Mini-Vacation

On Friday I received a fantastic surprise. While I was in the library with the grade sevens one of Charles's students arrived with an 'Urgent' envelope for me. When I opened it I found an invitation from Charles to join him and Caleb for a weekend in Victoria. I had been dying to see the Titanic exhibit at the Royal BC Museum and Charles had arranged for us to go this weekend (the final weekend of the exhibit!). We left early Saturday morning and had some time for lunch (at Sam's Deli - a favourite of ours) and to check in at the hotel before heading to the museum for 3:00. The exhibit was spectacular. It was so fascinating to see the wide variety of objects that have been salvaged from the shipwreck - from clothing to suitcases to vials still containing perfume. I've always been so interested in the tragedy, and learning so many personal details about many of the passengers really made it seem like it was not so long ago.
After the exhibit we continued on to the Natural History part of the museum to share some of my favourites with Caleb. He loved seeing the Mammoth (which he woke up just in time for) and the Coastal Forest display. We spent a long time at the Water Fowl section as he kept pointing at everything and wanting to go right up to the glass to get a closer look.
We took a little walk along the harbour on the way back to the hotel and stopped to see one of the street performers (it wasn't Red the Juggler, a regular who I remember from when I was a kid, but he was very entertaining!) Then we headed back to the hotel for dinner only to find that the restaurant was completely booked for the entire evening. So, we decided on room service instead and made reservations for Sunday morning brunch. We spent a cozy evening playing with Caleb in the room before putting him to bed and watching a movie.
On Sunday morning we walked through town to have a light breakfast. It was so peaceful as there weren't too many people walking around at 8 in the morning! When we returned to the hotel we all went for a little swim before going for brunch. Caleb had his first taste of french toast (Peaches 'n' Cream French Toast, in fact). After eating we spent a few hours doing some shopping in Victoria before leaving for the ferry. We love how they keep so much of the original architecture - it really gives the city a distinct feel. On the way home, Caleb had a great time playing with all the little kids on the slide; it tired him right out. We arrived home just in time to put him to bed.
It was a fantastic weekend for us all; what a great little family I have!