A few weeks ago the kids got their first stamp in their passports (well, metaphorically anyway) as we took a family vacation to Victoria, BC. Last fall I settled on the Victoria 70.3 as my first half-ironman distance triathlon and we invited my parents to join to make it a vacation. Then, when my aunt and uncle accepted the invitation to come too, we had the makings for a great extended family Canadian vacation.
We flew from Dallas to Seattle (a flight which, with an overtired but refusing to nap or stay still Rebecca, felt even longer than it was!) then another short 30 minute flight from Seattle to Victoria, which gave us a nice aerial view of the beautiful scenery. Our first evening we strolled around the harbour (yes, that's how they spell it ;))) and enjoyed a nice seafood dinner.
Friday, our first full day, we took advantage of the beautiful, sunny, 60 degree weather to walk to breakfast in the harbour area.
Yes, Daniel and I are wearing boots. Representing Texas!
The Government Building...which was also beautiful by night, as a later photo will show
After that we went to the Butchart Gardens just outside of town. They were as beautiful as I remembered from a family vacation there when I was younger and really, iPhone pictures don't do it justice.
Rebecca peering into the quarry area:
Family pic in the Japanese garden:
Kids looking into Japanese garden pond:
The kids' favorite part of the garden experience was the carousel. I think they could have spent all day on that!
Afterwards we took the kids to the hotel swimming pool to play for a bit. Alas, Kevin also accidentally took his phone swimming, and it didn't enjoy the swim as much as the kids did.
Friday was Kevin's birthday so my parents and aunt and uncle graciously took the kids for the evening and Kevin and I went out for a birthday dinner at a restaurant called Olo. From what we'd read it sounded a lot like FT33, our favorite Dallas restaurant, and we weren't disappointed.
Saturday the rest of the family explored the Royal BC Museum while I went to the race site for packet pickup and to claim and then drop off my bike. Hearing the athlete briefing that walked us through the details of the race, seeing the course, and buying Ironman gear for the family made it all real: after months of training, tomorrow I was really going to do this. From what I hear, the museum was nice too, though the food truck lunch they had after was hit or miss.
That afternoon Kevin rested at the hotel with Rebecca while Daniel and I joined the rest of the family for a boat ride around the harbour. Daniel's favorite parts were the seal we saw playing in the water and the float houses in the water. Oh, and the seaplanes that kept taking off and landing. Apparently it's quite the active harbor, even as most of its use is now recreational rather than commercial as it once was.
While we were at the harbour Daniel also noticed "Plasterman," a street performer. We gave him some money to put in Plasterman's bucket and he was rewarded with the chance to pose with Plasterman.
That night Kevin went out to watch a Stanley Cup finals game with a Canadian crowd and the rest of us went for a predictable pre-race meal at the Spaghetti Factory. This meal was memorable mainly for learning the hard way that if the kids are going to share a meal, and the plates don't get split in the kitchen, the meal should be set in front of Daniel, not Rebecca ;). She immediately felt possessive of the plate of pasta set before her and was not a happy camper when we took half of it away. After many tears and a second order, all was resolved. We headed back to the hotel to get the kids ready for bed and after getting last-minute details ready, I was in bed not long behind them.
We got a hotel room suite that had a main bedroom area and a sitting area with a foldout couch. The kids did surprisingly well sharing the foldout couch. Here they are in funny sleep positions during the night.
The next day was race day. You can read about my day here. Here's a quick picture from the transition area before the start of the race. One thing that I had been surprised about was that the race started at 6am. I worried we'd be swimming in the dark but there was full sun by the time I got to the race site at 5. (Side note: thank goodness for thick drapes in the hotel room, or we'd never be able to get the kids to sleep!)
After a leisurely morning the family headed out to the finish line to meet me. The kids enjoyed playing on a playground conveniently located right there and I enjoyed seeing all those cheering familiar faces as I finished my race.
No visit to Canada is complete without a mozza burger from A&W so we crossed that off the list after the race. Later that night we celebrated our last night in Canada with a yummy seafood dinner. On our walk back to the hotel we were treated to the beautiful night view of the harbour one last time.
Then the next morning we were up and out of the door by 5:30am to make our 8am flight. Kevin and Rebecca slept the whole way to Seattle while the rest of us enjoyed the views out the window.
After planning and looking forward to the trip for so long it's hard to believe it's over, but we had a great time and would enjoy returning to Victoria some day. Daniel asks almost every day when we can go back to Canada. It won't be right away, but we'll definitely be back!
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