vacay
So it's over. It's actually been over for a week now. I just have been busy working!
R. arrived for his visit last Tuesday morning. I will admit to being a bit nervous at the airport. There I was, about to pick up a guy that I had never actually met before. We have spent hours chatting on iChat and the like, but to have someone travel 1200 miles to visit you... I have never done that before. We were texting each other on his flights up, as he connected through Seattle. His flight arrived on time, and within moments of him exiting the Arrivals area, any hint of tension was broken as he clandestinely shared the story of the woman who fell down the boarding stairs just before departure, holding things up as all her legal info was collected. It was like two old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time, picking right up where they left off.
We headed into Victoria, and spent a great couple of days there. R. has been to the Capital region before, but never with a resident guide. He got the full tour, the harbour, Ogden Point, my neighbourhood, UVic, Lansdowne, a bit of Oak Bay and some of Esquimalt as well. The places that most tourists don't get to.
We went to The Butchart Gardens on the Wednesday, and had Afternoon Tea there, R's first time. It was delicious as usual, and we had a great table overlooking the Picnic Lawns and the Italian Garden all the way down to Butchart Cove. We wandered around in the rain, as I put on my tour guide hat, and ran into several of my old friends and coworkers there.
Thursday we were off to Vancouver. We had tickets to go see Celtic Thunder at the UBC Thunderbird Stadium. I had not had a great deal of exposure to their music before, but R. didn't want to pass up the chance to see them, so off we went. Transit in Vancouver lived up to expectations, and we enjoyed a couple of good meals on our way to and from. I had wanted to see Linds, but alas, our schedules once again were not copacetic. So we had to make-do with a drop-in hello and a special Starbucks drink instead. Friday R. and I headed back to Nanaimo after seeing some of Vancouver and having breakfast, and then had to turn around and go right back to Vancouver to see Les Miserables on Saturday. We had lunch with Liz and Chris at Caffe Barney on Granville, and went off to the matinee. I wasn't familiar with the plot or music from Les Miserables, although R. has seen it before. It was actually quite good! I would like to see the Broadway version at some point if I am ever near it.
We then spent the rest of R's visit bucketing around Nanaimo and area. We walked the Harbourfront and Swy'a'lana Lagoon, and walked around Piper's Lagoon on a stormy afternoon. Movies were watched, dinners were cooked, and a great time was had by all.
I couldn't have asked for a better holiday, or a better person to spend it with.
