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Vancouver Island Arrival  

07/22/07 - Metchosin, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Settling in to our home exchange on the Island

(Shutterfly photo album - Vancouver & South Vancouver Island)
After 4 days of touring around in almost non-stop rain in Vancouver, it was time to ferry over to Vancouver Island to our home exchange in Metchosin, a small rural community about 30 minutes outside British Columbia's capital city of Victoria.  Needless to say, we were more than ready for a change of scene (or at least weather!).  We took a pleasant (and dry!) ferry ride through the gorgeous Gulf Islands and Scott even saw a bald eagle and some harbor seals during the excellent naturalist talk out on deck.  (Exhausted, Caroline was taking a load off inside at the time and missed out on the wildlife action). 

Upon our arrival in Metchosin, our delightful and hospitable home exchange hosts, Donna and Wally, welcomed us to their comfortable, tranquil home with a refreshing blackberry welcome cocktail while we sat on the covered patio in the light rain and got acquainted.  We passed an enjoyable afternoon and evening sharing traveling tales and getting to know one another, and we discovered that we have much in common with our Canadian hosts.  That evening, they cooked us a delicious shrimp pasta dinner and gave us the run-down on things here in the house and the general area before they left on their own 2-week adventure in the morning.

 

 
Caroline enjoys taking in a bicycle race in Gastown...in the rain


Enjoying the solitude of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vnacouver...in the rain


Donna and Wally's Metchosin, Vancouver Island home


Our home exchange on Vancouver Island

Scott consults his soggy guidebook in Vancouver...in the rain


Racing cyclists in Vancouver fly around slick cobblestone corners...and many wipe out


Taking a break from the rain in Vancouver with an artful cappuccino

Our home exchange hosts, Wally and Donna, on Vancouver Island


The famed Empress Hotel in Victoria, Vancouver Island