Visiting Family in Vancouver

September 29, 1982

When Mui’s Aunt Leman and Uncle Faruk traveled from Turkey to Canada to visit their son, Rıfat, we took the opportunity to see them in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Left: A Roundtrip 360-mile (576 km) trip to visit family.
Right: View from RIfat’s apartment on Beach Drive.

We even managed to squeeze a bit of sightseeing into our day-trip.  First, we went to Queen Elizabeth Park, a former stone quarry that is home to beautifully landscaped gardens and the Bloedel Conservatory.

Later we walked around Gastown, a neighborhood that dates back to 1867 when “Gassy” Jack Deighton canoed in with a few barrels of whiskey and opened a saloon.  Though the city that grew around the saloon was destroyed by the great fire of 1886, today’s Gastown rose from those ashes.

Live steam winds the weights and blows the
whistle of the clock that sounds the
Westminster chimes on a regular basis.

For those intrigued by Gastown’s most famous landmark, here are some scans from the brochure we picked up on that trip.  (Click the images for larger, legible versions.)

 

Despite our best efforts, we have not managed to get back to Vancouver, but it is high on our list of places to return to.

Victoria, British Columbia: A Weekend Getaway

July 16-18, 1982

We had so much fun in Victoria on our day trip in June that it wasn’t long before we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca again for a return visit to Canada. This time, instead of sailing from Seattle, we opted to take the M/V Coho from Port Angeles (shorter distance; and we were able to take our car across with us).

I don’t remember where we stayed exactly, but I think it was at a hotel somewhere near the Inner Harbor. I know we spent very little time in the room, so it’s no wonder that our accommodations didn’t leave a lasting impression on us.

Boy did we cram a lot into that short weekend! We started out with a quick evening visit to Butchart Gardens (didn’t even come close to doing the place justice) …

… went to Sealand the next day to see the Haida Show (the place apparently closed down shortly after the death of an orca trainer in 1991) …

… toured Craigdarroch Castle, built between 1887-1890 for Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal (the story goes that he promised his wife that if she accompanied him from Scotland to Vancouver Island, he would make a fortune and build her a castle) …

… visited the hand-built, storybook house and charming gardens of Fable Cottage Estate (after spending 11 years building their home, the Rogers family was apparently so plagued by sightseers that they sold the house on the understanding that all the handmade furnishings and family heirlooms would be retained for the public to view) …

The picture on the right is of what was considered
to be the world's largest rotating flower basket
at the time; it weighed 1 ton.

… wandered around the Inner Harbor to see the Princess Marguerite II leave port (that brought back great memories of our June trip); strolled around the Parliament Gardens; listened to the chimes of the Netherlands Carillion …

… and enjoyed the totem poles at Thunderbird Park.

Though the photos we took at the Ye Olde English Inn (replica of Shakespeare’s home) are not worth posting, this blog entry would be incomplete without a mention of the tour we took of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (replica of the thatch-roofed cottage where Shakespeare’s wife lived in England). It was during this tour that I learned the source of such sayings as eating a square meal, cleaning off your plate before you can have dessert, and burning the candle at both ends.

OK, OK … I’ll share the information as it was told to us.

Eating a square meal: the dinner plate was a square piece of wood.

Cleaning off your plate before you can have dessert: you had to finish your food (usually stew), wipe the wood plate off with a piece of bread, and flip it over to eat dessert (if any was served).

Burning the candle at both ends: if a father wanted his daughter’s beau to leave early, he’d burn both ends of the candle so that it would melt faster.

By the time we were back on the M/V Coho for the return trip back to the US, we were dead-tired, but oh so satisfied with our weekend adventure.

It sure would be interesting to go back and recreate this weekend someday; but maybe do it over a longer period of time so we can do justice to those places that are still around.

Victoria, British Columbia: A Day Trip

June 12, 1982

From the sweaters we’re wearing in the pictures that follow, I can only guess that it was a cool, summer day on which we took the Princess Marguerite II from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The city that serves as the capital of British Columbia was originally named Fort Victoria. It was founded in 1842 by James Douglas, who was charged with the task of setting up a trading post on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. And so it was that Victoria became the first European settlement to be established on the island.

Though I may be a bit hazy about the weather that day, I clearly remember that we enjoyed the boat trip through Puget Sound and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I also clearly recall that we had a wonderful time roaming about the Inner Harbor of Victoria. In fact, by the time we were back aboard the ship for the return trip to Seattle, we were already making plans to come back for a longer visit.

Sailing out of Seattle aboard Princess Marguerite II.
(Space Needle in the background)

On the way to Victoria, BC.

Docked in the Inner Harbor of Victoria.
(Empress Hotel in the background)

A meandering walk in the Inner Harbor …

… leads us to Laurel Point where we watch PM II
as it prepares to steam back to Seattle.

From 1949 to 1989, PM II provided passenger service
between Victoria and Seattle.

Tally Ho!
A horse-drawn wagon tour provides an orientation to the sights.

Once inside the Undersea Gardens, visitors are under the Pacific Ocean.

The Fairmont Empress puts on a nice afternoon tea.
At the time, it was a bit too rich for our pocketbook.

Mui hobnobbing with royalty at the Royal London Wax Museum.
(the first Madame Tussaud Museum in North America)

The Classic Car Museum
(no website; so I assume the museum is no more)

Mui hobnobbing with Clark Cable.
(1941 Packard Super 8)

The original Parliament buildings (1859) were replaced by
the current sandstone buildings in 1898, one year after
Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

The stained glass windows were made in Leeds, England.
They were shipped to Victoria in molasses.

“Two to Travel” really did make it to Victoria together.

Now, talk about a real blast from the past …

Having fun on the PM II on the return trip to Seattle.

Here’s something else I recall clearly from this day — Mui lost the car!!! OK, so he didn’t really lose it; he misplaced it temporarily. When we disembarked the Princess Marguerite II in Seattle, I waited at the ferry landing, while Mui went to get the car from the parking structure. I waited, and I waited, and I waited. This was before the time of cell phones, so I had no way of reaching him. Nor did I know where he’d parked the car, so I couldn’t go find him. After what seemed like an interminable wait, he finally drove up to the ferry landing. With a sheepish look, he explained that he couldn’t remember which level he’d parked the car on. So, he waited for the structure to empty out and then went looking for it floor by floor. Smart solution; but next time, just pay attention to where you’re parking Mui.

(Before I posted this blog entry, I searched the web to see if PM II was still running. It was apparently taken out of service permanently in 1989. If interested, click here for the history of the ship.)