September 21, 2022
Victoria, BC

It was a long and dangerous voyage, fraught with pirates, icebergs, gales, and a limited supply of hot coffee, but the ferry from Vancouver finally made landfall at Nanaimo mid-morning. Truth be told, it was the nicest ferry I’ve ever been on. With ample coffee.

Being Sunday, not much was open in Nanaimo and there was some kind of a pride event going on, creating crowds. I puttered around a bit, took a nice walk along the shore nearby, and showed up slightly early at my host’s place (more later on Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome).

Victoria was on the agenda for the next day. I first visited Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse. The former is a 100+ year old gun emplacement typical of numerous such sites once protecting the harbor, which was at one time home port to the British Pacific Fleet. All original concrete buildings, with period guns. A nice place to walk around on a balmy late summer day.

While separately maintained, accessible for the same fee and but a short walk away is Fisgard Lighthouse. Worth a look if you’re there, though not terribly photogenic.

My campground was right on the water at the harbor. A bit pricey, but exceptionally convenient.

I had been in Victoria briefly 30 years ago when a bunch of scuba divers flew to Seattle, then took a float plane to Victoria Harbor, followed by diving off the straits (which was phenomenal). Everyone should take a float plane into Victoria Harbor at least once in their life. It’s spectacular.

Street parking was remarkably easy to find even for the van, assuming you’re willing to walk a little (the van doesn’t do parking garages). And Victoria is a wonderful place to walk around. Very historic with excellent preservation of historic buildings. Precious little open before 10, however. Simply one of the coolest historic districts anywhere, and wonderful to walk around on a gorgeous day.

A major attraction to the waterfront is the Empress Hotel, built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1908. Interestingly, the CPRR did not only rail travel, but also built steamships across lakes and built hotels. The Empress is rather colorfully landscaped.

Closeby I visited the Parliament building which was more interesting that you might think, and the Royal BC Museum which was nicely presented, though only 1/2 open due to construction.

The following day I paid a visit to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. It was pretty and all, with supposedly themed sections (Mediterranean, Japanese, etc.) though it all seemed rather similar to me. Quite impressive mixing of flowers for color combinations. Rather crowded. Worth doing once. I won’t likely ever return.

Victoria was the highlight of the trip so far. Loads of great eateries and a really cool old town. I checked AirBnB rates and was surprised that they were fairly reasonable. I suspect a float plane arrival and a 3-4 night stay may be in my future.