by \u2013 won\u2019t get to see everyone we had hoped but I guess that\u2019s the problem most people have when on holidays. Just means need to come back again.<\/p>\n
Today we are off to Sydney with a side stop to Shady Creek to pay my respects to my maternal Grandparents \u2013 never come to Island without going there. It\u2019s a pretty cool old cemetery with lots of history (http:\/\/www.oldcem.bc.ca\/downloads\/Shady_Creek_Cemetery.pdf<\/a>). The Ghost Tour last night was full of history of the Victoria area as well \u2013 who knew it was such a shady place way back in the day!\u00a0 We went down lots of back alley\u2019s and came across many late night partiers \u2013 some had colorful comments but most just looked at us like we were crazies!! We had stickers identifying us as Ghost Walkers so it was\u00a0like we were a mob (about 22 of us) staggering around \u2013 as well our 2 hosts were dressed in interesting costumes. The one young fellow had a top hat, long trench coat & carrying a cane with a skull on it \u2013 the other fellow (John Adams http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0XGNuJiVaNg<\/a>) \u2013 he was dressed like a grim reaper with a freaky skeleton mask on \u2013 carrying a lantern & chains.\u00a0 OK so it was a bit cheesy \u2013 not scary at all (except when the 3rd fellow would jump out of the darkness at us) but was very historically interesting.<\/p>\n