Hmmm, I getting spoiled - too much excitement and enjoyable times for Magnificent M to bear. Return to regular life will be likely be rocky. I had a work trip to Victoria and instead of my usual fly in and fly out in one day, this time I drove over and spent 2 nights. This meant that I was able to avoid the usual high stress, pack in as much time everywhere as possible event that drives me a little nutty. I drove myself to my various appointments and was in charge of my own time. It was great It felt like my usual work days, except they were here in Victoria. I have a few observations about Victoria:
1. It is very beautiful here, similar to Vancouver but different. I love all of the heritage buildings and houses.
2. Everything is more condensed which is nice. Access is good.
3. There are not enough Starbucks here. In Vancouver you can easily find Starbucks in any area. I have spotted a few here but not at the frequency level I would like. On the other hand there are a lot of Boston Pizza's... honestly people, get your priorities straight!
4. People drive way too slow here. I am by no means a ridiculously fast driver but who actually drives 50 k when there is not a cop behind them?!?! Its bizarre. I am chalking it up to the lack of starbucks.
5. Driving around here is an exercise in patience and intelligence. I failed both tests. I have been told that I have a freakishly good sense of direction. I can look at maps and then easily translate myself into the map when actually lost. This has proven reliable when I lived in Ottawa, visited Toronto, Atlanta, been in odd areas of Vancouver, visited Chicago, various trips to Montreal and Quebec city, my trip through Europe... and yet Victoria has thrown all of it out the window. I have a map and I have been here before but nonetheless I have been lost, no kidding, 6x across 2 days. It is a disturbing feeling to be driving on one street only to come to a cross road and find that you are at an intersection where both streets have the same name. Cedar Hill and Cedar Hill. There is no grid here. Its insanity.
But it has been a good trip. Enjoyed some good times, had some good food, saw some sights and didn't check my email or blog for almost 80 hours.
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4 comments:
Victoria is great! I miss it so much :-)I concur about the driving there though - ridiculously slow driving. I'm glad you had a more relaxed time this trip.
We went to Tapas again for dinner one night... good! I had those figs with blue cheese again - yummy! We also shopped on Oak Bay Ave and had tea at a tea room. It was weird to be there and think "Stella is not here". I like Victoria a lot. We've thought of moving there before, particularly when I was looking at doing my masteres there. I only have one hesitation about moving there and it has nothing to do with the city itself... but you know what that is :-( every decision is determined by that factor.
Hope things are getting better in Bawston?
lol...loved the post. Here are my two bits re your victoria comments:
1- It is very beautiful indeed.
2- Very condensed, yes. Stella and I never owned a car while living there and we got everywhere we needed to. Try that in Vancouver.
3- There are quite a few Starbucks, but not nearly as many as on the mainland. However, have you tried Serious Coffee? It's one of my favorite things about the place.
4- We saw a car in VIctoria with the bumper sticker "Slow down! This isn't Vancouver."
5- Victorias streets explained:
-They are formed after the coast-line, not a grid.
-In some areas they are formed after coastlines from other countries.
-The Victoria city developers did not want you to think you are in North America.
-Numbers reminded the developers of grids so they abandoned there use.
-Because names like "Cedar Hill" are just sooo wonderful, many different street types will use (and re-use) them. Cedar Hill Crossroads and Cedar Hill Drive are an example. And because Victorians love the name but don't like being reminded that they are on a street they will often leave out the street type.
-Not every city planner agreed on the names for the streets. Expect them to change.
LOL! yes DH and I had many a laugh about that too! We'd be driving on so and so street and then suddenly it is called such and such and then something else again.
I tried Serious Coffee with Stella and it was great! I didn't have a chance to find one on the last visit... I did see the one on Oak bay ave but it was right after I drank 5 cups of tea so I was not in need of a pick me up.
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