The conference was great but had a quiet afternoon so decided to go whale watching. I could have gone out on the large boat but decided to brave the Zodiac, as something memorable, on what for me was a slightly surreal day. I noticed a missed call from my Head of School and I thought .. hmm what is wrong. Checked my emails thinking she would email me if something terrible had happened. Well there was an email, but it was from the Vice Chancellor congratulating me on my promotion to Professor.
So I dressed in the funny red suit, looking like the Michelin Tyre Man. Looking around my fellow whale watches we all looked the same and really we were off to see some of the largest creatures in the world so rather fitting we looked the same. There were twelve of us, on what at first seemed like a sedate rubber raft, as we slowly bobbed out of Victoria Harbour. Not for long though, as the boat quickly gained speed and we skimmed across the top of the water surrounded by amazing scenery. Well OMG. I can’t even describe the sight of the massive Humpback mother rising up out of the water with her calf. I can’t even write about it. The only way to describe it was awe inspiring.
We went shopping in the lovely streets of Victoria and the choice of my promotion present was easy. I am now sporting a lovely ring with the great creature carved into it by a talented First Nation artist. Fish pie and a fantastic cider cocktail with Canadian apple cider and limoncello finished what was a truly memorable day.
Sleeping under the stars 