Well my much anticipated Ferry journey to Victoria turned out to be literally a damp squib! Rain and mist for most of the journey meant limited visibility and obviously the Orcas stayed home! However it was most comfortable with catering delivered, if needed, to your seat, so Clipper I would recommend. It was within these climatic conditions that we docked at Victoria and I was somewhat disappointed with few services seemingly available like Taxis ( no Uber in Western Canada!) or ATM’s and me with no local currency! On arrival at the Union Club of British Columbia, where I was staying on a reciprocation from Muthaiga Club in Nairobi , where I remain an overseas member, I was confronted with quite a number of steep steps to the main entrance. As someone who has never managed to pack efficiently, I was left to negotiate these steps with two cases, alone, while very tired! Then, my room would not be ready for a couple of hours, so I began to question my decision of coming to Vancouver Island a day earlier than originally planned. Yes, I was cranky! My crystal encrusted jeans did not quite conform to the dress code of the Club, resulting in my getting some stern looks from the established members in the Reading Room! Time to change!

I found myself a pleasant little Farm to Fork cafe nearby called 10 Acres, the Bistro, and whiled away some hours over tasty chowder and caught up on some outstanding communications with friends. On returning to the Club a little earlier than told, I was shown to a lovely room with all mod cons, where I promptly collapsed on the bed for 40+ winks! On awakening, I felt decidedly more civil and ventured out to discover my latest port of arrival. Suffice to say, that I very quickly changed my initial opinion of the place and promptly took it to my heart.

The Club is in a super location right next to the Harbour so having found an extremely helpful lady in the Tourist Office I started exploring my location. There is a lovely Harbour Walk along the Marina where ancient sailing craft sit comfortably next to top of the range motor boats. On the pedestrian walkway, there is a reserved area for the native B.C Leewungen people known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations to sell their indigenous wares. It seemed a bit incongruous that right above them a bagpipe player was belting out Mull of Kintyre! There was the ubiquitous market on the Harbour walk also selling Ceramics, Jewellery and natural beauty products. Here the music was Chris de Burghs’ Don’t pay the Ferryman! Ah well, catering for all tastes! The State Legislature looks out over the Harbour and is lit up at night with over 3,000 Led lights! Looks fantastic!

I wandered into the retail area and found an amazing Bookstore, Munros’, over 50 years old. When the owners retired, they handed over the shop to the employees. Reputed to be the busiest book store in North America, the manager/ owner had plenty of time to talk to me and talk books! It is housed in a former Royal Bank of Canada building, with 24 foot high ceilings and is decorated with fabric hangings depicting the 4 seasons and classical works of literature. Many Canadian and US writers works on sale, that never make it across the Atlantic, I could have spent a fortune, but sadly weight restrictions…..! A pleasure to visit. Next door is the famous Murchies Tea rooms from where the Queen gets her tea for her stay in Balmoral! Bewleys, eat your heart out!

I found a sister restaurant of that I had visited early in the day, called the Commons and boy was it rockin! Sat at a tall table alone, I had a great view of the restaurant, which was huge! Large trestle tables sitting groups of 12 , smaller tables in niche areas, music blaring, TV screens showing sport, very efficient serving staff darting about like they were on roller skates, it seemed the place to be. Quirky food, all sourced from their Farm, was delicious, even if the jalapeños nearly burned my mouth, but Kayla was most attentive to my needs and her suggestion of B.C local wines was excellent. It would not be a place for an intimate dinner as one could hardly hear one think, but what a buzz! Great finish to a day that had not started on the right footing!

Woke to the rain and dull sky, following morning, but headed to the Parliament building as planned for a guided tour. In my ignorance, I had not been aware that Victoria is the State Capital of British Columbia and it is here the State Legislature sits. A beautiful building, we had a very good comprehensive tour with some staging of the story of one of the Pioneering Women, Norah Cashman from Cork!

By now the sun had come out, so it was off to Buchart Gardens located about 45 minutes bus journey from Victoria. Driving through the suburbs with commentary from the driver, one got the feel of a very pleasant place to live. The Gardens were just stupendous! I spent 4 hours there wandering, sitting, contemplating and generally wondering at this feat of love created by Jennie Buchart over one hundred years ago and now being run by her great grand son. Originally 130 acres it was a worked out limestone quarry which had supplied her husbands nearby cement factory, Jennie decided to beautify it. And what an amazing creation it is. Now reduced to 55 acres, there are thousands of plants and trees, some in formal settings like the Rose and Italian Gardens, others like the Japanese and Mediterranean gardens more natural. Many beautiful sculptures, ponds and fountains are located throughout as are secluded sitting areas. I found one of these, amidst the Japanese Acers and feathery fronds and spent some contemplative time which was so calming.

I dined at the Club last evening to sample the atmosphere and cuisine. It’s a lovely traditional Club reminiscent of Muthaiga in Kenya. I met some members in the bar who introduced me to some more B.C wines, all of which were very palatable. Leslie from Victoria and Chloe from Taiwan looked after me in the dining room and I got both their life stories and aspirations for the future. Lovely girls made me feel most welcome. Travelling alone can be fun, but it’s the dining alone in the evening that can be difficult. Nobody to discuss the days happenings with and surrounded by groups or couples. So, it’s girls like Kayla, Leslie and Chloe who make the difference.

Well back to the packing, again, for my bus and ferry journey to Vancouver later this morning.

More to come…..

Well, Meg Ryan! I am not, but I have been Sleepless in Seattle for last 30 hours! Sadly, neither have I met a Tom Hanks lookalike either, but hv met many lovely people.

Leaving Dublin, I was so well looked after by the wonderful Aer Lingus cabin crew and especially cabin manager Shane. Fab service throughout the almost 10 hours flight to Tacoma International, where Aer Lingus now fly 5 times weekly. We arrived into a wet and grey afternoon which was disappointing, but Seattle is known for its damp climate. My kamikaze Ethiopian cab driver pointed out places of interest to me, as he flew into Downtown! He showed me what I had thought to be another airport, but he identified as the Boeing dispatch facility! Here the Aircraft are ‘collected’ by the customers! Hundreds of aircraft of varying sizes scattered all over the tarmac, having come from the Boeing HQ 40 miles other side of the City. An interesting place to visit, on another trip, it being the largest aircraft manufacturing facility in the world.

Hotel Theodore greeted me warmly and upgraded me to a Suite! Happy days! Located centrally on 7 th Avenue I had selected it as it was smaller than many other international brands and was supposed to hv jazz sessions in the evening, but not while I was there. In order to stay awake for a couple of hours to help my body clock adjust, I strolled out. There is a big homeless problem in the City, but then, what major city doesn’t suffer in this way. I saw many people bedding down in the shadow of large department stores, but felt quite safe walking alone. Surprise surprise, the shops were open til 9 pm, so , one had to browse in Saks 5 th Ave, Barneys, Gap and Nordstrom! The shoes and the boots were to die for, but sadly my luggage allowance was already well stretched! However I did manage a few purchases and when I discovered a Sephora, stocked up on my make up. Final visit to Barnes and Noble across the street from the hotel where I guiltily noted some US writers works for download on my Kindle! Books are just too weighty to pack and transport! But I did make some magazine purchases and children’s books for the gorgeous Hannah! Lovely restaurant attached to the hotel Riders where Amber looked after me and gave me some local tips. A group of 9 from Portland rocked up beside me and when they heard I had just arrived fm Ireland, the red head in the group, told me her ancestors hailed fm Kilkenny! They invited me to join them, but sleep was beckoning, or so I thought and I sadly declined.

I had a plan to see as much as I could of Seattle in the short time I was there, so with the help of Derek, the manager and my own plans, I set out early morning to start with a tour of Underground Seattle, as recommended by Shane of Aer Lingus! I had not found this in my research, but it was a great Tour. Effectively it is the old part of Seattle that existed at sea level until the end of 19 th Century when following the Great Fire of the City, it was razed to the ground. The engineering feat to rebuild on top of the old city is quite fascinating and walking through what were originally the sidewalks as u hear people walking above you, is quite eerie. Patti, our guide from Underground tours was enthusiastic and regaled us with great stories of houses being relocated, speakeasys and places of “negotiated pleasure” being run in these underground caverns during Prohibition and how it has now become a popular tour to do, by locals and tourists alike. This all took place in Pioneer Square which actually is not a Square, but an area with lots of examples of an older style of Architecture , as seen in the Smith building and the Pioneer building but sitting comfortably alongside modern sky scrapers such as the Columbia building. I then took my self along to the Klondike Gold Rush Museum to learn how Seattle became rich as a result of the Gold Rush at the end of 19 th Century. Most interesting facts figures and photographs, poignant stories of men and women ,many of who lost everything and few who became millionaires. Fascinating to see the list of essentials they needed to bring, from warm underwear, to shovels and food, enough for a year, all of which they had to carry themselves, like pack mules, over unforgiving territory in the Yukon.
The Pioneer Square area is full of small niche art galleries, interior design shops and antique bookstores, many housed in eclectic buildings with lovely features. Calm and serene type of area , very different to my next port of call, Pike Market!

Situated at the Waterfront, this vast fish, fresh produce and flower market, has to be seen to be believed! The fishmongers must also be singers and actors and to see them throw the fish to one another as they chant in unison is magic! So also is the fish! I don’t think I hv ever seen such huge salmon, coming from Alaska ,I was told. The flowers are magnificent, stalls run by Phillipinos and Hmong people from the Vietnamese/Chinese border. Lovely gentle ladies, I had a long conversation with some of them about the magnificent dahlias on sale and grown on a farm close to the City. Adjacent to the market is the first ever Starbucks, with a line a mile long, so I didn’t stay. Fab area to visit, lots of food to go, outlets and sitting areas overlooking the waterfront to relax and picnic , as well as many mainly seafood restaurant, but very busy and crowded.

Time to stoke the battery with coffee, dozens of outlets everywhere, popped into Macy’s, as u do, then off on the Metro shuttle to the Space Needle. I felt rather proud of myself that I mastered both the underground train system and the overground Metro, latter which was originally built for the State Fair in 1962! The Space Needle, which dominates the Seattle skyline is a must go, but the queuing!!!! Massively popular, after buying ur ticket and allowed thru on ur time slot , it can take almost 30 minutes to get into the lift to go up! It is quite fantastic when u get up there, with the most amazing views and the revolving glass floor, but not so fast as to make u dizzy! An unusual sensation as u see the world below u disappear as u stand still!

More queuing to get back to Terra firma when I make my way to the Museum of Pop Culture created by Paul Allen , joint founder of Microsoft, also conceived in Seattle! A monument to pop, its zany, quirky and one cud spend hours there. I followed the Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Prince and Queen sections and having being wrapped around in sound and vision for sometime, I felt quite energised on leaving and bopped my way back on the train for Happy Hour at the hotel!! Many other attractions in that area, many designed and geared for children.

By now the energy levels were beginning to plummet but I was determined to see the Amazon HQ, not accessible to the general public , but worth a look, so off I went. At this stage my Fitbit had clicked up 30 Km’s and boy did I feel it! Down 7 th Avenue for about 6 blocks ( how great is the US grid system, so easy to use). Incredible buildings on the way , so much so, I stopped a few times to check, but when I reached No. 2102 there was no doubt that this was Amazon. A triple spherical building, beautifully located within visual distance of the Waterfront, it was a sight to behold. There is access to a foyer area where one is surrounded by 3D wraparound screens highlighting various aspects of bio diversity, with incredible imagery. There are videos of different senior management explaining how Bezos was determined to locate his HQ in Seattle, where he is from and how he wished the company to create a distinct type of working environment for his employees and how the Company has succeeded in doing just that. Amazing!

I am writing this on the Victoria Clipper as we sail out of Puget Sound and into the Pacific Ocean en route to Vancouver Island. It’s a beautiful clear morning with small fishing vessels in the water and wooded areas to our left and right. There ur reputedly 74 Orca whales and some very large octupui( not sure of the plural of octopus) in these waters, so we may be lucky to see some of them on our three hour journey into Canada!

Safely arrived in the rain to the Union Club of British Columbia, frozen in time, but more of that anon! So, Canada is now my oyster for the next few weeks. I am having difficulty downloading some of the great pics to illustrate my adventures, but please bear with me, while I overcome this latest IT challenge! In the meantime I will continue to write.

Previously, when planning a trip we would both research travel articles, reviews, National Geographic and listen to friends’ travel tales. We would also look out for political, cultural or other milestone events that might interest us to participate in or attend as bystanders. This resulted in some very interesting trips ranging from being in Aung San Suu Kyi’s constituency office in Yangon on the night before the pivotal election in 2012 to being at the opening of an exhibition of Frida Kahlo’s work, in a studio and home that she shared with Diego Rivera in Mexico City, courtesy of Mexican friends. We managed a wonderful Degas Exhibition over a Thansgiving weekend in the Art Institute of Chicago and when the forecast indicated the wildebeest were on the move from the Serengeti, we rushed to the Masai Mara for the annual migration, a task not too difficult as we lived in Kenya at that time! So, recent similar motivations have been scarce, but a wonderful invitation to a close friends’ sons’ wedding in Newfoundland , prompted me to undertake this journey.

It starts tomorrow when I fly to Seattle, then take a ferry two days later to Vancouver Island, onwards two days later to Vancouver, to catch a train and coach thru the Rockies for a week, finishing in Calgary and onwards to Newfoundland! So come with me on my journey, share my experiences, my trials and tribulations, which I hope will be few and the many laughs I know I will have. Let me have your comments, good and bad and join in my trip!

Tomorrow sees the start of my great adventure which I have been planning since April last. This is a trip that my late husband John and I, had hoped to do before fate intervened and he was taken from me too soon. In our 25 years together we were lucky to have had many great adventures to exciting and remote locations around the world. He always say we were “travellers” not “tourists”!

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.