Nanaimo Bars

Cross from Atop Local Church
Balanced Rocks

Port of Nanaimo

Nanaimo bars (chocolate and cream) are only one delight in the harbor of Nanaimo. Ice cream on the boardwalk, ferry rides to Protection and Newcastle Islands, bookstores aplenty, shopping in the old town are all there for a short walk. Ferries leave from here to Vancouver on the mainland. Seaplanes (Harbor Air, or "HA!") land and take off constantly. And, most boaters stop here at the Port of Nanaimo marina before or after transiting Dodd Narrows just south of here at slack tide. The Strait of Georgia is just beyond Protection Island.

We stayed two nights, seeing Frenchie again, a First Nations carver from whom we bought two hummingbirds last year. Buskers played music on the waterfront. There is also a large fishing fleet. The spotted prawn season has just closed. Every day at noon the English cannon at the harbor is fired and on Thursday we were lucky to see a piper and the Brigadoon dance school perform Scottish dances ending with the Highland Fling.