In this post I head to Penticton in the Okanagan Valley for a long-awaited reunion with my great friend and travel buddy, Janine.
Two days after arriving in Canada, I returned to Vancouver International Airport for an early morning flight to Kelowna. Moments after take-off, I was once again mesmerised by the view of the snow-capped North Shore Mountains, which I’d glimpsed when I’d landed two days before. I spent the hour-long flight gazing out the window at the breath-taking sight. I’d never seen anything like it.
I landed in Kelowna and collected my suitcase. As I emerged from the washroom, I heard my name being called.
‘Kate!’
I spun around to see Janine there before me. It had been ten years since we had seen each other in New Zealand. And there she was, my Canadian travel buddy! We threw our arms around each other and squeezed tight, squealing with excitement. At long last, reunited. I couldn’t believe I was finally here in Canada, after dreaming about this trip for so long.
Janine had brought her five-year-old daughter Maddie along to pick me up. Maddie took my hand, chatting excitedly as she led me to the car. My heart was warmed with welcome.
Janine lived an hour’s drive from Kelowna International Airport. The city of Penticton is the hub of wine tourism in the Okanagan Valley, with 120 wineries within an hour’s drive and over 40 wineries within city limits. Craft beer, distilled spirits, and cider are also widely manufactured.
We were held up on the scenic Highway 97 in Summerland for half an hour, queued in stopped traffic while rock blasting work was undertaken. There was nothing we could do but wait, so I took the opportunity to get out of the car and take some photos of beautiful Lake Okanagan.
We arrived at Janine’s house and I met her partner Doug, youngest daughter Kenzie and excitable Golden Retriever Harlow. Janine and I took off again, driving to two wineries in Naramata- Serendipity and Therapy– for tastings. Janine joined the Therapy wine club, and we brought a few bottles home.
On Saturday morning, Janine, Maddie, Kenzie and I took Harlow for a walk on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. This trail has heads leading to more than 160 km (99 mi) of flat, railbed trails for hiking and biking, and is part of the Trans Canada Trail.
In the afternoon, we dropped the kids home to Doug, and Janine and I headed out again for more tastings. This time we stopped by Howling Moon Craft Cider in Oliver, and I tried a cucumber and mint flavoured cider. Cucumber is one of the few foods I do not eat, but drink is a different story. Combined with the mint it brought a crisp edge to the cider, and I liked it so much I bought a bottle.
We continued onto the District Wine Village- you read that correctly, a village of wine. Here they boast 11 wineries, 1 brewery, 1 distillery and a restaurant. We stopped by Silhouette, owned by Therapy which we had visited the day before. After our tasting it was on to Gneiss, pronounced like Guinness. There we enjoyed a glass of wine and a cheese platter.
That night, Janine and I sat on her balcony and sipped Therapy as we watched the sky for the Northern Lights. We only saw a hint of the aurora borealis, but the view was spectacular anyway. Before too long we decided to go to bed- we were headed to Banff the next day, and had a long drive ahead of us.
Kate Kelsen 