A week in Bogotá

We arrived around 2:00pm. We had paid a little extra for Aeromexico’s AM Plus service. Not only did it give us extra space and priority check-in, our luggage got equal service and was off the plane in the first batch of bags. Then we flew through immigration and met our guide (Alejo) and driver (Fernando) who will be traveling with us for the first half of our visit to Colombia. 

We started our month long trip in Bogotá, which in in the mountains at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet) then heading north to Villa de Leyva, and Barichara, two small, charming towns where we plan to enjoy lots of outdoors activities before moving on to Medellín, Tayrona National Park and Cartagena.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we went out to get some local currency (400,000 Colombian pesos...about $130) and to buy a Sim Card for Pat's phone (30 days with 2GB data and unlimited What’sApp for less than $20). One nice thing for us, is that it seems that Colombians are less comfortable using English than the locals in most countries we visit. We could just return home speaking Spanish better than when we left...

We settled into the room, which has an enormous king size bed, and then went out for dinner. Having had only a light breakfast on the plane we were ready. Our hotel is surrounded by fine restaurants. We decided on Primi (mediterranean food). The wine list was interesting but on the pricey side. Our hotel is in the Zone Rosa District which our guide assures us is one of the most expensive districts. Typical wine prices here are $40 - $60. Our first choice one turned out to be $90, We decided that was a bit much for how tired we were. We ended up with a nice Cabernet / Tannat / Merlot blend from Uruguay for about $45. Typical appetizers are $10. Later when we ate in the the old city wine was more typically $30 and the entrees (not starters) were $10. 

We decided to pretend we were at a Tapas Bar and ordered 3 starters to share. Grilled artichokes, arancinis fungi (breaded balls of risotto with mushrooms), and carpaccio primings (hand cut “lomo” or loin topped with a fresh zucchini, radicchio and parmigiana salad). This turned out to be plenty despite the little bit we’d had a chance to eat on this travel day. 

Friday morning we started with a visit to Paloquemao Market with its vast offerings of flowers, vegetables, fruits, packaged goods, meat and seafood. We first headed to the flower area since that area sells out and closes early. They do love to use artificial coloring in their fresh blooms but they also had beautiful ranunculus, proteas, water lilies...aside from the typical alstroemeria, sunflowers, roses, and, of course, a few that I didn’t recognize.

Then we  sampled some great breads at the the Delibono food bar. Great flavors and textures. And we sampled the Masato, a thick creamy white drink. A little sweet with maybe a hint of coconut but quite tasty. 

The fruit tasting arranged by Alejo, was quite interesting with several fruit we had not seen before. 

• Kurua, pink on the outside and orange inside....ck movie again
• Lulo, looks like a smooth orange on the outside and has multicolored flesh inside green center surrounded by orange flesh.
• Pitaya (of the dragon fruit family, originally from Central America but now extremely popular in SE Asia). It grows on several varieties of cactus. I have one at home but the fruit I get are too small to bother with. The fruit makes me think of a kiwi except the flesh is bright white.
• Granadilla (of the passion fruit family, there seem to be many similar fruits here. They tend to look quite different on the outside but inside is unmistakeable, consisting of black seeds covered with a transparent bit of fruit. You slurp it down seeds and all.
• Uchuva wih a papery husk and a small cherry tomato size fruit inside. Pat's Mom used to grow this and called it husk tomato. 

From there we wandered through massive sections featuring fish, meat, herbs/spices, ...

We moved on to the warehouse district where the city encourages artists to paint “graffiti/street art” on the exterior walls. We got a glimpse of an artist at work and a lot of other paintings. In one area small people have been added dressed in blue public works outfits. They are to draw attention to value that these often “unseen” people provide. And once you notice them on the artwork, you notice them much more in real life.

The Street Art project dates from 2011...following the police shooting of a 16 year old street artist while he worked on  the underpass of a bridge. The following uproar lead to Street Art first becoming decriminalized, then condoned and finally encouraged with some artists being paid up to $10,000 US for their work.

For lunch we got our first taste of Colombian food, tasty but too heavy to meat and rice or potatoes for our taste. 

We then walked to the funicula to ride to the top of Montserrate, which looms 512 meters, nearly 1700 feet, over the city. Even in ancient times, pre-Colombus, it was a sacred site. Now it is a popular tourist destination (favored for the views), as well as a frequented pilgrimage site with a religious sanctuary and massive statue of Jesus Christ at the top. The sanctuary was built in honor of the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat at the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery in Catalonia, Spain.

Unfortunately it was overcast and the views were not particularly photo-worthy. A few sprinkles later we headed back down. Three of us shared our one umbrella in the slightly heavier rain on our way to the car. It turned into a downpour with rivers in the streets as we drove back to our hotel. 

We went across the street to La Brasserie for dinner. We shared some nice appetizers with a French flair and a Bornada from Zuccardi in Argentina. Pecan Salad with pears, blue cheese and cranberries; Paté Maison and Lamb Meatballs with Labneh (Greek Yoghurt).

Two highlights for visitors to Bogota are The Museo de Qro (Gold Museum) and the Museo Botero (artwork by Botero, the painter of cute but very fat people and things, and great artworks from his private collection.) And these were the highlights of the following day.

The Museo de Oro has such an extensive collection of Gold and Gold alloy objects on display (6000 of the 55,000 in the collection) that it was a bit overwhelming.  With works of the many all the various(10 or so) indigenous groups and the variety style of the designs, it would take 2 or more days to see and absorb. A couple standout displays included that of the many amazing objects made simply for sacrifice. These were collected from a sacred lake and included “Balsa Muisca,” a detailed model of a Sacred Barge made totally of gold. 

Initially I thought of these as large earrings.
Whatever they are the monkeys are ver simple and very cute.

The character in this is life-sized.
That's a lot of gold.

This is the sacred barge. The boat may be 10-12" long.
Lovely work found in a lake with many sacrificed gold pieces.

Another was a round theater with gold objects displayed on the wall and others in a round “pit” in the center of the floor. You enter in the dark. Then various objects are lighted to focus your attention. In addition to displaying impressive objects, the lighting effects are quite enjoyable.

Finally there was a huge safe with the most precious objects.  You enter into the area with several large display rooms through a huge safe-style door roughly 18” thick. 

We also enjoyed the informative displays about types of metals (gold, copper, platinum) and their alloys. 

We ate lunch at El Mirador in the Hotel de la Opera. It is named for the views over the nearby tiled rooftops of the city center. The burrata al forno with pesto and tomatoes was quite good, the grilled trout wrapped in bacon was dry and disappointing and the seafood risotto was exquisite. We washed it all down with a chardonnay from Argentina.

After lunch we visited the Museo Botero which displays works of Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero. In addition there is collection of art by renowned artists from around the world, including Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Sonia Delaunay, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse. Botero’s signature style features people and things with  exaggeratedly large or “fat” proportions. Mostly they make one smile. Although he did a couple of serious series (the Colombian Conflict and the Abu Ghraib Prison). The serious series were not on display but would be interesting to see.

 Above: Mona Lisa (left) & "The Thief" (right). 

Below Chubby Cat (Pat's name for it.) All by Botero.

 Above: Works from Botero's personal collection. Retrospective bust of a woman by Salvador Dali (left). "Misty Morning" by Camille Pissaro (right).

On our way back to our hotel we stopped at the Andean Mall to get Bill a local SIM card and to explore the mall and nearby “T-Zone” with its shops and restaurants located along two streets that connect as a "T". 

Feeling stuffed we settled for some granadilla fruit (complements of the hotel) for “dinner".

Sunday, after a relaxing morning and a short walk around our neighborhood,  we headed off to the Usaquen Sunday market and bought several items for gifts and sampled some local street food. After the market we went to lunch at Abastos where we shared an excellent grilled artichoke and corvina (similar to sea bass) with cilantro coated mango and avocado - very, very tasty. After lunch we made our way back to our hotel with a short stop at a local park and a Juan Valdez coffee shop--the banana bread was excellent with the coffee. Later we wandered down to the hotel bar for a glass of wine and some crunchy bar snacks (crispy giant corn kernels and fava beens.

Monday was our leisure day. We took it easy in the morning and planned to go to Rafael’s for lunch. We ate at his place in Lima a couple years ago and were looking forward to it again. It was about a 35 minute walk, but along the way Bill started feeling off. We made it to the restaurant and got a table. Pat drooled over the menu while Bill looked at it regretfully. He really couldn’t eat any of those amazing creations. So we called a taxi and headed back to the hotel where he snoozed and Pat explored the neighborhood before returning to the hotel restaurant for a caesar salad and glass of wine. 

Bill perked up a little so we went to the hotel restaurant again and both of us had the veggie lasagna. Not bad, with Karu Carmenere wine.

The next morning we dropped some clothes off at the nearby laundry and Uber’ed to the Botanic Garden. Alejo arranged for Paola, a botanist, to give us a tour. Pat & Paola had fun comparing Spanish and English names of the plants. Some were basically literal translations. “Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow”, Lily of the valley, Kangaroo paws, ...

Others were entirely different. And sometimes the “Spanish” name differs between Colombia and Mexico. For instance, the fruit of the prickly pear cactus (nopal) is called "tuna" in Mexico and "higo" in Colombia. We all know what "tuna" is in English. In Mexico, that is "atun". And "higo" in Mexico is the word for "fig". Bottom line, when it comes to plants, you can only depend on the latin name.

One of the most interesting plant was a native pine (with leaves more like a redwood). 

Palma de Cera (wax palm) is the Colombian National Tree. which grows to 200 feet and lives more than 100 years.

The lulo fruit, which we tasted at the market, with the smooth orange skin and the green pulp inside, turns out to be a fuzzy fruit when it is harvested, Somehow they remove the fuzz before sending the fruit to market.

We had a great lunch at Di Lucca. Bill had spaghetti with carbonara sauce. Pat had vegetarian risotto. And the wine was especially good: Villadoria Dolcetto and quite inexpensive for the area (around $32.)

Later we wandered the neighborhood a little, got some cash and picked up the laundry. Exciting, eh?

We ate lunch late so snacked on some banana & passion fruit compote (pudding) the hotel dropped off. Tasty. 

On Wednesday, we started early for the 1.5 hour drive to Zipacón for the "Coffee Experience” at La Palma & El Toucan, "Coffee growers and processing specialists". The main goal of the business is to develop ways to take coffee growing from a barely break-even business to a profitable business that will hopefully maintain the coffee culture in Colombia.  At the same time they appear to be dedicated to sharing their coffee expertise. 

They took us thru planting, harvesting, preparing the beans for sale, roasting, and a range of brewing methods. We learned how to plant coffee so that it will develop strong roots and how to spot the perfectly ripe berries that are critical to high quality brews. We were introduced to the chart for describing aroma profiles and then had to put our noses to the test, trying to identify the some of the standard aroma styles... very similar to the wine aroma descriptors and samples. In fact Phillipe claims that the coffee standards were developed first. We didn’t get into this but there is a whole science to roasting as well. In fact there is a very expensive roaster that can be programmed to provide a consistent roasting sequence.  

Above: Coffee Country
Below: Planting coffee

Coffee Tasting Chart

At one point they realized that providing jobs for the local men was not sufficient because they tend to spend too much of their income on drink, not on family care. They moved the men to doing heavier work and hired the women to harvest. In order to train the women to find beans with the perfect color, they found fingernail polish in the perfect color. This way the pickers could compare the beans to their nails and know they had the right color. The women harvesters are called “butterflies” because they like to wear colorful dresses and they look like butterflies at work.

The tour group was interesting as well. One member is a student from Norway who  owns a speciality coffee shop and is working on her thesis focusing on the role of the coffee industry and development of the country. We were also joined by Benjamin Put, his parents, sister, wife and young son, all from Calgary. Benjamin is the Canadian Barista Champion (since 2013) and has placed in the top 5 in the World Championships. 

For dinner we returned to Di Lucca to have more of that Villadoria Dolcetto wine that we enjoyed so much. To go with it we had a very nice pizza with prosciutto and arugula. 

On Thursday we headed north from Bogota to Villa de Leyva.  Along the way we stopped in Zipaquira to visit the Salt Cathedral which is carved out of the tunnels of an old salt mine 200 m underground. The local Muisca people started mining in the area in the 5th C BC, The church, inaugurated in1954, replaces a sanctuary the miners had carved for daily prayers to Our Lady of Rosary, patron saint of miners.

The main nave includes a monumental cross. The right nave includes the Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, with images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. Typically the 14  stations of the cross include art clearly depicting a moment on that infamous day. Here, each station is a small chapel featuring a cross to convey its message. The cross might be serval large boulders standing out from the wall as for station 11 (Jesus is nailed to the cross), or a cross carved into the wall for station 13 (Jesus is removed from the cross). 

The cathedral is part of  Parque de la Sal (Salt Park) which includes many opportunities to learn more about salt mining and geology. In the interests of time, we chose to pass these up.

As we continued on to Villa de Leyva, stopped at a large cheese factory which also happens to serve a decent lunch. 

After lunch, we traveled through green lush dairy country. The farms consist of one or more pastures with maybe 10-30 cows. Luckily we went by at milking time...some farmers just sit up a stool in the field and milk the cow where it stands. Other had small sheltered areas where they could milk one or two cows. The milk is poured into cans and transported by mule cart...to somewhere (maybe to the cheese factory?). It really wasn’t clear. 

Besides the dairy industry, there is a big flower export industry. Roses are the primary export flower, followed by carnations and chrysanthemums. The United States accounts for over 75 percent of the total. So, strangely enough plastic covered greenhouses dot the countryside. The business below likely combines represents both industries. 

A ways further on we crossed a small stream, and suddenly we were into country with brown, barren hills with bits of green here and there. This is the terrain around Villa de Leyva. We are told the area gets little rain but we could seem to be the “lucky ones” NOT that do get rain. 

Vail CO, Port Angeles WA & Vancouver Island

It was September 12, just over 2 weeks after we arrived home from Paris. Yet here we were, off again. The main event driving our trip to Vail was the wedding of Pat's niece Alyce's son Riley. 

Last spring when we initially learned of the wedding, we thought it would be a great opportunity to visit our friends Peter & Peggi in Denver. Yet when we checked with them, we learned they planned to move to Port Angeles. (Their new home is on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, just across the Salish Sea from Victoria BC.) Not to be deterred, we decided to visit them anyway, despite the necessary "detour".

We booked an AirBnB in East Vail Village and planned a couple spare days for exploring. In case you haven't realized it by now, Pat is pretty addicted to shopping for clothes and jewelry at boutiques in resort areas. She finds they offer a more unique and stylish collection than large chain stores. Vail offers a fine selection of boutiques, along with a pretty good selection of restaurants. Oh and there are also some interesting daytrip options..which we had to pass-up. Guess we should have booked a couple more days. 

An unanticipated bonus of this trip was the opportunity to combine visiting with family with exploring an area where most of us have never lived. We've shared several wonderful international trips with Riley's grandparents, Jim & Sandra, trips to Thailand/Hong Kong, Morocco, Southern Africa, Australia, and Argentina/Chile but that last trip was 7 years ago. And now we had this unexpected opportunity to "travel together" again.  

Aside for the 1 hour plus wait for our rental car in Denver, all went smoothly. Even that wait was amazingly fine due to the range of conversations we had with our fellow travelers.

We've always enjoyed the roughly 2 hour trip from Denver airport to the mountains. It has beautiful scenery and no matter what the weather (typically snowing in our experience), we were looking forward to skiing. In this case the drive was especially beautiful with sunny skies and numerous groves of aspen in their full golden glory. 

Our apartment was fine, although a little funky...it was down from ground level with a large window to the back looking out to Gore Creek. Inside there was a sturdy bench in front of the window that serves as a step to get to and through the window to the back sitting area. Other than that it was a typical wood paneled ski lodge with appropriate decor. And it was a short walk to idyllic East Vail Village with its mix of shops and restaurants along with sufficient alpine architectural touches of a ski village to suggest that you are in Europe. 

Pat's brother using our "back window" entrance

Keeping with the European Alpine setting, we chose to dine at Pepi’s which features Austrian cuisine. Jaeger Schnitzel (veal medallions with mushroom sauce, cabbage, and asparagus) for Bill, Pat Käsespätzle Allgäuer Art (Spätzle, a rustic homemade noodle, with shredded Swiss & Gruyère cheeses and crispy fried onions. Very nicely accompanied by an Austrian red blend...our second choice wine because they were out of the Blaufrankish. Luckily when we returned a couple days later, the Blaufrankish was back and very fine.

Friday was our primary shopping day and it was quite a success. Still, Pat was frustrated because it was a great success for Bill. He found the long sleeved T-shirts that he likes so much, a hat, and shoes). Pat came home empty handed. We did both enjoy lunch at Mountain Standard, where we shared a split lettuce wedge (with crispy prosciutto, Maytag blue cheese, puffed farro - think popcorn, and avocado) and a blue cheese burger with a mix of fries and onion rings. Pat liked her Nitro Milk Stout and Bill his Dead Guy Ale. 

After lunch we connected (by phone) to Pat's niece & entourage enroute from Maine but now approaching Vail. We arranged for 8 of us to have dinner La Bottega (brother Jim & wife Sandra, niece Alyce & hubby Bill, their oldest son Cam and his wife Erica). The two of us shared and enjoyed porcini filled raviolis and a baby arugula salad with pancetta, pine nuts and parmigiano.

When we checked with the tourist office about which nearby towns would offer the best shopping, the recommendation was to visit the River Walk shops in the town of Edwards, 20 minutes from Vail Village. A fine recommendation it was. Pat found 3 shirts and Bill found one as well. Fortunately, given the full prices, several were on sale!  We lunched at Main Street Grill enjoying a cabernet / pinot noir blend wine with Grilled Caprese Salad (Grilled Romaine, sliced tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, basil, balsamic reduction and oregano vinaigrette dressing - yum!).

We returned to Vail and joined Jim & Sandra for a walk to the Barbara Bush Alpine Botanical Gardens. Being late in the season, the gardens weren't as colorful as they might be but we enjoyed wandering the paths. One striking feature was the group of whimsical "Stickwork" structures, a community project made of a variety of willows under the direction of Patrick Dougherty.

We returned to the apartment to relax before going to Vail Brewing Co to meet the bride & groom and our fellow wedding guests, a stimulating group. Luckily we got there early enough to have some quality time with Riley and two of his running mates that we had met on our US trip in 2015. As the party got busier and louder, we moved on to dinner at Pepi's with Jim & Sandra. Thinking back to the some lovely meals in Paris, we started with the "heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese". Pat followed this with the Jaeger Schnitzlel (the dish Bill had on Thursday) and Bill chose the Roasted Venison Loin. We paired these with a very fine Austrian red wine from Blaufrankish grapes, the wine they were out of two days before. It was as fine as we hoped, so we were glad we gave them a second visit.

Sunday morning we picked up Jim & Sandra at their hotel and went to West Vail Village  for a ride on the Lionshead gondola to top of Vail Mountain. In addition to admiring the view as we walked around the top, we also enjoyed watching folks on "a raised alpine coaster, the Forest Flyer that winds its way 3,400 feet down the mountain".

Upon our return to the base of the mountain, we had lunch at the Tavern on the Square. Bill had the wild boar quesadilla (braised wild boar shoulder, roasted apples, cheddar, spicy sofrito & dolomite pine syrup) and Pat had the "Forestiere" flatbread (forest mushrooms, brie, sage, pecorino & roasted garlic) with glasses of Prosecco,  

After lunch Pat left the others for a quick sprint of the nearby shops. Browsing a rack of tops, she was mildly interested in one piece and checked the price. It was several thousand dollars! For some reason she chose not to get it. She didn't even bother to check it out further.  

The wedding ceremony was on an island in the middle of Vail Golf Club with a back drop of yellow Aspen on the mountain sides. The walk down to Wedding Island was along a paved pathway sprinkled (by nature) with yellow aspen leaves. Nothing like have mother nature replace the need for a flower girl!

We observed that this was the most fit Wedding Party in our experience. Riley & Sara are both pro-runners, as are several of the wedding party. And those who aren't pro-runners are either former college runners or simply very fit (including most of the guests actually). We enjoyed the reception even though it was the first wedding we've been to where there was little or no music from the 60's or 70's...oh dear, finally showing our age. Aside from that, sigh, we really enjoyed our conversations with ever so many of the guests. We were particularly amused by one of the cakes. It was printed like a newspaper announcing the deal "inked" by Masters (Riley) & Sutherland (Sara). 

On Monday we took a leisurely drive back to Denver for our flight to Seattle on Tuesday. We shopped in Dillon and Denver sandwiched around lunch before heading to our hotel. 

Peter and Peggi had directed us to take the light rail from the Seattle airport to get to the Bainbridge Island ferry. It seemed straightforward. And all went well, ok, pretty well. Getting from the light rail to the ferry, we passed up a turn that likely would have taken us to the ferry without any stairs. Instead we managed to go all the way down to water level and found ourselves with luggage, facing a long staircase. We are usually totally self sufficient but when a couple young ladies offered to help with the bags, we thanked them kindly and accepted the assistance. When we got to the top, they turned around to head back down the stairs. Somehow it hadn't occurred to us that they went totally out of their way to help us. Very nice!

We arrived at the ferry a few moments before sailing time. What we hadn't realized is that the ride to Bainbridge is maybe 45 minutes and then the drive to Port Angeles is roughly 2 hours (a bit shorter if you aren't caught up in the traffic from the ferry.) So, bottom line, contrary to our expectations, P&P do not live near Seattle. In fact the closest city is Victoria BC, roughly a 90 minute ferry ride away. Still, it was all worth the trip. Just eyeopening. 

Their spacious cliff top home is complete with a view from the living room of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, deer passing back and forth, and Canada. Before we continue, time for a geography lesson. We bet you think of Seattle as being on the Puget Sound. It is. But as we noted, Port Angeles isn't all that close to Seattle. Port Angeles is on the Strait of Juan de Fuca which is part of the Salish Sea, an "inland sea" that encompasses Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia (bordering on the Vancouver, BC) and the San Juan Islands.

We were surprised to learn that their new home comes with new neighbors (Rob & Kim) that were old Denver neighbors. What a pleasure to be sharing dinner with them again! Peggi contributed the pasta and peach pie, made with a secret ingredient...shhh, it's vodka!. Apparently substituting vodka for some of the liquid in the pie crust makes the crust easy to handle while coming out nice and tender. Knowing our love of sparkling wine, Peter started things off with some fine Cavas. Thank you Peter! Other fine wine followed but unfortunately we neglected to take notes...

On Wednesday, we (Peter, Bill & Pat) had lunch at Togas Soup House. Bill had the pork schnitzel sandwich with corn & red pepper cream soup; Pat had smoked salmon chowder with a fresh salmon ciabatta sandwich. All was excellent. Thanks to Peggi & Kim for the recommendation. 

Decorated tree stump on the shore trail

To work off lunch Peter took us for a walk around downtown Port Angeles (the couple blocks with shops and restaurants are on each side of the oneway streets through town). Then we continued down to the shore trail where we enjoyed the views and munching wild blackberries.  OK, we'll be honest. We know that: "Port Angeles and Sequim (pronounced Squim) offer a wonderful off-highway mostly paved trail called the Olympic Discovery Trail that takes you past exquisite views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Mountains and through the rural country side." We don't know when and if we were actually on this because we had the luxury of Peter guiding us around. 

Later, while lounging around the house, we observed a doe and two fawns nibbling the flora along the cliff edge. This was the first of several we spotted, and kept seeing as they wandered back and forth feasting on the cliffside. Then it was off to Rob & Kim’s for a delicious dinner featuring freshly smoked salmon. 

We got up and around a little earlier the next day and we hikers went off to the Dungeness National Park to explore Dungeness Spit. Huge driftwood logs rested on the beach providing nice ambiance for a pleasant walk and a few photos.

We returned to Port Angeles where Peggi joined us for lunch at Next Door Gastro Pub. We both chose fish & chips (3 pieces of ale battered fish, cilantro slaw, house tartar sauce) with fries for Pat and hand cut potato chips for Bill.

After lunch the four of us had a private visit at Camaraderie Cellars. The tasting room is decorated with assemblage art featuring wine barrel staves, wine bottles, grape vine whorls, and other wine themed items. Aside from the tasting facilities, it features comfy seating around a cozy fireplace that invites you to linger and continue chatting with owners Don & Vicki Corson long after you have enjoyed their generosity in sharing wonderful bottles to taste. Our tasting included the 2016 Cabernet Franc, 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 2012 Malbec, followed by Quadra...an after-dinner sipper of aged Tempranillo with a bit of Port added. Perfect with a chocolate truffle. All were very fine, no wonder P&P joined the wine club there.

Bill & winemaker Don Corson

That evening we went to Straits Slice Pizza Company for salad & pizza (nice thin crust pizza with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic & sausage).

On Friday we were off to Vancouver Island and Victoria. Kim provided the transportation to the Black Ball Ferry terminal in Port Angeles. Thanks Kim! Peter had booked us into the very conveniently located Marriott that sits just behind the renowned Fairmont Empress Hotel and is only a short walk away from the Victoria ferry terminal. 

By now it was late afternoon. We all wanted a little bite but since we had dinner reservations we also wanted something small but tasty. We passed up several recommended restaurants (we would all eat too much at those) and ended up at "The Victoria Public Market at the Hudson", located in the venerable former digs of the Hudson Bay Company. Note HBC, sometimes called "The Bay" appears to folks from the US, to be just another Macys. But it's history in Canada dates back to the 1600's and fur trading days. The department store days began in the early 1900's. The store is still doing well nationwide but some years back the Victoria store moved to a location in the heart of the newer shopping district leaving a great opportunity for development.

Wandering through the shops, we ended us choosing a sausage biscuit at the Victoria Pie Company. Very tasty and just enough to tide us over until dinner. Across from the Pie Co, P&P found some tasty Italian nibbles at La Pasta.

After our snack we explored a bit, mainly focusing on Chinatown and its alleyways.

Dinner was at Il Terrazo Ristorante (very Italian). B&P shared a starter, Formaggio de Capra (Hazelnut-crusted goat cheese, baked in an open flame oven and served on a salad of mixed baby greens with poached pear, sun-dried cranberries and a lemon, pear and port-wine dressing). A mouth full and very yummy. Bill followed with Polpette de Carne e Salsiccia (house made meatballs and chorizo, braised with tomato sauce and fresh basil served with spaghetti, arugula and grated pecorino cheese. Pat selected Melanzane al Forno (fresh pasta folded over breaded eggplant, roasted mushrooms, garlic confit, asiago and gruyere cheese, baked in a tomato basil cream sauce topped with spinach). For wine we selected the Rosso di Montalcino, a very fine wine with a better price tag then its "big brother", Brunello di Montalcino.

Victoria Day 2 began with a breakfast feast at Chez Cora. Pancakes with strawberry & banana topped with Creme anglaise for Pat; Bacon and eggs with blueberry pancakes for Bill. 

We all then wandered out to Fisherman’s Wharf. Along the way we noted the continuous stream of sea planes entering and leaving the harbor. A large fleet services basic transportation needs as well as sight seeing demand. At Fisherman's Wharf we enjoyed viewing and photographing the cute house boats, shops and restaurants (Including one featuring Mexican Seafood). 

Later we separated from P&P so Pat could work more on her shopping fix. We wandered the main shopping streets and ended up at The Hudson Bay Company. Later we met up with Peter and Peggy for lunch back at the Public Market. This time we all chose snacks from La Pasta. Then we wandered more through the shops and markets along the water front.  

Enroute to dinner from the hotel, we got a fine photo op of Parliament outlined in lights.

Dinner at Nautical Nellies began with a caesar salad with bacon followed by Coho Salmon with fingerling potatoes for Bill. Pat selected 3 side dishes all listed as intended to accompany one of the steak dishes. She ordered sweet potato fries, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and grilled scallops. Our question: Where would you find room for the steak? 

Bill & Peggi at Nautical Nellies 

Next morning we had another breakfast feast, this time at Frankies. Bill selected Italian Hash while Pat chose Blueberry waffles. After breakfast we wandered solo exploring the shopping district some more.  Later Peter & Peggi picked-up our rental car and we headed north to the Cowichan Valley and its wineries. 

First stop: Enrico Winery. We liked the rosé both in sparkling and still formats. An unusual circumstance for us. We do like Brut Rosés (the sparkling wine) but still Rosés usually disappoint. We bought a bottle of the sparkling for later. One interesting feature here was the coverings over the grapes, kind of ghostly. Another was the bag they put the wine in. It features a map complete with all the wineries of the Cowichan Valley. Every winery we visited uses the same bags. Smart.

We arrived at Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay and settled in enjoying the nice view of the marina from our room. 

Then it was out to explore. We walked along the Main Street, noting the bakery and cheese shops for later. We decided to have dinner at The Vine. We shared calamari and a bacon Caesar salad and followed those with a salmon burger for Bill and a savory crepe for Pat. For wine, we went with two local reds: Prevost 2014 (60% Marechal Foch, 25% Cabernet Libre, 10% Cabernet Foch, and 5% Merlot) and Pinot Noir 2015, both from Averill Creek. We all preferred the Prevost.

After breakfast of eggs benedict with salmon at the Oceanfront we headed out for some wine tasting and touring. We went north and stopped at Unsworth winery with its lovely grounds. We purchased a Rosé Charme de’ Lîles (a sparkling wine) and an Ovation (a Port style dessert wine). Then we headed to the town of Duncan, the self-proclaimed "City of Totems" and the smallest city (by area) in Canada. We wandered around viewing some of the many totems and checking out a few shops and then went to the Craig Street Brew Pub for lunch. We shared an artichoke spinach dip with chorizo and a philly cheese steak. Later we stopped at a local market and bought cheeses and a selection of salamis to eat in the room that evening. We enjoyed these with the Charme de’ Lîles and topped it off with the Ovation along with cookies that we had bought 2 days ago in Victoria. 

Above: Thunderbird with Dzunuk'wa (Wild Woman)
Below: Raven Stealing the Sun

Another day, more touring and wine tasting... This time we drove further north to Chemainus, a small town noted for its many murals depicting the history of the area. There are also a number of small shops and some interesting architecture. We had lunch at the Saw Mill Taphouse & Grill, a caesar salad for Pat and a pulled pork sandwich for Bill, and for a change of pace, we washed it down with beer.

After lunch we made two wine stops, Blue Grouse and Averill Creek. We found the wineries worth a visit now IF you are in the area but NOT yet worth seeking out. Still, based on our ability to predict the future, we'd say they would be worth checking in a few years after they have matured some. After all, we did enjoy the Averill Creek Prevost when we had it at The Vine a couple nights before.

We had dinner at the Cow Cafe, the restaurant at the Oceanfront Suites. Bill selected the Pacific Halibut & Chips with Cowichan Bay lager tempura, crisp coleslaw, house made tartar and grilled lemon. Pat opted for the Blackened Chicken and Prawn Fajita Salad (mixed greens, sautéed peppers and onions, rice, black bean salsa, roasted jalapeño guacamole with chipotle avocado ranch).

On Wednesday Peter and Peggi dropped us at the Victoria International Airport for our short hop to Seattle. We chose this route as it was quicker and far easier for everyone than driving back to Victoria, taking the ferry to Port Angeles, driving to Bainbridge Island... 

After settling at our hotel near the airport (not near Seattle downtown) our friend Lee (a GSB classmate & part-time San Migulense) picked us up for dinner at Chinooks at Salmon Bay, a Seattle Institution. We had a view of “the fleet” and other boats from our table. The Idilico Albarino wine from Washington State was a nice accompaniment to the meal:  shared Hearts of Romaine with Hazelnuts salad, Pat's Seafood Platter (Alaska lingcod, calamari, salmon and prawns with onion rings and zucchini slices) and Bill's Grilled Silver Salmon with hash browns & corn. We 3 indulged in a Huckleberry slump with ice cream for dessert. 

On our final day of this trip we took the light rail into downtown Seattle for some shopping and touring. For lunch we stopped at Il Fornaio for a little pasta and a bottle of Rompicollo, a Sangiovese and Cabernet blend.

After lunch we wandered toward the Space Needle passing Amazon's Glass Spheres (architecturally creative office space). We wandered around the Seattle Center enjoying views of some Chihuly glass flowers and Paul Allen's Museum of Pop Culture designed by Frank Gehry. After a short shuttle ride we walked along the waterfront before heading back to the hotel on the light rail.

Above: Amazons Glass Speres (office space)
Below: Gehry designed Museum of Pop Culture

Above: Chilhuly's giant glass flowers
Below: Space Needle

Our flight back had a small hiccup. Bad weather in San Francisco got us rerouted through Houston and we arrived in Mexico City a little later than expected. Not a problem since we were staying over night anyway. Next morning we were on our way to SMA. Shortly before arriving we came upon some slow traffic caused by a large number of riders on horseback heading into the city to take part in the Festival of Saint Michael (saint day).