Vancouver: arrive. Rain
Who cares, there are mountains!
We have a drink while waiting for our flight to Victoria. The flight turns out to be delightfully short and pleasant and the Victoria airport is one of those charming places where you get off the plane and walk across the tarmac to the building–a civilized approach, makes me feel very Ingrid Bergman.
Victoria: arrive. Rain.
Who cares, we’re on Vancouver Island!
We grab our rental car and head up the Malahat and then up some long, winding road to a restaurant I’ve read about, an isolated place nestled high in the hills, rumoured to have a breath-taking view and an excellent cheese platter. First, however, we sit in the parking lot eating the cold chicken I’d packed in case they didn’t feed us on the plane. Very romantic this, in a Clampetts kind of way, rain pounding the windshield as we tear at chicken legs with greasy, ravenous fingers. Finally, we make a run for it to the restaurant and hope for a good table. Something with a view please since we haven’t seen much of that so far. The waiter chuckles, ha ha, apparently today is not the day for view-seeing, it is the day for fog-seeing, although if there were no fog he assures us the view would be right there… he points, and gives us the perfect table overlooking the view, if there was one.
We order the infamous cheese platter which turns out to be only okay. Local cheeses, nice, not mind blowing. Also local wine. $14 for a glass of unspecial chardonnay. We’re glad we had the chicken. This impromptu ‘snack’ turns out to be stupid expensive but you can’t think money at a place like this.
It’s all about the view.
Matilda Magtree 
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