Late Friday morning we step out from our hotel into the light rain. Our first stop is the British Columbia Parlement Buildings, just a block away. After passing through security we are allowed to meander through much of the first and second floors. We visit the Parliament chambers as well as other points of interest within the building.
Another block away is the British Columbia Museum. We opt to start out with the IMAX with the show "Dream Big: Engineering Our World". Then we walk through the two floors of exhibits. The exhibits largely keep our interest for about two hours.
After a short rest back at our hotel we decide to check out the Empress Hotel, a Victoria and Canada-wide landmark. The Edwardian-style hotel was opened in 1908 and additional wings were added in 1914 and 1928. It underwent a major restoration in the 1980's, keeping true to the original style. The Empress has hosted the royal and the famous.. and us for an hour our so. We had been advised by several people to book an afternoon tea - during the summer they serve up to 800 people in four settings per day. We stop by the Lobby Lounge where tea is being served to a dozen or so tables of guests. We continue exploring the hotel and find the Q Bar where we join some others for a wee nip on this St. Patrick's Day. We enjoy peering out the windows looking at Vancouver's Inner Harbor through the light rain and sipping our drinks.
Dinner this evening is at the Flying Otter which sits on the waters of the Inner Harbor. The building is shared with a seaplane business, and their dock is right outside providing entertainment. My Salmon Wellington and William's paella are tasty and plentiful.
Saturday we do laundry in the morning and wait for the sun to start to appear before venturing out. It's not raining, but the wind is whipping about as the clouds dissipate. We walk over to Fisherman's Wharf and have a look at the houseboats. They are fun to see - not sure it could be my permanent lifestyle though.
Saturday we do laundry in the morning and wait for the sun to start to appear before venturing out. It's not raining, but the wind is whipping about as the clouds dissipate. We walk over to Fisherman's Wharf and have a look at the houseboats. They are fun to see - not sure it could be my permanent lifestyle though.
Off the dock are a group seals. They come close looking for food and soon one of the tourists buys some from the fresh fish stand on the wharf. It is amazing how they splash to gather attention. One even waves with it's fin.
We catch a water taxi from Fisherman's Wharf up to China Town - a reasonable $6 of entertainment and an opportunity to avoid walking in the wind. We stroll around China Town, eyeing the roasted ducks in some of the windows. If only we were hungry! From China Town we walk by City Hall then make our way through Olde Town. Now we're starting to get hungry, so we stop in at the Irish Times Pub where there are still tents up outside from yesterday's celebrations. We settle into a nice corner for a late lunch.
 |  Following our meal we walk through the harbor area. We spot a fun sign reminding us of how far we have traveled! On back to our hotel. It's been an enjoyable afternoon. |
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