I left Victoria at noon Pacific time, and I got into Toronto a bit after nine Eastern time. That means I had over six hours of transit time to read the newspapers. Consequently, I worked my way through the considerable bulk that is the Saturday Globe and Mail as well as the Vancouver Sun. I probably didn't need to read both, but lately I have been choosing seats where there is nobody in front of you over ones where I can see the movie. If it comes down to seeing the movie with a stranger's head practically in my lap or having to entertain myself, I pick the latter. My decision might be different if Air Canada showed even marginally less irritating films, but they do not. They have to live up to the highest levels of irritability (today they set the bar particularly high: the flight director was billed as a smoker who had forgotten her nicotine patch. I am not kidding, they announced this - what I don't know is, were they trying to be funny assuming people had seen a particular commercial, or was this to nip frivolous requests like working earphones in the bud? And whatever happened to those promised seat-back entertainment systems anyway?)
But I am way off topic already! Today, when I did my thorough reading of the newspapers (an exercise that lasted until well past the Rockies), I got caught up with the weather reports. Victoria had winds of over 100km/hr while I was there, it seems. And that was third wind storm that week. I can only attest to the first one, since I took the puddlejumper from Vancouver to Victoria during that one - and the ride was bad enough that the man next to me advised me to keep looking at the horizon.
But this last, and most severe one? I didn't even notice it! This is what happens when you sit inside the massive bulwark of a grand old dame of a hotel, I guess. You don't notice the world going on beyond your be-chandeliered existence. But then, this is what I would expect of a place where I could have afternoon tea for about $80, and a very basic continental breakfast goes for a mere $18. At those prices, the electricity does not dare so much as flicker, I suppose.
The Empress is currently the site of Victoria's Festival of Trees, you know, that thing where every child under the age of eight is squired through massive hotel lobbies to look at dozens of decorated trees and thus become even antsier for Santa to feed those reindeer some high protein lichen and hurry on up with the Christmasing. Of course, somebody's child couldn't resist the gingerbread. Even funnier, the amputation of gingerbread limbs was a daily event, and the tree minders failed to apprehend the culprit. They were left with no choice but to continue to replace the mutilated gingerpeople. Sadly, though, they replaced them with gingertrees. I suspect gingertree limbs don't have the same appeal as gingerpeople limbs. Even if they're covered in smarties.
I always enjoy Victoria, Empress hospitality not required. However, there is little to talk about on the blog during the last couple of trips here. I saw Lorenzo and Maeve. I ate some nice meals. I got stressed out about work. I envied people who live in a climate where biking and good seafood are year-round options. This time, I also got to make fun of the tacky holiday lighting with which the BC Government festoons the otherwise so very lovely Parliament buildings. That was about it. I'm home now.