Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Sun, Sea and Samosas







Arrived in Victoria, B.C. this afternoon. It was -30C when I left this AM. According to the locals it was"only 4C" here but to me it felt like a warm summer day. My room wasn't ready when I arrived (they upgraded it to a harbour view! A little gift from the Gods), so I decided to go for a run straight away.  I ran 6 miles (236 miles) along the ocean (Dallas Road for those of you who know Victoria). It is my first time running in Victoria and it was amazing. Just what I needed to clear my head and nourish my struggling soul. There is something very special about the ocean, how truly peaceful and comforting it is, not to mention the spectacular mountains in the background. To have both in view is definitely a treat for a prairie girl.

The run felt great. I  hit my stride at 5 miles and felt like I could run forever. It was such a great experience  that I even stopped and asked a complete stranger to take a picture of me with the ocean in the background and to later e-mail it to me. It turns out the stranger is also a presenter at the conference. He is part of a group from Seattle, Washington, a group which now thinks I'm a bit crazy (established fact). They seemed pretty amused. I also know all the door men at the Empress.  They cheered me on as I left for my run (well maybe not cheering but smiling, taking pictures of me {my request :)} and giving me directions where to run). They were also waiting with cold water when I returned :), not to mention they carried my bags to my room (OK, I know that's their job). 

The view from my room is spectacular as you can see from the photos. The Empress is probably one of the prettiest and most majestic hotels in the country. Simply grand and I think they still serve high tea in the afternoons. Something I plan to explore tomorrow.

I attended a reception this evening for the presenters. It was wonderful to see colleagues from all over the country. I also found at least two people who plan to run with me tomorrow afternoon. I did my Peter Seller's routine at the reception, flipping a samosa right out of the end of a pair of serving tongs, high in the air, just as the host was making his welcome speech. I know! But I was really really hungry after my run and how disruptive could one little samosa be? Apparently when airborne they can be quite an attention grabber. "Oh, look who's here?" "Finally, in conclusion, let me just say this. Ta dah!" And that was just today's spectacular performance, wait until I legitimately have the room! 

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