Victoria in a Day — A Quick Guide
My cousin came for a very quick visit last weekend. His wife initially asked if a day will be enough to check the city and I protested! We settled for him to stay overnight, at least! He is to come by bus from Abbotsford to Victoria where he spent more days reconnecting with friends and a few of his relatives. Rome2rio is quite handy for plans like this as it is a comprehensive global trip planner to help you get from point A to B worldwide! This article may serve and provide a quick itinerary around Victoria when you are pressed for time.
I am to pick him up from the bus station at the fork of Douglas and Belleville St. I arrived much earlier than he was so I walked around the harbor close by thinking of places that would leave a good impression on him. He is visiting from Bern so it is quite a contrast to what he is used to. His bus was delayed for an hour so that means an hour lesser in Victoria. Finally, my phone buzzed for his text message and I was quite excited to meet him again after 15 years. It was almost 2 pm.
We strolled quickly to Strathcona, his home while in the capital. I deliberately parked several blocks away (by Michigan St.) so I can show him a bit of downtown Victoria while he feasted his eyes on everything buzzing on a Saturday afternoon. I reserved the inner harbor and the parliament buildings in the evening when we are relaxing after dinner at a bar and grill close by. The James Bay Community Market offered some delights and bought ourselves hotdogs for a quick bite. A conversation came up about market produce, organic, locally grown vegetables and fruits. Then the benchmark begins…
At 2:30, we breezed the highway to get to the Butchart Gardens. His first official stop. The gardens speak for themselves, one that Victoria is famous for. Every season delivers a different character, a different dynamic and a different rate :-) Summer usually charges the peak rate at $32.60 for adults. However, for an extra $27 more, you can upgrade your admission ticket to an annual pass. Good value when you frequent the gardens to show your visitors, for photography or to relax and unwind.
Why is it that when you are pressed for time, time does fly? I don’t get that! We stayed for about 3.5 hours at the gardens and have to leave downtown to catch our dinner reservation at 7:15.
Milestones Grill and Bar does not disappoint at all. I have requested for a window seat that looks through the harbor. Shooting 2 birds with a stone. The menu selection is enough to fill a tired and hungry traveler. It if wasn’t for the bridal shower guests who were a bit loud and seated adjacent to us, we could have stayed longer after dinner. I have wanted to order dessert but I canceled for that reason. Minus that though, it’s a perfect dinner. Good ambiance, the server was cheerful, the view by the window was, what can I say, it’s the waterfront!
During the summer nights like all nights, the parliament buildings light up drawing a sketch of its edges. My cousin is a photo hobbyist and with his gadgets captured amazing silhouettes of sunsets, people, carriage, boats, and Victoria. That wraps up the day so we parted ways and agreed to meet at his hotel 9 am the following day.
Day 2 and last day, I planned to go the distance first then through other places of interest along the way as we drive back to town for his bus at 3:45 pm. We took the side road to reach Hatley Castle and arrive there in time to witness a photoshoot of 2 little girls in their Cinderella outfits. We sneaked in the castle and took a shot or two, we can’t really look around long as the castle was supposed to be closed. There was a gift shop on the bottom floor of the castle and I should say the prices are expensive. The items are not even unique. There is also a small museum after the gift shop and it does not have enough things interesting. However, a castle is a castle and the campus was great! Filmmakers won’t consider this location if it did not have that distinct character apt for movies. Peacocks are frequent residents at this university campus. Yes, the castle sits on the campus of Royal Roads University and it houses the executive and administrative offices.
From Hatley Castle, we drove down Fort Rod Hill and the Fisgard Lighthouse. It was an overcast for a while until it slowly transitioned to a sunny sky. I love the lighthouse, it's red and white colors that contrast the blue sky simply produced an amazing shot describing the importance of the edifice during that era. The lighthouse is Canada’s first in the West Coast and was built by the British in 1860 when Vancouver Island is not yet part of Canada. Close by Fort Rod Hill is another historic site that served as a coast artillery fort built in the 1890s to defend Victoria and the Esquimalt Naval Bas.
It was time for lunch and I was thinking of squeezing China Town in and perhaps grab a meal on the side. That was the plan, however, for some reason traffic or my route took me to Gorge Road so I decided we take a table by the patio of the Glo Restaurant for lunch. We picked a table that offered a good view of the Selkirk Waterway and the trestle. So far, the cousin was impressed and it was at this point when I asked point-blank, how do you like it here? Would you consider retiring here? He said like is an understatement, he’s loving it and regretted not spending more time here.
After lunch, we made our way to the second, national heritage site, a castle in Victoria — Craigdarroch There was a group tour being orientated at the entrance to the castle. We would have wanted to see the inside but because the line was long and we were pressed for time, we passed the tour and instead did the usual best, take photos and more photos. After the castle, we drove to China Town — the oldest in Canada and second in the world. Fan Tan Alley, the never missed interesting facet of Fisgard St. and the Gate of Harmonious Interest. This is where time caught up and we have to leave and rush to the bus station. Made it through at approximately 3:30, said our goodbyes with a resolve to see each other again next year.
