Breakfast time at Belle Vue B&B, Courtenay, Vancouver Island
Breakfast starter at Belle Vue B&B, Courtenay, Vancouver Island
Belle Vue B&B, Courtenay, Vancouver Island
Display at Aiforce Museum, Lomox, Vancouver Island
Breakfast was once again a gastronomic speciality with Walter making a delicious quiche as well as zucchini loaf bread with fruits and cream.
Prior to leaving Bellevue we took a photo of Walter’s 1930s Gibson guitar that was previously owned and played by his mother.
After more photos and farewell hugs we set forth for Comox where we spent an interesting hour at the local air-force museum. The displays were first-class and focussed extensively on the role played by the RCAF during WWII. An hour’s wandering around the museum wasn’t really adequate for seeing all the displays but gave us some insight into the aircraft and ancillary equipment used and the role that Canadian men and women played during this time of world conflict.
We then drove down the coastal road (Highway 19A) stopping at Qualicum Beach for a coffee and a change of driver.
The coast road route was very scenic with clear views out across the Strait of Georgia towards the mainland of British Columbia.
The coast road ended and became the main highway (Highway 19) and after a wrong turn, we inadvertently ended up heading back north again! After rectifying this problem we once again travelled south to the town of Duncan where we turned off towards Lake Cowichan which was 30 km to the west. This large lake offers a very popular holiday resort area for water sports and apart from the many power boats and yachts, the marina had several large house-boats for hire.
With daylight waning we then drove back to the main highway and down into Victoria, the capital city of Vancouver Island to rest for the night. However, when we went to check in to our booked accommodation we found that there was a problem with the booking dates and the place was unavailable tonight.
We then had to find alternative accommodation and amongst the nearby city hotels was one in downtown Victoria offering a room for four (double bed plus trundle bed) for a mere $1495 per night. Needless to say we declined the offer!
After many further phone calls to other hotels and B&Bs all of which were booked out, we eventually found a hotel room at Sooke, 40 km southwest of Victoria. It turned out to be a gem! The Sooke Harbour House is right on the waterfront and our room (shared by the four of us) was very comfortable with a deck leading out onto a lawn and garden going down to the water’s edge. There’s even a tall totem pole in the garden!
As it was too late to go to the restaurant we had G&Ts in our room and ordered some pizzas and planned our day in Victoria tomorrow.