Ferry to Victoria and the Empress Hotel

Our adventure began on Sunday as we finished packing the car for our trip and headed north.  We drove up I-5 and took a left at Olympia, WA and wended our way up through the wooded roads to Port Angeles where we'd booked a hotel for the night.  We found the Olympic Lodge and checked into our room and were amazed at the view.  

The lobby was also amazing looking out over a golf course.

There was a blip - we stopped at a little roadside diner on the way and something in my bacon cheeseburger did something to my throat.  It actually felt like a broken piece of toothpick was stuck sideways in there!  I could breathe, drink and eat, but it was very painful.  For our late dinner I had a crab salad, thinking that if anything would push the obstruction down, that would be it, but it did not.  So, Dayle took me to the ER there and they x-rayed my throat and found nothing.  The nice woman doctor surmised that something had scraped my esophagus which was causing the pain and feeling of choking.  Great.  They said to take some ibuprofen and sent me "home".  

Thankfully I slept well enough and woke up with less pain and less of a choking feeling.  I still have a sore throat but it's manageable.  We got in line for the ferry nice and early and passed the 2 hour wait for it to arrive enjoying the view and the sunshine.

Our ride arrived right on time!  The Black Ball Ferry to Victoria BC.

I got to go on board and managed to snap a photo of Dayle in line in our red Ford Flex.  Check out the car to the left, a sea gull just splattered his whole car.  I'm so glad they missed our car!  LOL!

I heard the flag snapping above me and nabbed this image.  

The Olympic Mountains make an impressive background to the city and it sits on the beautiful waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

I was able to get a great seat right in front with a great view and as soon as Dayle parked the car on the ferry and found me we settled in for a nice passage over to Victoria.  You can't beat the weather we're having!

After only one and a half hours we neared the entrance to Victoria Harbor.

In the center of it all.. the Empress Hotel.. our home for the next 4 days and 3 nights.  

We're on the 2rd floor right above that long terrace you see in the middle.

After we drove off the ferry we decided to go driving around the seaside getting an idea of the lay of the land.  I spied this lighthouse so we drove along and spied a park where we pulled over.  We sat on a bench and enjoyed the warm sunshine and the view of the strait and Washington State across the water.

After our nice drive we returned to the harbor (or should I say "harbour"?) and pulled up front of the hotel.  A nice man took our keys, parked the car and brought all our luggage to our room.  :-)

We enjoyed a bit of rest and the fabulous view of the harbour, and opened our windows to let the fresh sea air blow in.

Right now as I type the strains of a bagpiper are wafting in through our window.

Our room is lovely although we've already started making ourselves at home and messing it up.. LOL!

Later we found the restaurant, called the "Q", and ordered some steaks and enjoyed the ambience of the deco decor and fabulous carved and coved ceilings.

And my friends.. the beef tenderloin was one of the best I've ever had with "pommes Anna" and the vegetable and mushroom medley was amazing, topped with pea shoots which were delicious.  The veggies were Brussels sprouts, parsnip, onion and several varieties of mushrooms.  OMGoodness.  Each bite was tasty to the max.

After dinner I wanted to step out on the veranda to breath in some fresh evening air and enjoy the harbor view... and.. we got locked out.  LOL!  Dayle had to go knock on the bar door for some kind soul to let him in so he could come and rescue me.  :-)

But I did get a neat photo of the Parliament Building while out there.

Back inside I snapped a photo of this amazinng stained glass skylight in the "Palm Room".

A nice sunset and we settled in for a nice relaxing evening and a good night's sleep.

This morning we had our breakfast in the "Gold Lounge" which was complimentary.  A nice man made some coffee for me as the machine was quite complicated to use!  Soon we head to High Tea.  Then we'll fetch our car and head off for more sight-seeing and adventure.  Thanks for visiting!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)