Girl time.
Pat and I met in Mérida Mexico in 2023, thanks to both belonging to a Facebook group for “Senior Nomads”. We got together for coffee, hit it off immediately, spent a day at the beach in Sisal (Episode 392) along with Pat’s marvellous friend Melanie, and then Ted and I reconnected with Pat on her home turf in Florence Italy in June 2024 (Episode 530).
We’ve stayed in touch, so when she told me she was planning a trip north from her daughter’s home in California to see her son in Whistler… well, we couldn’t let the opportunity for a “girls’ trip” to the island (and a chance to reconnect) to pass us by.
We planned 4 nights, based in Victoria.
SUNDAY
Pat has been on the road up the coast for a couple of weeks, visiting national parks, so she’s been packed for a road trip and outdoor adventures. I only needed to pack for a “city stay”, but my theory is that once I’ve committed to using a carryon suitcase, there’s no reason to leave it empty. I chose a pair of blue pants and a pair of capris in addition to the blue jeans I was wearing, plus 3 shirts, a nice tee, a knit jacket, some costume jewellery, and a pair of walking shoes – all coordinated in blue and white. Of course, pyjamas and “essentials” were added. After that, there was still lots of room so at the last minute I threw in a jersey maxi dress.
Pat was coming by car from Washington, so I took the Skytrain to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and we met on board the ferry. It’s a lovely crossing to the island that I’ve done a couple of times, both with Ted and with my best friend Barbie (Episode 432).
On a clear day the views crossing the Strait of Georgia (a portion of the Salish Sea) are spectacular, and we thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the shade on the sun deck watching the glorious scenery.
No wildlife sightings though.
We were checked into our shared room at the Best Western Plus Inner Harbour on Quebec Street around 5:00 p.m., with just enough time to freshen up before dinner.
We had 6 p.m. reservations for the early dinner seating at Il Covo Trattoria, one of my favourite restaurants in Victoria. Fortunately, Pat liked it too!
After dinner we had time for a stroll through nearby Fisherman’s Wharf, Victoria’s waterfront community of permanently moored boathouses, and back along the harbour to see the lights turn on on the Legislature.
MONDAY
Breakfast at the hotel was the basic North American chain hotel fare, although the coffee was decent and there was salsa to go on the scrambled eggs. Pat had been road-tripping with a cooler, so simply made her own much more nutritious breakfast in our kitchenette.
Today was mostly about Butchart Gardens, but since it’s just a 4 minute walk from our hotel to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, we began the day with a guided tour of BC’s beautiful provincial parliament buildings.
Free public guided tours run every half hour most days during the legislature’s summer recess, and only somewhat less frequently when parliament is sitting. Our young guide, Declan, was very enthusiastic as he guided us through the upper and lower rotundas, the hall of honour, and the legislative chamber.
In the centre of the lower rotunda is a traditional Coast Salish canoe named “Shxwtitostel” (“a safe place to cross the river” in the Halq’eméylem language) The canoe, which symbolizes reconciliation between First Nations and other British Columbians, made from a red cedar log found on Ross Bay Beach in Victoria, was carved by the Honourable Steven Point, then Lieutenant Governor, and Chief Tony Hunt. It was paddled across Victoria Harbour before being carried up the stairs into the rotunda, where it was formally gifted to all the people of BC as a symbol of unity and understanding between First Nations and other British Columbians.
On the lower rotunda walls are explanations of the traditional symbols of government, including a talking stick, as well as a large provincial shield.
BC’s motto translates to “beauty without diminishment”.
Looking up into the upper rotunda we got a glimpse of the paintings (not frescoes, since they are painted on canvas, not stuccoed walls) depicting BC’s 4 major industries at the time of the building’s construction in 1897: gold, agriculture, fishing, and forestry.
On the upper level, the detail was much easier to see.
There was lots more, including portraits of Premiers and Lieutenant Governors, memorials to British Columbians lost in each of the wars in which Canadian soldiers participated, and a well done display on the history of suffrage in British Columbia, but my favourite thing about the building (and the feature I remembered most from Ted’s and my very first visit here in 2003) is all the gorgeous stained glass windows.
Of the windows, my favourite remains the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee window – not just because it is beautiful, but because of its interesting story.
Depicted in the window are the flowers of England (the pink Tudor roses), Scotland (purple thistle), and Wales (yellow daffodil), as well as Ireland’s shamrocks. The controversial element of the window design (created by an English glassmaker in Leeds) is the positioning of the sun above the British flag. During Victoria’s reign, Britons prided themselves on the fact that “the sun never sets on the British Empire”, and yet here was the BC sun “setting” on the British flag. Apparently diplomats present at the window’s unveiling were unamused.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee window, although it depicts many more British Columbian themes instead of British ones, is not – in my opinion – nearly as beautiful.
We got a look inside the legislative chamber as well.
From the legislature we took a quick walk to Totem Park outside the Royal BC Museum.
Then it was a short stroll to a bakery to pick up sandwiches, and back to the hotel to pick up Pat’s car. Off to the gardens!
The first things that wowed us were the incredibly lush hanging baskets everywhere.
Then it was the colour combinations in the gardens, and the intricate interplay of colours in the sunken garden.
The Rose Garden was still in bloom but just past its prime. Roses are never my favourite anyway. Much more beautiful – and less crowded – were the Japanese Gardens.
We were surprised to see a pair of large (about 10m/33ft tall) monkey puzzle trees in the gardens!
English-style afternoon tea in Victoria is the quintessential experience. Generally “tea at The Empress” (hotel) is considered the ultimate, but having done that before with my friend Barbie, I knew that while it was the most famous tea in town it was not the best. Plus, it now costs $120CAD per person! Nonetheless, Pat and I wanted to partake in the tea experience, so I booked afternoon tea at Butchart Gardens. Now that I’ve done both, I can definitively say that the Gardens’ tea surpasses that at The Empress.
TUESDAY
Pat was able to get partly back into her routine of morning exercise in the hotel gym, while I drank coffee and sorted photos.
Mid morning we were ready for a walk to Canada’s oldest Chinatown, right here in Victoria.
En route, we passed the memorial celebrating the100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy in 2010. The Royal Canadian Navy’s Pacific Coast Naval Base is located right here next to Victoria in Esquimalt.
Then Chinatown.
Sadly, it no longer holds the authenticity of Toronto’s or even Vancouver’s, with most of the storefronts now selling pretty kitchenwares or clothing, and only a single Chinese produce market on the main two block strip.
The restaurants were equally disappointing, although we did have some delicious shrimp and pork fried dumplings at Little Yunnan. The Mexican restaurant and French patisseries, both incongruously located in Chinatown, were the busiest eateries around lunch hour.
I was enchanted by one of the lovely murals wrapped into a corner, though, and by the Chinese school building (still in operation as a K-12 school and for cultural classes)
We felt that after our nice long walk we “deserved” an afternoon lazing by the hotel’s outdoor pool, so that’s what we did. (I also “deserved” a double scoop of blueberry cheesecake ice cream from the truck at the harbour; Pat resisted the temptation.)
While just enjoying the water, I met a lovely couple doing the same and spent an hour talking and laughing. Don hailed from Hamilton Ontario, and we reminisced about – of all things – the Black Forest Inn Restaurant on King Street! His travel partner Erika was born and lived in Berlin until 1962, and had a return trip planned for this September. Naturally, we had a great time talking about things to do in that wonderful city, and how emotional her return was likely to be.
Dried off and hungry, Pat and I headed for the Beagle Pub in Cook Street Village, a favourite spot of friends Lynne and Trevor, who are lucky enough to live here in Victoria.
On the wayback to our hotel we cut through the north end of Beacon Hill Park.
WEDNESDAY
We were off on a very short one hour road trip to Duncan, “City of Totems”, in the Cowichan Valley. At officially just 2.07 km2 (0.80 sq mi) in size, it is the smallest “city” in Canada. To be fair, Duncan’s “urban” area is a whopping 373.71 km2 (144.29 sq mi).
We arrived right around lunchtime and enjoyed poached pear and candied walnut salads, mine with seared tuna and Pat’s with grilled chicken.
After lunch we had fun following the yellow footsteps along the Totem Trail that connects over 40 magnificent totems located in the downtown core.
With so many impressive totem poles, it was really hard to choose just a few favourites, but I’ve tried.
We didn’t do afternoon tea at The Empress, so we had an afternoon cocktail there instead … so that Pat can say she didn’t visit Victoria without at least going inside.
Our last dinner in Vancouver was at 10Acres, a fairly new Victoria farm-to-table restaurant, where the food was really good.
THURSDAY
Off to Whistler for Pat, to visit her son. Back “home” to Ted for me.
This time my ferry ride was late afternoon, headed east, giving me a lovely view toward the mainland and Tsawwassen.
Pat and I will reconnect briefly on Saturday for lunch in Granville Market before she embarks on the return leg of her road trip, headed back to California.
It’s been a treat … and fun!
Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure 