Nelson was a delight … such a pleasure that we may find a way to spend more time there, perhaps this is the alternative second location that we had hoped to find.
Bi-lingualism is universal … it is a treat for me to see French and even more a comfort to see the commitment, even in western British Columbia, to creating a country that celebrates its diversity.
The main street, Baker Street, has been lovingly restored with local shops, businesses and restaurants. And, we ran across three yoga studios before finding the first bar … something for everyone.
We walked along the Kootenai River to the City Beach and enjoyed the local commitment to creating a public space for all to enjoy … even the Nelson Electric Train that runs along the waterway. We had lunch at Loka, a locavore Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and had a fearlessly cheerful waitress and a deliciously excellent lunch … followed by more walking around the city. The younger man with the harem pants, untied hiking boots, skinny t-shirt, body ink and man bun was as welcome as the the older man with khaki pants, docker shoes, button-down shirt and regular man’s haircut. Young families mingled with older folks, street people with shop owners, everyone had a dog (or a kid, or both), and eclecticism ruled the day. We even found a possible location to live … near the heart of the town and close enough to the riverside walk with a co-op grocery store on the ground floor. We just may have found a second home for a couple of wayward aging hippies … stay tuned.
While we walked along the river front park, we watched helicopters carrying thimbleful baskets of water or slurry to the fire zone further up the mountain … somehow they looked so Lilliputian compared to the task of handling the fires. Apparently the fire chief of Nelson had the day before flown to the site of the fire to confirm that the city’s water source was not threatened and was reassured, but the talk of the town was the air quality and the heat.
We continued our drive along the Selkirk trail to the town of Balfour where a ferry carries one across to Courtney Bay, the other side of the Kootenai Lake … the longest free ferry crossing in the world (so they say) … but, we decided not to wait in the endless line of RVs, motorcycles and other vacationers trying to get home on Sunday afternoon … that trip will have to wait until we return some day
We turned around, said goodbye to Nelson and Canada and returned to Bambi who was waiting patiently for us to return at Blueslide, WA.
1 comment:
Delightful description, and most encouraging!
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