We had arranged our first viewing of Fred in the outskirts of Victoria so we headed straight there from Nanaimo. In a freak of nature we arrived there early (!!!!!) so we drove up Bear Mountain Parkway to see beautiful views and nature etc – we were wrong. We saw a hill covered in a huge growing suburbia that looked like it was the set for Desperate Housewives – wow! We did however, see some wildlife checking themselves out in someone’s mirrored garage door – so cute.
We found a lake and had our lunch with a friendly duck and some fish. We got to the viewing at Costco car park and had a look inside Costco. Wow! I have never seen such a huge place selling everything from fruit and veg, through mobile phones, to clothes and books.
Now for our sightseeing. We first went to Hatley Castle which used to be a naval college. It had beautiful gardens and a lovely Glen and forest walk down to the coast.
Then we drove into Victoria to enjoy a Friday night. We headed first to Fisherman’s Wharf which has some lovely floating houses in it.
As the sun set, it was really pretty.
Then a nightlit look at the legislative buildings which look really pretty
at night.
After we gave our support at the strike for climate change, we headed to an Irish pub. It was great to be in a busy, proper pub with live music and lots of draft beer and cider. Shame you can rack up an $80 bar bill so quickly and easily with not a cocktail in sight!
After many nightime photos at the harbour, there were lots of crisps demolished that night back at the van.
The next day we went exploring on our bikes. First to the Government House’s gardens which are open all year to the public.
Then we went to look at Craigdarroch Castle built in the 1890s by a coal baron.
After a lunch break we cycled to the tallest, free standing totem pole in the world in a park filled with peacocks.
And then a great little weekly community market. We met a lovely glass artist who’d had a “vanlife” before and then a guy who sold us the best brownie who gave us loads of tourist info. We followed a cycle path (The Galloping Goose) round the upper harbour and to The Selkirk Trestle.
Pete even fixed his wandering handlebars with tools provided at the trailside. Victoria is really bike friendly with loads of cycle paths and lots of people using them. One path had a counter on it and showed 1700 cyclists had used the path that day!
After dinner the bikes came out again and we cycled to the cruise ship terminal to watch the third cruise ship that evening dock. We walked the breakwater and marvelled at the huge, behemoths of the sea.
A chilled, cheap night in followed.
We decided the next morning as it was drizzly that we would head to Saltspring Island. We drove the 30km north up past Sidney to the dock where the ferry departs every two hours. In the ferry queue we were behind a van with a Manx 3 legs sticker on it. Pete went to talk to the guy “Harry Manx” who was born in The Jane on the Isle of Man in the 1950s. He has travelled the world performing and been back to the island a few times and has lived on Saltspring Island for the last 19 years. Small world! Apart from the lack of visibility of the scenery, it was nothing like a Manx ferry – it was cheap, very calm waters and not a single scouser working on board.
Let’s see if the island lives up to its reputation of being a chilled, cool place to explore.
