Tag: traveling

At the Fairy Castle: Vancouver Island, BC

As is fitting of a dreamy wonderland, we arrived in Vancouver Island via a dreamy boat ride across a misty sea. There we reached our long-sought destination, my aunt Holly’s cozy home in the countryside where we’d spend a week visiting with her, her partner Kirk, and my brother Van, who’d flown up from California.

Much as Americans love to poke fun at Canada (haha, Canadians, you’re so… nice?), we also seem to have a tendency to idealize it as some sort of pastoral socialist paradise where maple syrup flows like water and everyone opens the door for each other.

While the syrup is kind of pricey and I’m sure there’s a Canadian somewhere who forgot to write a thank-you note to his Uber driver one time, I have to say I haven’t encountered much evidence that Canada isn’t a pastoral socialist paradise. At any rate, they’ve sure got pastoral down pat.

We spent a lovely week exploring neighboring islands, checking out local native art galleries and museums, and testing out every swimming hole we could find. (As well as stuffing our faces with poutine — that is, when Kirk wasn’t dishing up gourmet feasts at home, which he did nearly every night. It never hurts to have a professional chef in the family.)

I can’t decide if this food belongs on a magazine cover or in my belly. OK, yes I can.

After two months on the road, it felt like heaven to settle down for a week in such a beautiful and welcoming spot. While we’ve seen a lot of amazing things this summer, one of the most rewarding parts of this experience has been having the luxury to take our time visiting the people we care about.

Fueled up with love and blueberry cobbler, we’re ready to hit the road again.

Forest Haven: Portland, OR

With our desert sunburns not yet faded, we greeted the cool, lush greenery of the Northwest like an exotic wonderland. As we rolled into Portland on a drizzly afternoon, we saw flocks of cheerful locals out jogging and biking through the park like it was the first day of spring. When the sun finally did burst through for an hour or so, the city basked in its full glory, like a paradise constructed by hipster wood nymphs.

Every block of Portland was crowded with cleverly themed restaurants and improbably eclectic boutiques. Within a quarter-mile radius, one could easily satisfy their needs for Georgian dumplings, designer cat toys, artisanal cutting boards, and CBD-infused kombucha. Or, you know, mermaids.

Who else is suddenly doubting every career choice they ever made?

We stayed with Chase, an old friend of Sean’s from Texas, who was generous enough to show us around town — or, at least, to a well-curated handful of what appeared to be endless points of interest. We stopped by a community print shop, where the staff graciously let us ogle their machinery and loiter in the zine library.

We also passed a very lively evening at a tiki-themed karaoke bar called the Alibi, where Sean once again floored the crowds with his rendition of “Flagpole Sitta.”

Either that or he gave a really interesting TED Talk.

Back in Chico, my grandma had very sweetly surprised us with a gift card to McMenamin’s, which is a chain of strange and fascinating establishments strewn across the Northwest. Most of them are located in old renovated buildings, such as the Old St. Francis School in Portland, where the former boiler room now holds a two-story restaurant.

I’m not really sure what a boiler room is either, but it’s pretty, right?

We ate there with Chase twice, and I passed a rainy afternoon writing in their courtyard with a brownie sundae for company. Finally, on our last day in Portland — after the exhausting work of eating Georgian dumplings, reading zines, ogling mermaids, and belting out 90’s hits — Sean and I decided to try out their heated pool.

Yes, it IS too much to ask that we both look cute at the same time.

From here we’ll continue wandering North, dipping into some Washington cities before hopping the ferry to Vancouver Island. Until then, hipster wood nymphs, be well.