Vancouver Adventure, Day Four: Victoria trip

 Victoria not at all like England; no-one's drunk, they don't complain about the weather & the workmen politely say hello.

Today is what this trip was planned around, getting onto Vancouver Islands. It took five hours door to door to get here, as the hotel kindly arranged it but I will regret it if I don’t see Victoria, ‘more English than England’. Well it’s not, obviously, you’ll only think that perhaps if you’re American but it does have the English charm. There are none of the skyscrapers – well tall buildings anyway- that have sprung up on every road in downtown Vancouver since I’ve been gone but a calm, pacific coastline city, the size of an English town. I picked today as it promised sun and I did good. I had a glorious day walking up and down the streets before settling for a late lunch in the very first place I spotted, even whilst on the coach arriving, Dolce Vita. A lovely Moroccan soup and a London Fog.What’s London Fog? A bit like chai but not.On the way back to the bus I notice a sign offering 2 things: sightseeing tour around Victoria or a trip to IKEA. I feel that sums up Victoria perfectly.My believe is that Victoria is filled with more mature people, confounded by the fact that my pink argyle socks worn under cropped jeans caused quite and unexpected stir. I was dressed for comfort and indeed we had 2 drops of rain and 10 seconds of nippiness, the rest of the day is perfect.

On route to Victoria

 The day is topped by being on the boat back in time for the big game, Vancouver vs. Boston in a must win game to get to the next round of the Stanley Cup. I go without the burger and fries I’d promised myself as the pre-game line was too long.I start seeing the game in Victoria and see the last touch back at the hotel in Vancouver some 3.5 hours later. The game is not that long; it’s just all the advert breaks that they stop for.Canucks win – Vancouver has a street party into the early hours, I fall asleep to the noise of car horns. Blissfully happy.