Chantie's Travels
April 18th, 2016
Katie, Anna, and Chuck (Chantie!)
For spring break, we decided to visit beautiful Vancouver and Victoria, with another teacher friend, Katie. In reality, Katie and Anna planned the trip and felt bad excluding Chuck, so we invited Chuck as the third wheel. We are excited for the beauty of the area and to eat all the food.
After waking up at 3am and sleeping on the flight to Seattle, we were ready to go! We arrived at the Seattle airport and while waiting for our coffee were able chat with a woman who is originally from Alaska, and now lives in California. She told us she was in Vancouver for her 70th Birthday and that we would love it and should try paragliding like she did then. So, depending on how adventurous we decide to be, we just might! When we made it up to the register she ended up buying our coffee and we realized people are just nicer in the Pacific Northwest. J
Our Bombardier.
We then caught our next flight, to Vancouver, on a smaller Bombardier plane. None of us have ever been in one and it was a different experience. The ride was just over 30 minutes and we enjoyed the beautiful views along the ride. Out one side of the plane we could see the ocean and many islands, but if we turned the other way we were greeted with snowcapped mountains! We hadn’t even made it to our first destination and already we began discussing never coming home.
After landing, we made our way to the ferry terminal to head to Victoria. Unfortunately, we were just a few cars behind the last ones they allowed and had to wait another hour for the next ferry to arrive. Once we got on the next one, we discovered it was well worth the wait. The 2 hour ferry ride ended up flying by, because we spent the entire ride marveling at the beauty around us. Within the first half hour we were even able to spot orcas in the distance! Every turn we took the scenery became more and more stunning. We went through a series of islands and could see mountains in the distance.
Our view from the ferry.
Our great first restaurant.
Once in Victoria, we made our way to the food (because that’s what we do best) and decided to find buck-a-shuck oysters. We found Ferris’ Osyter Bar for happy hour. We had many oysters, tuna crudo, and grilled octopus with sausage and potatoes. Everything was delicious. Our waitress was very friendly and gave us a list of restaurants to try during the rest of our stay. She also gave us some insight into life living in Victoria. She has lived there her whole life and loves it. At first, we were convinced that this must be our future home. However, after we asked about the education system, we learned that Chicago is not the only place where the education system is a mess. She said that their teachers recently went on a three-week strike and that there is no funding and always issues in the schools. Although, it was disappointing to hear, it did make us realize that we aren’t alone in the issues our schools face. Perhaps the grass isn’t always green on the other side (although it literally is in Victoria).
Definitely not afraid of people.
After dinner, we walked around downtown. We watched the seaplanes land, checked out Parliament, and found Fisherman’s wharf (where a seal kept greeting us). Our AirBNB host had recommended a spot nearby with a great view, so we headed to Victoria Harbor to see the sunset. We walked down the pier and enjoyed taking in the beauty. In reality, Anna and Katie enjoyed the peaceful walk, while Chuck took a million pictures. All were happy.
Watching sea planes take off.
We decided after walking all day it was time for a second dinner (and drinks) so we walked to 10 Acre Bistro and sat outside. We had fish tacos, sausage, and truffle fries.
Parliament building.
After a long day of travel and exploring, we crashed for the night.
