After almost three months we came together again to commemorate our roadtrip. I took an airplane to Vancouver and from there the ferry to Victoria. Vancouver proved to be something different than I expected. It was rainy! Rainy, rainy, rainy! 200 days of the year it rains! Why do some institutions celebrate it as the number 1 city to live in? I do not understand. At least it doesn´t snow given the proximity of the ocean, but if you wish to do winter sports you will find them here. Remembering the winter Olympics of 2010, Vancouver offers great natural adventures. Once again Canada is majestic!
Ferdi and I had 3 days to remember our Grand Tour. In retrospect we remembered all the little details that made this trip so awesome. It´s not the sight of Mount Rushmore, but things like eating Beef Jerky or listening to a song over and over again. There are just so many details that prohibit me from going into detail right now. Every destination had its own flavor, incredibly nice people who showed us America (=USA). America is not one united America, but many. There are thousand different Americas. Extremely different landscapes and mentalities, different industries and ways of life. There is no need for a US citizen to travel abroad, yet to fully comprehend America it would take a lifetime.
Ferdi and I had a great time enjoying Victoria, the city which calls itself capital of British Columbia, a city of merely 120.000 inhabitants, located on an island in the Pacific. It takes about 4 hours to travel from Vancouver downtown to Victoria, but it’s a worthwile trip. In fact I´m using my time on the ferry to put my feet up, relax and write this blog entry.
Here is what we did in Victoria: Visit Canoe Brewery, ate amazingly good Burgers and Ceasar Salad, visited the Thrift Store, partied and met many people. We played Mario Kart (I lost) cooked Spaghetti, Potatoes and Steak (not all at the same time). My job, of course, was to slice the onions, tomatoes and peppers. Ferdi did the main cooking.
In general it was coooold in Victoria. Really cold and wet. Often rainy, but sometimes not. Comparing to San Diego´s recently 27 Celsius this was a nightmare. Luckily I brought both of the two only sweaters I possess. Together they form a great shield against the cold, but still no protection from the rain. Two pairs of socks and a light summer scarf were also helpful. I cannot wait to go back to the warm regions of SoCal.
Mount Douglas - The Hill of Cedars
Named after a governor, by definition it should be a hill, because it´s below 1000 feet, but a governor deserves a mountain not a hill. Therefore it´s called mountain. On a rainy Sunday afternoon Ferdi and I hiked up the mountain and enjoyed the view. Afterwards we enjoyed Gerolsteiner!