Sumer is time for relaxing, so I told a long weekend off and have a get away trip with Pat in Salt Spring Island. Salt Spring Island is about 2 hours of ferry away from Vancouver. It is the latest of the gulf islands, with ten thousand population. It takes about 1 hours to drive form one end of the island to another. Salt Spring Island is a famous for its quiet life and many local artists also call the island home. We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Fulford harbor, which is on the other side of the island, away from the village town center. We booked the B&B quite late, but to our surprise the place very nice. It is located on the seaside, the living room look over the harbor. It is very wonderful experience to enjoy hot tub with beer under the night sky and feel the breeze from the sea.
Homely style B&B
Harbor view from the B&B
Salt Spring Island is very tourist friendly, the studio tour website has maps with introduction of art studio or local farms worth visiting. We spent 3 days in the island. We don’t have any rigid plan. We just take our time to visit some studios on our way to sight see part of the island. I found the farm attraction quite interesting, as I can get close to the nature. On the other hand, the art studios are kinda boring. Why would I pay outrage price for junks in unknown shape and weird color
Lavender field
The tasting table at the cheese farm
Salt Spring vineyard with wine tasting
Sheep farm where you can hug the sheep and feel the living wool.
The quite local life is only part of the island’s attraction. The nature beauty and fresh air in forest is another major attraction of the island. Driving on country road on the island is very enjoyable, with tall trees surrounding you on both side. Salt Spring is an island so we there are many places to enjoy the seaside.
Grave road in the forset
Country road with Initial D like feel.
View from Mount Maxwell.
A red pier at the tip of the island
The Ganges Saturday market is selling lots of fresh farm products and local craft works. The open theater in the village park plays Shakespeare every night. Luckily, the girls are too tired after a long day of sight seeing, so they spare the guys from watching boring plays. Instead we had some quiet time watching the sea back in the B&B.
Saturday market is packed
Little girl playing harp in the market
Water front cafe
Tree House cafe with live music every night
Although I am on vacation, I am not spared my duty as a Catholic. I gotta wake up at seven to attend the mass at eight. The church we went is the first stone building in the island. It is over 100 years old. The church is very small, it only has 5 rows of pew and about 20 parishioners. The priest travel from Victoria just for the morning mass. The church does not have any musical instrument, so pianist use his own accordion.
St. Paul Church
Staying three nights in Salt Spring Island is about the right length. We have visited most of the island and have some quiet moments. It will start getting bored and run out of place to visit if we stay any longer. On the way back, the ferry is delayed for almost an hour. Someone fell off from a nearby boat, so the ferry stopped and join the rescue mission. Too bad that the weather is a bit rough in the weekend, so I didn’t get to swim or kayak. Otherwise, the trip would be perfect.