It was magical (as in surprisingly wonderful and unexpected!)–What better way to end a day of pedaling up and down hill and vale than with a refreshing dip into a warm lake to freshen up, followed by an easy ride down a fine bike path in the cool of the day…into the heart of Victoria, the inner harbor. We rolled into place, our tandem bars making a handy roost in a standing room only crowd, just minutes before the stirring anthem began…O CANADA, of course.
We were about to be treated to our first experience of Victoria Symphony SPLASH!, an annual event put on for the people of Victoria, and hapless cyclists passing through!
The custom-composed “Inner Harbor Overture” opened the concert utilizing horns of boats big and small throughout the inner harbor. Delightful!
Day faded slowly into night as the symphony wound its way through classical and popular works—Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Liszt, a John Williams tribute, and Star Wars music—to the grand finale, the 1812 Overture complete with a real live cannon and concluding with spectacular fireworks!
What could be more magical than that? How about walking back through the throng to an open space, mounting our tandem and pedaling off at high speed into the inky darkness, down a smooth windy trail, (finding ourselves following another tandem stoked by ‘old people’. How likely is that!) back over the little wood harbor bridge…and back to our waiting vehicle (after a little detour, a little getting lost trying to find the right street, a little of the less ‘magical’ nitty-gritty of real life)…
And what sweet summer’s night would be complete without a soft-serve cone at McDonald’s?!
The day was a splashing success and lives on in our memories to buoy up the ones where you wake with a stiff neck, devoid of enthusiasm even for having fun…(like today?) Thanks for joining me for this re-lived memory of last week’s adventures.
–LS