Our story starts with a little bit of a history lesson. There is a forum that I help moderate that had been sold. The former owner and the new owner were going to meet in Victoria BC to do a little ceremony to mark the hand off of ownership. This in turn grew to a gathering of kilted men and their families from around the world descending on Victoria to take part in this momentous occasion. As I had plenty of frequent flyer miles and vacation to burn, we decided to join this occasion. The trip journal below will take you through what we did day by day.  Of course, if you really want to know what happened, you will have to ask Ruth!

Thursday, 22 October (Atlanta to Seattle)

Today Ruth and I finished packing and headed to the airport for an early afternoon flight. A lot has changed in air travel in the domestic US since the last time I have done it. It seems as if the airlines are starting to charge for checked bags. This took the free tickets I had and upped them to $20 a person simply to check a bag! Wow, what a racket. At least I could pay this online prior to heading to the airport.

Arriving at the airport it was a simple matter of getting through security and then to our flight. Once on board we found out that the airline no longer provides free meals to it’s passengers. You now have to pay for the meal if you want to eat! That is another $25 dollars added on to our free trip. Don’t you just love it?

The flight itself was uneventful and after a short bus ride we arrived at the hotel. The photo to the left is what we got to see out of our hotel window. After our experience on the airline, I felt very fortunate that there wasn’t a charge for opening the window to see the view!

 

 

Friday, 23 October (Seattle to Victoria and the big event!)

Bright and early this morning we headed the docks to take the 3 hour passenger ferry across the bay to Victoria. This boat is a fast ferry and travels at approx 35 miles an hour! One interesting thing as we were travelling, the captain stopped the boat to point out that we were in the middle of a pod of killer whales!  They were surfacing on both sides of the boat and it was very, very cool! The photos at the left give you and idea of the ferry we road and some of the scenery we saw on the way. I could of wished for a sunny day as I expect that the views would of been spectacular. But, you take what life gives you and make the most of it.

Once we arrived in Victoria, we got to go through Canadian immigration and I almost got us in trouble when the agent asked why were visiting the country. My answer was “We’re Invading!” The agent did a double take and said “I might have to ask you a few more questions!”  it was a fun exchange after a long boat ride.

 

 

 

 

After making our way through immigration, we took a short 2 block walk to our hotel, the Royal Scot. Out front we were greeted by Stewart, the large kilted bear that stands guard our front. Our room was a great 2 room suite with a small kitchen built in (which we did not have a chance to use!).

Dropping our bags off, we headed over to the Empress hotel to catch a tour bus that would take us around the island and show us the highlights. This is where the trip got fun as the skies decided to open up and dump on us. Of course, neither of us brought a umbrella to help dodge the rain drops. Eventually, we found a nice little bistro to have lunch and wait for our 1pm tour bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the course of the tour, we had a chance to get off the bus once at this little marina on one side of the island. This is what we saw much of the time we were driving about. Our tour guide was quite humorous and we had a great time. Included in the tour was a new joke about bagpipes that I had never heard before. It goes like this…

“What is the difference between and onion and bagpipes?   No one cries when you shred bagpipes!'”

 

 

As a last note on this day, the photo to the left gives you an idea of the type of weather we were dealing with on this day. It was grey, overcast, cold, windy and wet!

 

 

 

 

The Event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photos above show the primary reason we went to Victoria. At the top right is the current and former owner of the forum and three of the moderators that keep an eye on things. This was the official hand off from Hank Hannah (in the green tartan) to Steve Ashton (the gentleman in the middle). The other three guys from left to right are Brian, Jamie and myself as the representatives of the moderator group. The photo at the top left is what I wore that evening.

We had over 30 people attend this grand event and a piper was found that played the pipes as we walked to dinner (with the crowds gathering on the sidewalks and in the hotel windows) and then again back to the hotel (where the group shot was taken along with Stewart the bear). After this photo, some of the group headed back to parts unknown and several of us headed to the Bengal lounge at the Empress hotel. A bit of story on this as well, the piper (Nathan) piped us across the city as we walked to the hotel. He then proceeded to pipe us into the hotel and all the way into the lounge where he finished playing the tune he had started. This had the effect of causing every patron in the bar to stop and watch what was going on. What exactly do you do when a horde of kilted Scotsmen and a piper invade anyway?

 

Heres to you Nathan (shown left)!  You are the man and one excellent piper. I am sure that the jazz band that we interrupted and those hotel guests that were trying to sleep did not mind at all!

I had a great time getting to meet everyone who I only knew as screen names on the forum. I cannot think of a better way to get a group together and we need to consider invading somewhere else next year!

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, 24 October (Freedom kilts, mods meeting and the museum)

Today we had a chance to sleep in a little bit before we met up with the mod-group and the owners of the forum for breakfast. We started at Steve and Bobbies house for a quick gathering and then headed to a local joint for a brunch. Many jokes and stories were shared over eggs and coffee as we all got to know one another. After brunch, Hand and his lovely bride had to head back to the ferry as they started their journey home. The rest of us headed to Steve’s shop to talk business and for both Brian and I to get measured for a kilt. Brian was having one of his former kilts resized (downward! Yay Brian) and I was having one made.

After a couple of hours of discussing forum business and poking our heads everywhere in Steve’s shop, we headed over to the museum where Steve is a docent (see photo left). He walked us through and exhibits and told us what we were looking at. One of the things that I appreciated the most was his discussion on the poles that we mistakenly call Totem Poles. It was quite the story and essentially these poles are erected to tell a story. They are not meant as monuments, just a way to help illustrate a story. Each pole is unique and tells the story of a family or individual and each of the carvings are quite intricate.

The photo to the left here is Ruth and I under a welcoming pole that was created to welcome people to a dwelling. I thought this photo explained well how we felt the entire time we were in Canada. I will NOT share the x rated version of this photo however (unless you ask me very sweetly!)

 

 

After the museum we retired to Steve’s place to wait for his wife Bobbie so we could go out to dinner. The photos to the left show some of our group enjoying Steve’s fine selection of Single Malt Whisky and Jamie enjoying his gin and tonic. We had a great time telling stories again and learning of the world travels of some of our members. 

After this we headed to Boston Pizza for a great meal with friends and then Ruth and I bid adieu to these fine folks for the rest of the weekend. I want to take a moment here and thank Steve and Bobbie for the hospitality and also mention what a great pleasure it was to get to meet Jamie and Brian and how much I look forward to working with them more in the future.

 

 

Saturday Evening, the stroll

After dinner and our return to the hotel, I decided to take a stroll around the inner harbor. At night, they light up many of the buildings and monuments in the city. I have included a few of them above to give you a sense of the beauty of the place. It was a memorable evening for me to take this stroll. And as I was kilted at the time, I was asked more than once to pose with the tourists that were about. Most were shocked when I told them that “No, I am not from Scotland. I am from Atlanta!” I am sure that stories will be told about this once they return home.

 

Sunday, 25 October (Craigdarroch Castle and Shopping Day)

Our first stop after breakfast this morning is to Craigdarroch Castle. This ornate mansion was built in the late 1800’s by Robert Dinsmore who made his fortune by shipping coal out of Vancouver Island. The mansion itself was finished after his death and was the cause of quite a bit of controversy. The building had been used as a private residence, a veterans hospital and a music school during it’s life time. It is now in the process of being restored. It was quite the tour and the wood paneling alone made the trip worthwhile. I cannot imagine what it would of been like to live in this building, but it did command quite a view of the surrounding country side.

  

One of the things Ruth and I like to do when we travel is to go Christmas shopping for our family and friends and this trip was no different. We spend the majority of the day traipsing around the city looking in the shops and generally enjoying ourselves. Not many photos or stories from today as how much can you say ‘We stepped into the shop, looked around, decided not to buy and left” before it gets annoying?

I do have one story though about the photo on the left. I did not even know that Darth Vader played a musical instrument, much less the violin. This guys was quite good and very entertaining.

One other gentleman was also playing a guitar and singing a little bit up the road who was not quite so much fun. To give an example, part of the lyrics we heard was “Love is like a marmoset, it is warm and cuddly, but also eats it’s young”.  Ruth and I both had a great laugh at this one.

 

 

 

 

Monday, 26 October (Butchart Gardens, the long ferry ride to Seattle)

    

This day turned out to be one of our most challenging and one of the most memorable. It started off with both of us getting up to breakfast and preparing for the. Our plan was to tackle the Butchart Garadens. We had hoped to take a shuttle from the hotel to the gardens, but as it was off season the shuttle only ran on weekends. This left us with two option. Take a taxi or take the mass transit system. Ruth and I both being adventurous decided to risk the bus. When the desk clerk sent us to the local station, we had no idea of what bus to get on or when it was going to run. Arriving at the bus stop, we asked one of the drivers for help. He planned our route and with two transfers we arrived at the gardens.  The photos above are a SMALL sample of the photos I took there. The gardens were stunning (even if everyone who worked there kept apologizing that it was so drab!). We had a great time exploring the 55 acre park and just being together.

After completing our tour, we got back on the bus for the inner harbor area of Victoria to meet our ferry. Now here is where the story gets interesting. You see, we had about an hour to kill before we had to go collect our bags and get on the boat. During this time we decided to do some additional last minute shopping. During this time, the wind really started to rip. So much so that I was starting to worry that I was flashing passer by’s (you see, I was kilted yet again).

Picking up our bags and checking in at the ferry, we were informed that there was a better than even chance that the ferry was going to be cancelled because of wind. I should of taken those odds as that is exactly what happened. I guess a lesson learned that if the wind is strong enough to lift a kilt, it is strong enough to cancel your ferry.

 

So, what now? Here we are on an island and the ferry service isn’t going to run. Well the ferry service had this well in hand. Onto a bus we go for a trip north to an auto ferry to cross over to south of Vancouver, down the road to the US border crossing and then into Seattle.

So instead of a nice 3 hour ferry ride and a chance to unwind for the day, it turns into a 6 hour journey arriving at midnight. Oh well, sleep is for wimps anyway!

 

 

Tuesday, 27 October (the ride home)

Nothing of note here other than the long plane ride home and the short night before heading back to work again. Now is the time for the ultimate question, “Would you go again?”   The answer is a resounding YES, there is much more to Victoria that I want to see, and the next time I am renting a car!