Горы і многае іншае

The fever has dissolved last night, I sweated it out. My dear was like a mother without a breast yesterday. She cooked me soup, bought cutlery so I can eat it and didn't leave my side.

After a national breakfast (croissant, muffins, bagels and toast with butter, jam and honey and really disgusting orange juice), we went for a little walk to the Elk Falls. Stretching our legs before departure will surely be good. Easy tour, 30 minutes, 30 meters of altitude difference.

Here in the national parks on Vancouver Island, it feels like designers were at work. The fallen trees appear deliberately draped and embedded in the overall artistic image. Nothing wild, nothing original. 

After going down and up the perceived 70 stairs, I was done.

Today we're going to Victoria, at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. 250 km of almost straight highway ahead of us. We interrupt the monotonous journey at Mt. Washington, a ski resort. We had considered staying there during the preparation, but then discarded the idea.

I actually just wanted to take a look

and enjoy the view,

but since we're already there, we can also stretch our legs again. So, put on warm clothes, it's cold up here, and hiking shoes and up the slope.

In summer, mountain bikers are in their element here. Otherwise, a ski resort in summer is really desolate. After a 2.5 km march over rocks and stones, I was done for the second time.

Facts 

Mount Washington is one of the highest mountains on Vancouver Island, with an altitude of 1585 m.

The ski resort has 60 kilometers of slopes of all difficulty levels, 5 chairlifts, and 4 carpet lifts.

A day ski pass costs between 68€ and 86€ (depending on the day and season).

There are no multi-day passes.

After a short refreshment 

we then head towards our final destination. Once again, we had to realize that life here in Canada is really expensive. A cup of chili plus fries turned out to be 25 CAD$ including sales tax + local tax + 15% tip, which is equivalent to 17.14€.

After about 3 hours, we reached Victoria. A nice little town.

Facts

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is located on the rugged southern tip of Vancouver Island. Approximately 94,000 people live here. The city, named after Queen Victoria, is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest. British settlement began in 1843. The city has preserved many of its historic buildings, especially its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings (seat of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and The Empress Hotel, which opened in 1908. The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco. Victoria, known as the "Garden City," is an attractive city and a popular tourist destination. Victoria is among the top twenty cities in the world in terms of quality of life.

After a mediocre meal at Frankie's Modern Diner, we enjoyed the sunset at the harbor and entertained ourselves with a comedian. 

One last drink and off to bed.