A Year of Adventures

Off to Victoria

We have often heard people talking about how beautiful Victoria BC is at Christmas and this year we decided to see it ourselves. We got up bright and early and headed to Seattle where we caught the Victoria Clipper ferry. The ride over was beautiful and we had some snacks on the way. We stayed right downtown, about two blocks from the Parliment Building. It is impressive during the day, but incredible when lit up at night. Downtown Victoria is a fun and vibrant area. That night we went to Butchart Gardens. It is an amazing garden spread out over 55 acres. During the holidays, it is decorated with an awesome light display. We wandered around for a few hours, which flew by, before we had to jump on the bus back to downtown. The next day we walked around the city, seeing the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Craigdorrach Castle, and Victoria’s Chinatown-the second oldest in North America behind only San Francisco. That night, we were back on the boat and headed south to the States.

Un Viaje a España

In October (10/9-19) we took a trip to Spain. We hit Madrid, Barcelona, Cordoba, Granada, and ended in Malaga. Every time I think of this trip, I ask myself, why are you not living in Spain? It was a beautiful country with amazing food, although HZK did get tired of the ham and cheese after a while. Hopefully I have all the cities separated correctly in the galleries below.

Cordoba’ y Granada

Madrid and Seville

Portugal, my man

February 2025 took us to Portugal. We had talked about it several times, but this was the first visit. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the country. We visited Lisbon, Porto, and Sintra and Braga for a day trips. Porto had the world’s fanciest McDonald’s and we saw the inspirations for Harry Potter’s magical staircases and mirrors.

January Sunshine

We felt a need to get out of the Pacific Northwest winter and get a little vitamin D. So, we headed down to Bahamas. A couple days in an AirBnB a few blocks from the beach, a visit to a primeval forest, then a day excursion for a little snorkeling and a visit to Pig Beach- a beach where pigs swim in the water with tourists. Yes, it is exactly what you think. We spent our last few days there at Atlantis- not the lost continent but the way overdone resort. The resort features a water park, raging river, restaurants, and more.