Going to Victoria

After my grandfather retired he and my grandmother took a trip to Canada. They enchanted me with stories about Victoria. At age 12, I was hooked. I started my “bucket list”. Many decades later my husband and I jumped at the chance to join a December Sports Leisure trip to Victoria for four wonderful days

We joined a congenial group of 32 travelers plus the tour guide, Chris Galloway, a young man who travels extensively and takes excellent care of people who travel with him. Getting us through customs twice both ways made his job a little more challenging.

Chris had planned our trip well. We boarded a bus for Sidney where we had an excellent lunch. People who had the halibut fish and chips agreed it was the best fish and chips they had ever eaten. After lunch we had free time to explore Sidney, known as “Booktown” because of its many used book stores.

As we drove into Victoria, the blend of the old with the new fascinated me. The Bed and Bath, Wall Mart, Subway, Mac Donalds, Wendy’s, and dozens of other ubiquitous businesses seemed out of place beside the grand old English looking buildings that dominated the center of the city. Our hotel, the Chateau Victoria stood 18 stories tall. The 18th floor housed a bar and restaurant with wonderful panoramic views of the city. On the day we arrived, a reception for our group at 4:45 was followed by a wonderful dinner an hour later. We got there early and had a chance to view the city through the floor to ceiling glass windows that encircled this spectacular restaurant. From our seats next to the windows we watched lights transform the city into a sparkling jewel framed by the sunset over the distant ocean.

High Tea at the Empress Hotel highlighted a trip full of wonderful experiences. Among them a self-guided visit to Craigdarroch Castle, Butchart Gardens lit up for Christmas, the Victoria Butterfly Garden, the Touch of Saltspring Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair, a two hour city tour narrated by our bus driver, David, who lives in Victoria. We had ample free time to explore on our own as well.
We got home with little time for Christmas card writing, tree and house decorating, and any other usual early December activities. Tradition is nice, but flexibility can bring great experiences such as Christmas in Victoria.

Sea Otter Inn

Excitement replaced the sadness of leaving Morrow Bay as we drove north on highway 1 toward the small seaside town of Cambria. I knew the Cambria Pines Lodge was headquarters for the Sandstone Properties. The Village Green Gardens in northern Oregon is one of their resorts. I featured it in my first Getaways booklet. I knew nothing about Cambria, a little town somewhat hidden on both sides of the highway along the coast.

Cambria Pines Lodge

One of many scarecrows

We took the first exit and found ourselves winding around mountain curves with no town in sight. After some stops to ask for directions and u-turns to get back on track we arrived at Cambria Pines Lodge. To our surprise the lodge was surrounded by wonderful gardens much like the Village Green Gardens in Oregon. We met a delightful couple while exploring the gardens.

Scarecrows of all kinds guarded streets, houses, and businesses in the annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival. Obviously many creative people live in this interesting little town. Cambria also hosts two Sandstone Properties resorts. The lodge is nestled among pine trees on the east side of the highway. The other property, the Sea Otter Inn is north and west of the highway on the ocean. It is one of many interesting looking inns along Moonstone Beach Drive.

Across the street a wooden plank walking path attracts the guests and provides steps to the beaches, look-out points, and benches. I met interesting friendly people on the path. I watched an over-sized seal slowly climb a slippery wet rock and almost get washed off by big breaking waves.

The sun turned the sky blue and the ocean reflected the color of the sky. I wished I could take one of Cindy Sample’s fun books and sit on a bench by the sea listening to the waves and inhaling the clean ocean air, but we could only spend one night at the Sea Otter Inn. I hoped we would return to Cambria some day when we could stay a week.

Reedley Country Inn

Going to Kings Canyon or Sequoia National Parks? Consider spending the first night in the quiet exquisite Reedley Country Inn. Owner, Linda Penner, once lived in the pink house surrounded by beautiful gardens bordered by peach orchards. She has spent her life searching for unusual art objects which she skillfuly incorporates into each of five rooms. She combines comfort and beauty.

We traveled to Reedley Saturday to attend my high school reunion. We looked forward to our fourth stay at this unusual Bed and Breakfast Inn. The colorful arbors and rose gardens make it a favorite wedding location as well as a newly wed destination.

If you are looking for a peaceful quiet affordable place to get away and relax, you won’t find any place better. Remember to take your camera, walking shoes, and books to read. You will find places in the shade to sit and talk surrounded by flowers.

Have you ever dreamed of traveling free of all the usual concerns? Reservations, traffic, when and where to eat, parking, handling luggage and all the planning would be handled by an expert. The daydream became a reality for Everett and me when we signed up for our first tour by Sports Leisure Vacations last weekend. Our three day getaway took us across the new San Francisco Bay Bridge down the coast through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz to the beautiful Clement Monterey Intercontinental Hotel on Cannery Row on the Monterey Bay.

Bright yellow wildflowers decorated vast hillsides painted green by nature and spotlighted by brilliant sunshine. We drove through the amazing multimillion dollar tunnel just north of Half Moon Bay, the city internationally famous for surfing. The treacherous old Highway 1 has been turned into a bike and hiking trail. Hopefully, it won’t get washed away like the old highway did.

On Monday Gail Gallacher, a long time Monterey Peninsula tour director, entertained us with Steinbeck stories as we drove on the 17 mile drive past Pebble Beach and multimillion dollar homes, We had a gourmet lunch at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley and spent the afternoon at the world famous Monterey Aquarium. We walked the half block back to our hotel after watching Aquarium staff feed the penquins. That night we had a halibut dinner at Fish Hoppers on the Bay.

Tuesday we spent the morning at a Wild Things farm that is becoming a zoo. They give a home to rescued animals who cannot return to the wild. Scott Angeletti, tour planner and director, made this fantasy trip more perfect than any daydream I could create. I didn’t see anyone unhappy or sorry they had come. We can hardly wait to join him on another getaway.

(look for pictures soon)

Turn a Business Trip into a Romantic Adventure

By carefully planning you can turn a business trip into a romantic getaway. Our recent trip to the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference became an opportunity to enjoy the luxury of staying at Anaheim’s beautiful Marriott Hotel. Everett, who is retired, visited the hotel’s large fitness center every morning after seeing me off to a long morning of classes. The fitness center was complimentary for guests.

We enjoyed breakfast at Marriott’s tasty breakfast buffet. The toppings for the steel ground oatmeal included brown sugar; three kinds of raisins; slivered almonds; and dried cranberries, bananas and coconut. What a delightful way to start the day.

Our cozy hotel room had a balcony overlooking the hotel swimming pool and the city beyond. Everett explored the area surrounding the massive Convention Center, the Hilton Hotel across the street from the Marriott and the huge area covered by Disneyland. He discovered Disneyland has an interesting little shopping center. During the mild sunny afternoons he spent time on the balcony reading and writing.

I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my lover. Toward the end of the week I skipped a couple of evening classes to have a leisurely dinner at a restaurant chosen by him. I wonder if many of the 8,000 therapists from all over the world who attended the conference brought mates to enjoy the romantic getaway which made learning much more fun.