Chronic Negress

I left Seattle and environs for the provincial capital of British Columbia by a speedy hydrofoil known as the Victoria Clipper. The Kinks are referenced in the title of this post for reasons that will make sense in a moment. I got Randy the Cab Driver (Famous in Seattle or so he says) to take me to a splendid room at the Victoria Harbour Marriott. Food, service and amenities first-rate, and, best of all, they have the Outdoor Life Network on cable so I can watch the Tour. I’ve lost track of the World Cup but I think I am rooting for Italy. Canadian TV seems to be awash in warnings against drunk boating, losing your feet to lawn tractors, watching your cholesterol and avoiding heart disease. All this from the country who brought you Timbits. Go figure. Victoria has many old beautiful buildings, including its provincial government building, the Fairmont Empress hotel and the Royal BC Museum. The capper is the Butchart Gardens, which is accessible by public bus or you can buy a Gray Line bus tour including admission and round trip transport. If you’re coming from Seattle by Clipper, buy your tour onboard $38 US vs. $69 Canadian). The gardens are gorgeous, and impossible to describe. I took more than 100 pictures and still felt like I didn’t capture the spirit of the thing.

After walking the gardens and uploading photos, I took in dinner at Lure, a restaurant on the harbour. Appetizer smoked salmon roulade stuffed with Dungeness crab with a watercress and paprika and avocado sauce. Amuse bouche cream of asparagus chowder with corn and one tiny prawn. Entree salmon caught that afternoon with lemon risotto some tasty green sauce. Dessert butterscotch pots de creme with shortbread cookies and strawberry rhubarb compote. Add a Victoria Lager and a late harvest Riesling and that was that. The harbour is busy with ferries, the Clipper, seaplanes, harbour ferries that are more like water taxis and a week-long folk festival.

At the end of Day 2 in Victoria, I’m trying to get a handle on Vancouver. Ray Davies is playing there the night before I go to Alaska. How can I miss that?