Although the temperature was only 22C it was hot in the sun. People were in shorts and sleeveless tops enjoying a Saturday of good weather.  There was also the glimpse of a soccer T-shirt (not Aus) or a Türkiye flag.

After breakfast I took myself shopping and into touristy Government street. There were some beautiful items that were designed to tempt tourists due to their quality and creativity.

The sun was shining and it would’ve been a tragedy to ignore it so I wandered back to the Flying Otter restaurant next to the seaplane terminal on the harbour. I ordered a Spicy Margarita and settled back to watch the water taxis and taking in the aroma of the fuel from the sea planes while soaking up some rays.

My accommodation, the Doubletree Hilton in Victoria is central to everything I needed to do. The suite was more than I needed but was very clean and well stocked. There was no room service for dinner but you can go downstairs to one of the restaurants and bring your food into your room. I decided to order a hotdog from Bartholomew’s. It was tasty and would see me through to meeting Betty and Dan for dinner.

I connected online with mum, Michele and Irene in Australia on Messenger and we did our ritual trivia quiz.

Last August,  Michele and I flew to Vancouver Island for the wedding of Bettina (who she worked with in Port Douglas) and Dan, her Ecuadorian love. We regretted not having documented our experiences in Canada but I could understand why Betty and Dan have settled here and chose to become citizens.

Betty met me in the foyer and we walked to the Sticky Wicket, starting on the rooftop bar. There is even a beach volleyball court on this roof!

We ordered drinks and I noticed corn ribs on the snack menu. They were delicious with some sweetness and then a nice spicy kick. 

When Dan arrived, we relocated to the Sports Bar downstairs. We found a perfect table in front of two screens of different sports …. FIFA and the final NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio spurs. The Knicks have not won in 53 years so there was a lot of excitement when they managed to win.

We ordered dinner, fish and chips for Betty and Dan while I chose a Chicken and Corn Chowder. In Canada you do not order directly from the bar but service personnel take and deliver your drink orders to you.

The FIFA Australia vs Türkiye game started and I must admit that I wasn’t confident that Australia could win this match. It was 9pm but it was still light outside. Australia was amazing and kept Türkiye scoreless by the determined work of our goalie. Congratulations also to the two goal scorers.

We walked back to the Hilton, a whole block away and said our farewells. It was a lovely night.

Good night 😴