Well I'm home again but with lots of stories to tell. Trying to blog on the road is getting tougher and tougher. By the time I have put in a full day of sightseeing or just hanging out I am ready for 1) a snooze with the TV on or 2) a snooze with the TV off. I also tried to keep a personal travel journal as well and while I did pretty darn well with the UK/Europe trip let's just say British Columbia was a bit of a disaster. Not even a new pretty blue journal I got in London for the British Columbia trip inspired me - ah well, it will be there for the next trip and likely the next one and the one after that...
Anyway it's time now to start telling some tales and sharing some pictures. So here we go...on the buses on Salt Spring island.
I had looked at renting a car however the rates were $100 a day plus of course gas. Coming off of a very expensive trip I just didn't feel I could afford that luxury. They rented scooters for about half that but I do think I am a little past that...in one way it would have been kind of fun but I decided to put safety first. (other peoples safety that is!)
So on Friday June 3rd I got myself a day pass for five bucks and I was off. I must say the drivers were very helpful and friendly so a big thanks to Tao, Lefty and the others whose names I forget. (I mean you can't forget those two can you)
My first stop was Fernwood near the top of the island. Fernwood Beach is one of the best beaches on the island apparently although nobody was swimming that day. A couple were harvesting seaweed though. The long wharf was a treat to walk along and I got some great views...
I was feeling a bit peckish and I had nearly two hours to kill (yes the bus to there and most places only ran every two hours...) so I had brunch at the Fernwood Road Cafe which was across the road from the beach.
Of course I opted to sit outside and ordered a Breakfast Naan...something I had never tried or even heard of before...cheesy scrambled eggs, thin red onion and spicy tomato jam in a soft folded naan. Oh my... mayI have another one now? It was wonderful and so easy I could probably make it myself. (but we know I never will...)
I guess I should have opened it up for the photo but I was drooling and I wanted that baby NOW.
After I had demolished the naan and enjoyed a big old cup of coffee and worked on my journal a bit (hey I had two hours to kill and I decided this was NOT a walking day - or rather my knee had decided for me) I wandered down to the water again to get some more photos. As I was crossing the road I saw what I thought was a white goat with a red collar walking with a woman..you know..as you do on a Friday morning. I immediately cried out "oh a goat - how cute" and she corrected me saying "no, it's a lamb". I was full of questions "what's its name?" Lamby "how old is it?" five months "is he gentle" yes. "Do you keep it to milk it?" As soon as it left my mouth I was thinking "you stupid woman it's a SHEEP not a goat and it's a boy!". I laughed and said "oops" and she said lots of people say that. (sure they do...) But then a fellow on a bicycle stopped to ask about "the goat" and when informed it was a lamb then asked "what do lambs turn into". Okay folks, I'm not THAT dumb! Anyway we stood and talked for a while and she told me Lamby's story. He was born prematurely in January to a busy farm family that were friends of Gwinda's (I think that was her name; let's call her that) Gwinda's friend said she just didn't have time to look after it and would Gwinda be interested in it as a playmate for her son. Otherwise...well poor Lamby....So she took him and said he is the best pet she has ever had. Very gentle and quiet and loves to cuddle. She hasn't tried house training him yet and not even sure if that's possible. Lamby is a special breed of sheep that I forget now...let's say the "goat looking" kind. Of course to sheep obsessed Laurie it was almost like meeting a rock star. So of course I had to have a picture taken with Mr. Lamby.
Doesn't he look like a goat? He was a busy boy and it was hard to get a photo of him standing still until the one below when he decided it was time for a rest while mom had coffee and visited her friends.
In honour of Lamby I didn't eat any of the lamb burgers that are a feature of the island.
Earlier I had met an elderly gentleman on the wharf and we exchanged pleasantries. When I went to the bus stop he was there so we chatted - well he did and I got to hear all about his life. He is 90 years old and has lived all over the place including a stint in New York City. He was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire and came over during the Second World War with his mother and brother. They went back after the war but he didn't and at 17 he joined the Canadian air force and from there went to school and ended up making a career out of teaching which included Columbia University in New York and Montreal's McGill. I love hearing people's life stories. The bus was really quite late (the only time..) but I got to chat to the fellow and it was all good.
The next place I went to was Fulford Harbour which is the harbour the ferries from Victoria dock at. It's on the south end of the island. Quite a busy place when the ferry came in and left but otherwise pretty quiet. There were shops there but I must say it didn't really grab me. As I was having knee issues (which was why I decided on a bus day) I didn't want to wander too far I mainly hung around the shops in the central area. Another two hours!
I managed to pass the time looking in shops and taking photographs. I had a black currant popsicle made on Salt Spring - very tasty. The bus rolled up at the same time as the ferry approached the dock so I hopped on to ensure my seat as this is a busy run.
Back to Ganges with a bit of a wander around until the bus to Vesuvius which is on the northwest of the island. Smaller than the others - ferries to here come from Crofton near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. In fact the ferry was going to be late so the driver didn't stay to wait for them however I did have ten minutes to grab some pictures. To me this was the prettiest of all the places I visited that day although not much there but a restaurant.
So back to Ganges and by this time it was almost 6 p.m. so time for supper...I treated myself to a salmon burger at Burger Bar 537 and of course I had to sit outside.
It was absolutely delicious. And with that I hopped on another bus back up the hill to my little studio apartment.
Anyway it's time now to start telling some tales and sharing some pictures. So here we go...on the buses on Salt Spring island.
I had looked at renting a car however the rates were $100 a day plus of course gas. Coming off of a very expensive trip I just didn't feel I could afford that luxury. They rented scooters for about half that but I do think I am a little past that...in one way it would have been kind of fun but I decided to put safety first. (other peoples safety that is!)
So on Friday June 3rd I got myself a day pass for five bucks and I was off. I must say the drivers were very helpful and friendly so a big thanks to Tao, Lefty and the others whose names I forget. (I mean you can't forget those two can you)
My first stop was Fernwood near the top of the island. Fernwood Beach is one of the best beaches on the island apparently although nobody was swimming that day. A couple were harvesting seaweed though. The long wharf was a treat to walk along and I got some great views...
I was feeling a bit peckish and I had nearly two hours to kill (yes the bus to there and most places only ran every two hours...) so I had brunch at the Fernwood Road Cafe which was across the road from the beach.
Of course I opted to sit outside and ordered a Breakfast Naan...something I had never tried or even heard of before...cheesy scrambled eggs, thin red onion and spicy tomato jam in a soft folded naan. Oh my... mayI have another one now? It was wonderful and so easy I could probably make it myself. (but we know I never will...)
I guess I should have opened it up for the photo but I was drooling and I wanted that baby NOW.
After I had demolished the naan and enjoyed a big old cup of coffee and worked on my journal a bit (hey I had two hours to kill and I decided this was NOT a walking day - or rather my knee had decided for me) I wandered down to the water again to get some more photos. As I was crossing the road I saw what I thought was a white goat with a red collar walking with a woman..you know..as you do on a Friday morning. I immediately cried out "oh a goat - how cute" and she corrected me saying "no, it's a lamb". I was full of questions "what's its name?" Lamby "how old is it?" five months "is he gentle" yes. "Do you keep it to milk it?" As soon as it left my mouth I was thinking "you stupid woman it's a SHEEP not a goat and it's a boy!". I laughed and said "oops" and she said lots of people say that. (sure they do...) But then a fellow on a bicycle stopped to ask about "the goat" and when informed it was a lamb then asked "what do lambs turn into". Okay folks, I'm not THAT dumb! Anyway we stood and talked for a while and she told me Lamby's story. He was born prematurely in January to a busy farm family that were friends of Gwinda's (I think that was her name; let's call her that) Gwinda's friend said she just didn't have time to look after it and would Gwinda be interested in it as a playmate for her son. Otherwise...well poor Lamby....So she took him and said he is the best pet she has ever had. Very gentle and quiet and loves to cuddle. She hasn't tried house training him yet and not even sure if that's possible. Lamby is a special breed of sheep that I forget now...let's say the "goat looking" kind. Of course to sheep obsessed Laurie it was almost like meeting a rock star. So of course I had to have a picture taken with Mr. Lamby.
Doesn't he look like a goat? He was a busy boy and it was hard to get a photo of him standing still until the one below when he decided it was time for a rest while mom had coffee and visited her friends.
In honour of Lamby I didn't eat any of the lamb burgers that are a feature of the island.
Earlier I had met an elderly gentleman on the wharf and we exchanged pleasantries. When I went to the bus stop he was there so we chatted - well he did and I got to hear all about his life. He is 90 years old and has lived all over the place including a stint in New York City. He was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire and came over during the Second World War with his mother and brother. They went back after the war but he didn't and at 17 he joined the Canadian air force and from there went to school and ended up making a career out of teaching which included Columbia University in New York and Montreal's McGill. I love hearing people's life stories. The bus was really quite late (the only time..) but I got to chat to the fellow and it was all good.
The next place I went to was Fulford Harbour which is the harbour the ferries from Victoria dock at. It's on the south end of the island. Quite a busy place when the ferry came in and left but otherwise pretty quiet. There were shops there but I must say it didn't really grab me. As I was having knee issues (which was why I decided on a bus day) I didn't want to wander too far I mainly hung around the shops in the central area. Another two hours!
I managed to pass the time looking in shops and taking photographs. I had a black currant popsicle made on Salt Spring - very tasty. The bus rolled up at the same time as the ferry approached the dock so I hopped on to ensure my seat as this is a busy run.
Back to Ganges with a bit of a wander around until the bus to Vesuvius which is on the northwest of the island. Smaller than the others - ferries to here come from Crofton near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. In fact the ferry was going to be late so the driver didn't stay to wait for them however I did have ten minutes to grab some pictures. To me this was the prettiest of all the places I visited that day although not much there but a restaurant.
So back to Ganges and by this time it was almost 6 p.m. so time for supper...I treated myself to a salmon burger at Burger Bar 537 and of course I had to sit outside.
It was absolutely delicious. And with that I hopped on another bus back up the hill to my little studio apartment.
Comments