Like going back in time

Hello, all!

Last weekend I set off to Victoria on Vancouver Island with my girlfriend for a short weekend getaway. We left early Friday morning (very-caffeinated tea in hand) to catch two buses to the ferry terminal in order to catch the 9:00am sailing. As a kid (this is actually probably still true), I loved getting to ride the ferries because it meant three things: being able to run around outside on the deck, being in the middle of the ocean, and White Spot. I swear the only reason people should take the ferries is for the simple joy of consuming an over-priced meal from White Spot on the boats! Anyway, this was a different sort of trip than the usual ones I used to take to the island for swim meets (and maybe one trip for a family vacation many years ago), because I got to be a HUGE tourist!

The voyage across the Georgia Strait was about an hour and a half of beautiful blue and sunny skies and gorgeous sights of the islands along the way. We got to our hotel around noon, and to our delight we were able to check in upon our arrival and leave our bags in the room before setting off to explore the historical city. The hotel was in a prime location - pretty much right in the middle of downtown, behind the Empress Hotel!

For the rest of the day on Friday, we simply wandered around the Inner Harbour area and ate lunch from some food trucks that were there. If you're ever visiting Victoria, I highly recommend Taco Justice and the Hungry Rooster food trucks! Eventually we made our way to the Maritime Museum, which was interesting, but as I have no particular interest in ships, the wonder was sort of lost on me. Still, it was an excellent museum, AND, like many other places in Victoria, it is housed in a historic building (formerly the courthouse). Later that night, we caught up with an old friend of mine from high school, Kristen, and her roomie Nicole at the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner (Bellinis on special, whaaaat). After dinner, we decided to wander a bit around the Empress grounds, but I forgot how chilly it gets in Victoria when the sun goes down, so we rushed to an interesting old restaurant we had seen earlier, called The Soda Shoppe, to warm up with tea, from which we continued on to wander tacky tourist shops along Government St.

Woolly Mammoth in the museum!

Saturday was a pretty full day from the get-go, but we moved at a relaxing pace at first so it didn't feel too rushed. It was nice to wake up and have the option to wander down the street with a hot cup of tea, grab a delicious morning BLT from Sam's Deli on Government St. (right beside the Soda Shoppe), and have our breakfast with a view of the Inner Harbour. It was fairly early so the streets were less busy with tourists. Next on the itinerary was the Royal BC Museum. This museum is incredible! It has two sections - natural history (which includes phenomenal exhibits on wildlife all around British Columbia and prehistoric fossils), and human history (which includes exhibits on Victoria's historic Chinatown, different environments around BC according to industry [such as fishing, mining, etc], artifacts from the olden days [20th century], First Nations artifacts, and a temporary exhibit on the race to the South Pole). It took us probably about 3-4 hours in total to take in the whole museum, but we did take a break in between the two sections in the museum's cafe. Needless to say, after that monster round at the museum, we needed a nap to rest our feet! In the evening, we took part in a Ghost Walk tour, of which there are many different tours you can choose from! It was fun, but chilly. I recommend wearing warm clothes as you are walking/standing and listening to haunted tales for about an hour and a half.

On our last day, we started the morning with a leisurely walk, breakfasting at Sam's Deli once again. We rented bikes (as you can from many places in downtown Victoria!) for a couple hours and took a leisurely ride through Beacon Hill Park which was gorgeous! We stopped along a trail that looked over a dog beach - so many puppies I could've died. Eventually, we made our way to Craigdarroch Castle, a historic site in Victoria. I love castles and old architecture, which is probably part of what draws me to Europe, so I couldn't pass up being in Victoria without seeing the castle! It was such an interesting place and I definitely recommend it. The castle, once the residence of the incredibly wealthy Dunsmuir family, has also played roles as a military hospital, Victoria College (predecessor to UVic, at the time a branch of McGill University), and a music academy!

The entire weekend was an adventure - hardly relaxing! But after three days full of so many adventures, it was time to head home and fall asleep in our own beds...but I'll be back to Victoria and other areas of the island for sure in the future!