Having just returned from a bit more than a week on Canada’s west coast, I can say something very assuredly:  this trip did nothing to diminish my desire to someday live near the Pacific Ocean.  My mixed work and pleasure trip was made a wee bit sweeter knowing there were some snow flurries back home in Halifax while I was away. It wasn’t that warm in Vancouver or Victoria, but I never once wondered if I needed to put gloves on to go out.  After this past winter, I’m considering that a wonderful eight day gift from the travel weather gods.

This being my second time in Vancouver, I dug a little deeper into the city including a very early morning hike around the Stanley Park seawall, some urban exploring for public art, generous west coast craft beer tastings including visiting four craft breweries, and a Saturday evening Whitecaps FC soccer match. Those experiences were so much fun that I can even forgive the Canucks for choking their way out of a game seven match up with the Flames for which I had a ticket.

I left Vancouver by ferry to see Victoria and to explore a bit further afield on Vancouver Island.  Victoria was full bloom in colour and I realized that I had almost forgotten what flowers and green grass looked like.  A few nice street meals, some more craft beer sampling (sense a trend?) and a healthy dose of general exploring gave me a nice taste of Victoria.  A day long road trip around the southern part of Vancouver Island was a mix of small town visits, west coast beach hikes and a memorable meal at the Sooke Harbour House with a clear view of the snow capped Olympic Mountains across the Juan de Fuca Strait in Washington State.

I had a lovely time in British Columbia.  There were some very special and unexpected moments that reminded me that many times it’s the little “experiences within the experience” that make a trip memorable.  I’m looking forward to writing about this trip and a few of those moments over the coming weeks.