We spent the Labour Day weekend like a lot of other parents, helping get the kids back to school.
In our case, we drove to Victoria to assist our youngest daughter in her return to school. She changed her accommodations this year, having found a refurbished two storey house that had originally been constructed in 1906. She was sharing the rent with two other friends - the place had recently been remodelled, with an up to date kitchen that even had granite countertops.
This is ‘way too nice for students, I thought to myself upon seeing it for the first time.
But, good for them. Located about a 40 minute walk from Victoria Harbour, it was also well located to the university, on a popular bus route.
At any rate, we headed for Vancouver Friday morning, getting there in plenty of time to sit on this side of the Richmond Tunnel.
It took over an hour to get roughly three kilometres - things slow down when four lanes of heavy traffic are converging into one.
I suddenly realized how glad I am that I don’t have to do this everyday.
Note to self: stop getting ansty next time you have to wait two minutes to get onto the Channel Parkway in Penticton.
We spent Friday night with our older daughter in her small apartment in Richmond. She found comfortable accommodations a short walk away from Richmond Centre, in a leafy, quiet, condominium lined street. We were pleasantly surprised to encounter many friendly people in her neighbourhood - belying at least one stereotype of big city life.
A mistake in reservation dates meant we did not have confirmed bookings on the ferry, or a hotel in Victoria.
It was no big deal on the ferry, as we arrived at Tsawwassen terminal with plenty of time before the next ferry.
It was a bigger deal in Victoria with room accomodations, however.
“Your best bet, I would suggest, would be to drive to Duncan,” suggested one hotel keeper.
“It’s not that far away, and you’ll probably find something there.”
We chose to head the other direction, and lucked out in Sydney.
Victoria is a city that I find I enjoy more with each visit.
I took a little hike downtown from my daughter’s place one afternoon, trying get a read on city streets that seemed to twist and turn in every direction - actually not so different from Kaleden streets.
The neighbourhood was filled with heritage houses in various states of repair. The temperature was comfortable, the air still - a perfect late summer day for a stroll.
Victoria looks like a cyclist’s mecca as well - every time I glanced at the street it seemed like someone was cruising past me on a bike. The area has a number of paths, including a connection with the ferry terminal in Swartz Bay, and the terrain isn’t beyond the range of a mountain bike.
We beat the Monday holiday rush off the island, getting back to the mainland Sunday afternoon, and headed back home the following morning.
Our daughters were settled, comfortable and apparently getting along okay. School, or a return to work was just around the corner; our work on the coast was done, until next spring at least.