Vacations not only bring us to new places, but offer us new experiences, connecting us to new people. Our trip to Salt Spring Island off the coast of Vancouver, Canada did just that when we spent a week there 30 years ago.
In my last post, I wrote about the discoveries we made while there, from the palate pleasing eateries, exhilarating outdoor recreation, and especially the Old Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast that provided five restful nights’ sleep and sweet and savory morning meals. And the owners, Gerti and Karl…they were most personable, gracious, and attentive. Hardworking, Gerti could be found in the kitchen prepping delightful dishes like her famous souffles. Karl could be found out in the yard fixing anything that needed repairing or tending to the grounds. Hosts are essential to making any stay memorable and at that they excelled.
As mentioned previously, we didn’t stay in the main house but in the Chateau Poulet cottage. I have a habit of taking photos of the places we stay. Not just their exteriors, but their interiors, too. So, it didn’t surprise me that among the photos slid into clear plastic sleeves in our photo album from 1994 was one of a round glass table that held fresh flowers from their garden. Other photos showed two beds topped with smooth duvets and scalloped edged pillows, striped chairs, a wooden chest that served as another table, and flower printed roman shades covering the windows. Homey, cheerful, so welcoming.
Wanting to know how life on Salt Spring Island was faring today, I did a little research. The Pomodori restaurant where we savored a few Mediterranean inspired meals is no longer listed, but Pomodoro’s is still serving up pizza. The Fulford Inn, an English style pub that we dined at has permanently closed. And I read that the Vesuvius Inn, the place where we enjoyed pub food and sunsets went through a renovation about six years ago, however I couldn’t find any information as to it’s reopening. Island Spoke Folk is now Outspokin’ and still rents bikes. Salt Spring Kayaking is Salt Spring Adventures these days and the Saturday Farmer’s Market is still going strong March through October. Yay!
Of course, what I was most curious about was the Old Farmhouse. I didn’t have Gerti and Karl’s last name for some reason, so I simply typed in their first names, the inn’s name, and its location. What popped up was a book-related website and whose picture was next to her biography? None other than “author” Gerti Herrlich-Fuss! Wow! Once I knew she wrote a book, I checked Amazon, was a copy still available? None listed. Now knowing her full name, I typed that in. That led me to Gerti’s website.
On it appeared something that made my eyes open wide. A watercolor-like painting of their B & B graced the book’s cover as well as a photo of the wooden crate that was in the Chateau Poulet decades ago! Her book’s title? A Chest Full of Hope.
I took a closer look at my photo…on it I could read the words: “UBERSEE GEPACKDIENST BREMEN-HAUPTBAHNHOF FOR HERRLICH GERTI TS CASTEL FELICE DEPARTURE 2 SEPTEMBER 1960 EX CUXHAVEN / GERMANY TO AUSTRALIA”. Had I not noticed the words on the chest when we were staying there? Strangely, too we just happened to arrive at their B & B on September 2nd, though 34 years later than the date on her crate. After a little more digging, I realized Gerti and her “hope chest” must had traveled to Bremen, Germany, then left Cuxhaven aboard the Castel Felice passenger ship on September 2, 1960, headed for Australia.
Questions began to pop into my head. First off, were Gerti and Karl still alive and well? I guessed that they were in their 50s when we met them, so perhaps they’d be in their 80s now. What was the story behind the chest? What did it contain? Why was Gerti going to Australia? How old was she when she made the journey? Did she go there with Karl? Maybe I’d discover the answers in her book. But, could I find a copy?
From my journal: May 15, 2024, Newbury Park, California
“Crazy funny thing happened today…researching Salt Spring Island for my next blog post…found a link, website, then email address…sent Gerti an email…much to my surprise, I got a reply in a few hours! She and Karl have retired and are in good health. Yay!…And Gerti is sending me a copy of her book!…quite incredible…”
A Chest Full of Hope is not only a memoir of Gerti’s life, but a love story. It recounts her coming of age, her love for Karl, her children and grandchildren, as well as her love for her chosen profession. Humorous and touching, it tells the story of a determined young woman born in Germany during WWII who at the age of 20, packed her most precious belongings into a wooden crate and journeyed on her own to Australia to marry her fiancé, Karl. There she became a wife and mother and with tenacity and perseverance she learned to speak English, and how to make a living in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her book detailed her and Karl’s move to Canada, after a short return to Germany. And it told of Gerti’s years spent managing restaurants in Vancouver. It also told why in 1988, Gerti and Karl moved to Salt Spring Island to open the Old Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast. And that for 16 years they ran the inn, until retiring and moving to Victoria in 2004. They are still living happily there today.
So, what was in her hope chest when she left on the first part of her life’s journey? Housewares such as china, linens, pots, pans, a mascot penguin that she and Karl named Charlie, and the wedding dress her mother made for her. Almost 64 years later, what does it contain now? Among several treasures is her dad’s top hat, a gingham dress her mother made for her, the first pair of shoes she bought for herself in Canada, love letters from Karl and her children, and guest books from the Old Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast.
Memories. Such sweet memories can be held in hope chests like Gerti’s, or in a file cabinet, journals, and photo albums like mine. But maybe more importantly these precious memories are also, forever held, in our minds, and in our hearts.
A Journal Journey 