Travelogue No. 7 - Victoria, BC, Canada

TRAVELOGUE NO. 7
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER

FRIDAY, May 14, 2010 – Victoria, BC, Canada

It is hard to believe that this is the last day of the cruise portion of our cruise. As with most cruises, they seem to end too soon and leave you wanting “just a few more days”.

Victoria greeted us with blue skies and 65 degree temperature, much as Seattle did yesterday. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is the largest and most metropolitan city on the island. Our tour guide told us that Victoria is second in Canada only to be outranked by Vancouver City for an average priced home. It has the mildest climate in all of Canada because it sits in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains in Washington State. They only get approximately 20 some inches of rain here. There is no humidity here either – which makes it VERY desirable.

Butchart Gardens is among the most famous and meticulously maintained gardens in the world. Other attractions here that are equally as popular are The Empress Hotel and The British Columbia Museum of Natural History. One of our favorite things to do is to walk through downtown along Government Street and enjoy the little boutiques and souvenir shops along the way.

Enjoying our beautiful weather, today we took a tour to Craigdurroch Castle and Mt. Toume. Our motor coach drove us through downtown and out to “Mile 0” which is where the Trans-Canadian Highway begins and continues for over 4000 miles out to the Atlantic sea board. We passed the tallest totem pole in Canada which is at the south end of Beach Hill Park and faces mainland Washington State.

When we arrived at Mt. Tuome, the 360 degree views were nothing short of spectacular because of the clear weather. We could see over to Mt. Baker which is north of Seattle; we could see east over to San Juan Island across Haro Strait where we had a waterfront home rented for a week with friends; we could see south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca down to Washington State and magnificently standing proudly in the clear skies beyond were the Olympic Mountain range. It was just simply a glorious view. The landscape was granite with many varieties of wildflowers growing through the cracks. And, one of the most prolific bushes is the Scottish Broom, a bright yellow bush that we were told is actually a weed and taking over the island. But – weed or not, it add a beautiful yellow brightness to the area surrounding you.

From Mt. Tuome, the tour driver drove us down the hill and through the campus of The University of Victoria where they seem to have a rampant infestation of rabbits. The authorities are now in the process of trying to trap them and neuter them.
We wound around the streets and eventually arrived at the Craigdurroch Castle. Robert Dunsmuir found his fortune in coal back in the mid 1800’s. He and his wife had 15 children. When he passed in 1879 and never lived in the castle. It is built of huge stone on the outside and some of the most exquisite and intricate wood working on the interior. After passing hands several times it finally was donated to the City of Victoria. We climbed the wooden banisterred staircase up four flights of stairs – on each floor were more bedrooms. What was so beautiful was that each room was recreated in period décor complete with mannequins dressed in the beautiful long dresses of that time. The pictures on the wall were all historical. One shadow box picture caught my attention and when I asked about it, I was told that the 3 dimensional heart filigree inside was made of human hair. Each of the dining rooms had tables that were set “properly” for a very formal occasion.

It does not take much longer than half an hour to go through the Castle. There is a gift shop when you exit as with most every tourist attraction today. We walked around the grounds and were able to take some great pictures of the exterior of the house. One of the things that you could not help but notice were the blooming rhododendrons that were completely covered in flower blooms of every color from pale pink to bright magenta to a pinkish orange and everything in between. We found these bushes all over the city.

As we left the Castle our tour guide drove us through China Town which in contrast to the city of Victoria that has it’s streets lined with lamp posts with five white globes, in China Town, the lamp posts are on a red post with one Chinese lantern on top. Very fitting for the area.

We were dropped off in downtown Victoria near The Empress Hotel on Douglas Street where we chose to leave the tour and walk around on our own. It was near lunch time and we chose to enjoy some moist and delicate fish and chips at the Bard & Banker Restaurant. The batter of the fish was crunched Ruffles potato chips. I’d never seen anything like this and when we asked the waiter about it, he told us the Chef had come up with the recipe because the potato chips minimizes the shrinkage of the fish and what you are served is plump and juicy. Their tartar sauce was some of the best I’ve ever had; and we asked if they sold it and they unfortunately said no.

We walked up and down Government Street and then down past The Empress Hotel where there was a bride and groom on the front steps having their pictures taken. On the harbor side along the sidewalk, there were several street entertainers performing. We saw Darth Vader playing the violin, a gentleman painting a picture in chalk, and a juggler as well. Along the street we past many musicians playing guitar who were sitting on the ground – but it added a nice ambience to the day as we walked around.
Many of the students in Victoria earn extra money by transporting visitors around in their pedi-cabs. We found Andrea, who is a student of environmental studies and French and she got us settled and we were on our way for a leisurely ride back to the ship. All total, it took about an hour. She peddled through town and over to Beacon Hill Park where the “rhodos” were simply breathtaking with several bushes grouped together and created this burst of bright magenta amongst the green grassy knolls and trees in the park. We passed several peacocks in the park that are allowed to roam free throughout the park. There are several small ponds with fountains and there is a bronzed bust of Queen Elizabeth (or Victoria) with a flower bed of huge pink tulips underneath. Our ride continued along the waterfront and eventually down to the cruise ship terminal where it ended all to soon (as with everything else).

As is tradition on the last night of the cruise, the Princess waiters did the Parade of the Baked Alaska and we were surprised (and disappointed) that Princess no longer lights the Alaska’s but not have battery operated flames. We said good bye to our table mates and everyone went off to finish their packing and make sure our luggage was put outside our stateroom by 10:00 p.m. so the crew could swoop it up and take it into the baggage holding areas down below and it will magically appear when we pass through Customs in Vancouver.

Don’t fret – the Travelogues are not over yet! We will be staying two days in Vancouver, so there’s still more to come!

Hope you are all well and we sure wish we were sharing this with you all! What a fun time that would be! Safe Travels!