Let's Go Places: Victoria, British Columbia

 

Picking up the Big British Columbia saga from last time, it's now Thursday morning.  It's time for us to pack up and leave Vancouver behind for Victoria, which is the provincial capital.  We're going to see how it stacks up to Vancouver and see if visiting Canadian provincial capitals in any way compares to visiting US state capitals.

Remind Me, Where Are We Again?

It's a fair question!  We were in the city of Vancouver, and now we're headed to a place called Vancouver Island, which is where Victoria is located.  As you can see, there is a lot of water between the two places, so we're going to need a boat to get there.

The Vancouver to Victoria ferry is the largest ship that I have ever been on.  There were a ton of people, but it was very well organized and a smooth experience.

There are a ton of islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island, so there was no shortage of eye candy along the way.  As we were sailing through, I was reminded that my husband always told the boys that when they grow up he expects one of them to live on the ocean and one in the mountains.  BC has both in the same place.

We docked and I made tracks for Victoria.  I couldn't check into the Airbnb until later in the afternoon, so I ditched my car in a parking garage downtown and headed out to explore on foot.

Remember how I told you a few posts ago that my parents took me to Vancouver when I was small and I remembered staying at an old hotel and finding tons of change in the streets?  It's a very random little kid memory, so I wasn't surprised when Vancouver didn't bring up any memories.  Once I rolled into Victoria, everything looked familiar, and I'm pretty sure that this is the place that I remember from my little kid days.   The Empress hotel is the Big Deal Old School Hotel, and I can't say whether it was or wasn't where we stayed.   Possibly if it was a business trip, but it was out of my price range in 2025 so I'm assuming it was out of my parents' price range back in the day as well and there are plenty of other historic hotels that it could have been.  And sigh, I didn't find any pocket change on the streets, but frankly that was more of a thrill back when I was a young 'un anyway.

I kept walking and saw the star of the show, the Legislature Building.  If you're into architecture, both the Legislature Building and the Empress Hotel are more typical examples of Francis Rattenbury's work than the Roedde house in Vancouver.

I had the lay of the land but I needed food before I could explore.  I turned to Google and found a place called Nourish Kitchen and Cafe.  It was the definition of what I need in a lunch: not too much food, but perfectly filling, delicious, and very likely good for me.  I had the golden benny, which is eggs Benedict served on a sweet potato with cashew hollandaise (they give you the option to swap the eggs for tempeh if you're after a fully plant based meal).

After lunch I headed straight for the legislature building and found out that the next tour was coming up soon.  I had just enough time to walk around the bay a little bit more.

I know you want me to show you the dome!

There is a service staircase in the dome for maintenance needs.  The safety enclosure is something that was added in more recent times.

During the course of the tour I picked up on some fascinating history and a better understanding of government.  Back home I think of state senates and state houses, but here we have one legislative body to do it all.  The elected officials are Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

I wasn't able to get very close to the legislative hall, since there were a ton of people on the tour, but what I want you to see is the big chair up at the front.  It's kind of a noticeable piece of furniture.  The Engineering department at UBC has a history of playing pranks, and one of their heists was stealing the chair.  To this day no one knows how they got it out of the building, but engineers can do anything.  They eventually returned it with the name of the school carved on the underside.

There is a grand entrance that can only be used by the head of state and visiting heads of state.  If you think the head of state is the Prime Minister, then you are thinking small.  The Head of State in Canada is King Charles of course!

The tour guide spent a bit of time talking us through the BC Coat of Arms, and the interesting thing that I learned from this is that originally Vancouver Island and British Columbia were separate colonies.  The elk represents Vancouver Island, and the sheep represents BC.  By the way, why is the province called BC?  The colony was named for the Columbia River, but Queen Victoria wanted to make it known that they weren't talking about the country of Columbia or the part of the river that was in what later became Washington State.  The name British Columbia set the record straight.

The provincial motto is splendor sine occasu, which translates to splendor without diminishment.  That's a fine motto, but the original intention was "the sun never sets on the British flag".

Speaking of the flag, it's included on the crest, but let's check it out on its own:

We've got the Union Jack on top, which is a nod to where we came from, and then we have the blue waves of the Pacific, and then the setting sun, because BC is where the sun sets in Canada.

I left the tour with a head buzzing full of fun facts.  There was enough time left in the afternoon to do something else, so I picked Craigdarroch Castle.

It was fine, but it was a self guided tour, which isn't always my favorite.  It served the purpose of getting the clock to Airbnb check in time.

Let's Rate the Airbnb!

Once again we are grading on a curve.  The criteria that I was after were: walkable to downtown, safe, and also OMG if I thought Vancouver was expensive that was because I hadn't seen the prices in Victoria yet.  Just like Vancouver, I'd left it a little late in the day to get a room so I didn't have a lot of options.

The unit was basically a room in someone's house, though with a separate entrance and its own bathroom.  The criteria that I used to judge safety were the positive reviews and the fact that host said "I live here with my young children and you will hear kid noises in the house".  If it was good enough for small kids, it was good enough for me.

The downside was that since the unit a room in someone's house, the licensing standards dictated that there was no cooking.  The host was very clear about this in the listing, and provided everything that you can provide and still have no cooking.  There was a coffee maker, electric kettle, and fridge, but no microwave.  The host also provided bananas, instant oatmeal (presumably to be prepared with hot water from the kettle), and snacks which to me was above and beyond for a no cooking zone.  

Bathroom wise, this is what we had to work with.  I remember an episode of Sex and the City where the girls took a cross country train and everything about the experience was terrible, and one of the ultimate horrors was that the shower and the toilet were in the same place.

Well, SATC gals, don't knock it 'til ya try it.  This arrangement, which is called a Wet Bathroom, is actually pretty slick.  There was a giant rainfall showerhead on the ceiling, and the water pretty much stayed on the shower side.  After three nights with a bower (thanks Lisa for telling me that's what a bathtub with a shower nozzle is called!) the shower was heavenly.

The room was very small, and the table was awkward for work, so I would not have wanted to stay there for very long, but for one night it was a five star stay.  The price reflected the square footage.

Also Thursday - a Secret Single Dinner

(With a nod to Suzanne, who recently wrote about Secret Single behavior, which is what folks get up to when they are not with their partners.  I had my Secret Single dinner in public, but it was a combination that I don't think I would have ordered if I had been with another person).

After getting settled into the Airbnb, I went back out on the town to find some dinner.  I was undecided on what I wanted to eat.  10 Acres Commons stood out on Google, so I went there.  They were very busy and the only seating was at the bar, which was fine.  The issue was that for the life of me I could not figure out what I wanted to eat.

Another couple arrived at the same time that I did and sat at the bar, and they both ordered Aperol Spritzes.  I only know about this drink from season 2 of White Lotus, and when I tried it last year at my niece's bridal shower, it was terrible.  But there was something about the tone of their voices it that made me want to give it another chance.

Oh hey now, the second time was the charm.  This is a good drink!  Ok, time to make my mind up about what I want to eat.

If you remember back on the San Fransisco trip, one night Julie and I went out to a seafood restaurant for oysters but the restaurant didn't have any.  I also observed that there is something different about the smell of seafood close to the ocean that does not exist where I live.  I wanted the oysters that should have been rightfully mine back in San Francisco.  But half a dozen oysters is not a meal, so what else was I going to have????  Hmmm, there is this thing that I tend to order on these trips that I never get at home.

The restaurant was very busy, so there was a decent interval between my two courses.  I got my oysters, which were everything that I dreamed they would be.

And then I got course #2.  Poutine.  Like I said, it's not a conventional meal, but it was exactly what I needed that night.  This was my most expensive and unusual meal of the trip, and it was worth every penny.

I headed back home and slept like a baby.

Friday - back on the town

I woke up just before six on Friday and did a bit of the work thing before packing up again and getting back on the streets.  I left my car at the Airbnb and set out on foot.  A few blocks away the sea was waiting for me.

One of the top attractions in the Victoria area is Butchart Gardens, and when I was looking into things to do, I saw a comment online to the effect of "Butchart Gardens sucks, save your money and go to Beacon Hill Park for free".  Well, when I am provoked like that, the only thing to do is to take the challenge.  That afternoon I got the intel to dispute that Butchart Gardens sucks, but I would not have wanted to miss out on Beacon Hill, so thanks to whoever posted that comment.

One of the peacocks at the children's farm had escaped the fence.

I came to the end of the park, which put me back in downtown.  I had a list of Ye Olde Houses that I could have visited to make another full day in Victoria, but I also wanted to go to Butchart and to move on to the beach phase of the journey.  It made sense to grab a meal and get out of dodge.

I stopped at Fathom, which is a hotel restaurant near the Legislative Building.  I enjoyed the view while I noshed on their mushroom benedict.

As I walked back to my car, I passed the Embassy Inn Hotel, where I saw what I imagine must be the only US flag flying in Canada.

I got back to the car and made tracks for Butchart Gardens.  It was very crowded, and also very gorgeous.  I would not have wanted to miss it.

It was now mid afternoon, and it was time for my next destination.  The next time that we talk, it will be from the beach.

Who's been to Victoria, and who's been to any of these places?  What is the most unusual food combination that you have ordered at a restaurant?