7th day, 27th July 2016 - Vancouver Island - sunny

This morning it was time to say goodbye to our hosts. Silvain had to leave on a business trip since Sunday and Alexis had to go to work early. So we thanked them for their very kind hospitality and wished them all the best - and you always meet twice in life, who knows.

After breakfast, it was time to pack our suitcases and load them into the car. Then we headed north on Highway 1, and the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal. The roads were very crowded and we made slow progress, but there was no rush. We planned to catch the ferry at 12:30 p.m. and arrived about 45 minutes early. Unfortunately, we didn't have a reservation and had to wait in the long queue in front of the terminal. It slowly moved forward, but a car in front of us was the last one allowed and the ferry was closed. So we had to wait another 70 minutes until the next ferry arrived. We took it easy like the Canadians, remained relaxed. Everyone passed the time in their own way.

On the next ferry, we got on and headed to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island around 2:00 p.m. The ferry itself was like a large cruise ship, with a panoramic deck, cafe, restaurant, and souvenir shops. So we could pass the time well. At the beginning, we enjoyed the view on the open deck, in the blazing sun. We could see the mountain world of the Coast Mountains and the skyline of Vancouver. The further we got out to the open sea, the windier it became and we retreated to the interior of the ferry, fortified ourselves with coffee and sweet potato fries.

After about 1.5 hours, we reached Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Disembarking went smoothly and so we drove north on Hwy19 towards Campbell River. Since the drive on the highway was a bit boring, we decided to take the alternative Route 19A. That was the Ocean View way, which was significantly more scenic.

After about 2 hours of driving, we arrived at our booked hotel, the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa. We had a very nice room with a terrace, ocean view, and a short walk to the pool. Pauline was immediately enthusiastic and 'persuaded' me to go to the pool right away. But that was also a nice refreshment on this hot day. The facility was lovingly prepared, with lots of wood, benches, swings, ... and the view over the sea to the Coast Mountains was something special. We also didn't feel like driving to Courtenay for dinner that evening and decided to eat at the hotel. After dinner, we went to the beach again and enjoyed the sunset over the Coast Mountains.