Victoria, British Columbia

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Friday, October 12, 2017

As predicted, the rains stopped at 11:00 – just in time, as I was getting cabin fever. First stop was beautiful Beacon Hill Park. As the rain still sprinkled, we walked around through flowers, trees and ponds with little connecting streams. Ducks played in the waters while peacocks and seagulls were everywhere else. Lots of people were out on a now pretty day. The coastal side of the park is more natural. The beautiful coastline is enough. People were walking dogs, riding bikes, walking or sitting on one of many benches enjoying the views. By then we were getting hungry, so we headed down to the docks and “Red Fish Blue Fish” to try and choose which good-looking thing to order. Fish and Chips, oysters, salmon sandwiches and seafood chowder. People were eating all along the dock as we queued up in the long line. This is downtown Victoria, two blocks from the Parliament building and the great Empress Hotel. Yet, sea planes land here, and whale tours guarantee seeing a whale. People kayak all around the city, and bike lanes and paths seem to be everywhere.

We walked through the Empress Hotel. It was busy with oncology and thyroid conferences. The dining room was filled with people taking high tea. We walked up town a while, finding a Patagonia store, where Martha bought some wool socks. Walking a different way back, we poked in several shops. It’s a very nice downtown with good shopping, but not outrageous prices. Plenty of people were out, but you can easily drive through the city. The greater metropolitan area is 383,300. The roads are good, people are courteous, and for the most part, it is easy to get around. I’m not one who loves a city, but I like this one a lot. There are lots of things to do and plenty of outdoor adventures. There are lots of parks throughout the city. We left a lot undone, but then we have another day.