"Knitters are just a close knitt bunch!"

O.K.: Today, we are both awake and ready for the day.  Yep!  We were awake at 4:00a.m. this morning!  The robins weren't even singing.  Pacific Time has its advantages.

Bathtub race winner

We began our day with a wonderful breakfast.  Thanks to Judith from The Kennedy House B & B.  Fresh fruit, smoked salmon and egg on toast. We were ready to be official tourists of Naniamo.  Look out, here we come. A pair of Norwester hippies.  Pony tail included.

Our mission today was to tour Naniamo Museum, where we learned about the history of coal mining at Naniamo.  Naniamo bar tasting at "Serious Coffee Co." and the Bastion.


Naniamo tasting @ Serious Coffee Co.

I have to agree, the authentic tri level sweet of the west coast is absolutely delicious along side a cup of west coast java!  Now.. we are ready to start our day.  Caffeine and sugar.  WOW what a rush at 10:00 a.m.

Original recipe

The secret to Naniamo bars: "Bird's custard powder"

Sunshine, warm temperature!  Upward and onward.

Time for lunch.  Already tired of restaurant food, we are now eating by "default" and it is my "pick" for the meal.  "Lets try raw vegan.  What do you think, Bob?"  Waiting for the "I don't think so" 




To my surprise, we find ourselves ordering raw, vegan pizza.  Complete with cashew ricotta on a bed of organic pesto drenched over carrot puree crust.  Doesn't this sound just scrumptious? 

Well, don't be so turned off on tasteless food.  This pizza was absolutely wonderful.  Bob was pleasantly surprised.  I didn't even have to coax him to take his first hesitant bite.  Maybe, it was just hunger that succumbed his feelings towards raw vegan food.

We visited the "Old City Quarter" where chic boutiques are nestled among heritage building in the Old city of Naniamo.  And low and behold:  A yarn boutique. Well, we just have to visit.  Bob and I enter the tiny shop filled with exquisite colours and fibers.  Bob fit right in.  So much, that another customer asked Bob if he could help them with a selection of yarns.  He replied: "I don't work here, I'm just a tourist"  He did look pretty spiffy in his Irish knit sweater and sexy ponytail.  (Remember, hippie in B.C.!! and pro ski bum) After a long chat with Bob's new customers, and of course the staff, he came to the conclusion;  "All you knitters are just a close knit bunch, aren't you?"  That's no surprise at all.  We all knew of different shops all across Canada, from Baddeck, Nova Scotia to  Duncan, British Columbia and every where in between!  It's is scary that Bob knows the lingo of us fibre junkies.  Yes, very scary.  And, yes, I did leave with a decadent skein of hand dyed emerald green wool from Gabriola Island, B.C.

Next, on the agenda: The theatre in the afternoon.  At least, it will keep us awake.
"Two tickets for "Island Soul Choir" please.  We were in for a treat.  Afternoon concert featuring Vancouver Island's "Soul Patrol" (Soul, R & B), "Triva", (Acapella trio) and "Island Soul Choir" an African, Gospel choir that shook the walls of the Port Theatre.  This is what Naniamo is about.  The culture, live local talent, coffee shops and food.

Next stop is the Bastion, an eight sided fort  protecting the coal mining town of Naniamo.  Standing guard since 1853 over the city built by the Hudson's Bay company, the only original fort still standing in North America. 

To Bob's surprise, that small slice of raw vegan pizza still kept his belly satisfied for most of the day.  I'm now getting hungry.  Yes, it is almost 5:00 p.m. and time for a cold beer.  What a better place than Asteras Taverna, an authentic Greek restaurant, complete with a cold glass of Mythos Beer, red wine and fresh baked pita bread with Tzatziki.
A complete day it was.  At least, today, we didn't misplace the car!

Tomorrow, we depart and head even more westward toward the Pacific ocean to the coastal town of Tofino.