Tavel

Washington State:Part 2

September 15, 2024September 8, 2024 saucee19Leave a comment

Day 2: Bainbridge to Seattle

The Quality Inn had breakfast included so we ate and checked out by 8:00am.

We lined up for the Bainbridge to Seattle ferry. If one’s car is under 14’ one gets to pay the cheapest fare for a car. The Honda Fit I was driving is under 14’.

The ferry was delayed because of the foggy conditions on the water, once on the Seattle side there wasn’t any fog.

Once off the ferry we headed to the Museum of Flight… I just have to say, driving on American highways is scary…they go much faster than we do on Vancouver Island.

We could have spent the whole day at the museum of flight. The docents were all very knowledgeable, and it seemed like they had all been part of the aviation industry before retiring and becoming docents.

In the aerospace section they had displays of things worn and listened to…I wonder if the creators of Guardians of the Galaxy came to this museum for inspiration?

We had lunch at the cafe at the museum, and then headed off to Seattle centre to check into our hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center. We left our car in the hotel parking garage and walked to Chihuly Garden and Glass (about 15 minutes)

If you can’t see the Space needle fully please click on picture

After the Gardens we took the monorail the one stop (it only has the two stations) to Pikes Place ( he fish market). The idea was to have dinner at the market… but I guess I didn’t research it enough to realize that the market closes at 5pm and so do all the restaurants in the market!

We ended up eating at a cute little French restaurant near the fish market: Cafe Campaign

After that we headed back to the hotel. End of day 2

Day 3: Seattle to Victoria

This day consists of a lot of driving and many ferries. I was exhausted and didn’t remember to take any photos.

Again we started out early leaving the hotel at 7:45am.

The first ferry we took was the Mukilteo to Clinton ferry. This ferry didn’t have a long line and we didn’t have long to wait.

We then drove from Clinton to Coupeville to catch the next ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend. For this ferry I would recommend making a reservation. I did while planning this trip and I’m glad I did as there was a long queue for cars on standby.

We had lunch in Port Townsend at Doc’s Marina Grill. I didn’t realize that the Thursday we arrive was the beginning of the 3 day wooden boat festival and the area where I had planned our lunch was the location for all the kinks and food tents.

After lunch we headed back to Port Angeles to catch the Coho Black Ball ferry back to Victoria. This time I did have a reservation for the ferry… and again it was a good thing I did as it was the last ferry snd the queue for the cars on standby was long.

I think we could have done the whole trip on one tank of gas, but I get nervous when the tank only has a quarter of a tank left… so we did fill up once.

Also would recommend getting a toll road pass before going to Seattle (if one is driving) as it saves $1.75 for each toll road.

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Moss Street Paint-In

July 21, 2024 saucee19Leave a comment

Every year the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) hosts the Moss Street Paint-In. The whole of Moss Street (from Dallas Road to Fort Street) is closed off to traffic and local artists set up stalls to sell their art. People who live on or just off of Moss St also use this day to have garage sales.

This year, there weren’t as many stalls up as there usually are, but there were a lot of people who showed up.

Moss Street from Dallas Rd looking North

It was a beautiful day for the event and I’m glad I wore a hat and brought my water bottle.

The event usually takes place on a Saturday which also corresponds with the Saturday Fairfield Market. There were the usual food vendors at this event and this year the drinks tent and stage area was on the street instead of the parking lot of the AGGV.

Admission to the art gallery was also free, but it was crowded so I opted not to visit this time.

Dragon-kun came with me, but he felt shy because there were so many people. He stayed in my purse and peeked out at them.

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Sidney Aquarium

July 7, 2024July 7, 2024 saucee19Leave a comment

Happy Tanabata! The Japanese festival which originates from the Chinese Qixi Festival. This festival celebrates the one night where star-crossed lovers get to meet in the Milky Way. In Japan, wishes are written on strips of paper and tied to designated bamboo branches.

Last weekend was the Canada Day long weekend. On Monday 1July, Canada Day, my father, Dragon-kun, and I went to Sidney, BC. (27.4km North of Victoria, 6.6km South of Swartz Bay ferry terminal).

Our plan was to park in one of the several 3 hour free parking spaces, go to the aquarium, walk around and have lunch…but what I didn’t take into consideration was that Sidney has a Canada Day parade. No free parking spaces.

Instead we parked in the paid parking area in front of Victoria Distillers. Victoria Distillers makes the Empress Gin (a dark purple coloured gin that is the signature gin for the Empress Hotel). The Distillery was closed or I would have included pictures of it in this blog.

The good thing about this parking spot is that there were several spots available, AND the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (aka: the Sidney Aquarium) is right next door.

Once the tickets are paid for, one is directed to enter the aquarium area though a set of doors that look like they came from the Nautilus.

But once opened it seem more like one would meet Captain Picard in the engine room of the Starship Enterprise, than Captain Nemo.

If one gets claustrophobic, best to see if the next part can be avoided.

The doors slide closed, and the audio, visuals advise that the ballast tanks are filling with water and we are submerging. The floor then shakes as we “touch down” on the ocean floor.

The doors open and we are in the display area. The first things we see are jelly fish. There are no signs telling us what kind of jelly fish… we had to ask one of the volunteers. In fact, the lack of signs telling one what one is looking at is a bit of a theme in this aquarium. They do have some signs… but they are rare.

One thing about an aquarium, is that I can’t look at the creatures in the tanks and not think of how delicious they look.

Dragon-kun checking out the fish at the bottom of the tank.

There is a tidal pool where one is invited to touch the sea life after one washes their hands… I had no desire to play with sea creatures.

After the Shaw Centre, we went to a pub/marina on the other side of the parking lot for lunch. It was a bit crowded as the parade had ended. I ordered Fish and Chips… a bit too greasy… but fish and chips usually is, so not sure why I thought it would be any different this time round?

Dad and I did go for a bit of a walk along the waterfront after lunch, but not too far.

https://www.salishseacentre.org/