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Sunday, June 1, 2014

Victoria Adventure - Day 1

What to do when we find ourselves with a few days off?  Head out for parts unknown of course. The weather was forecast to be a mixture of sun and rain and so we debated about staying fairly local and riding or getting away for a few days.

We chose getting away for a few days to Victoria, BC.  We then opted to take the trusty Subaru over the bikes since it was over a 5 hour drive on the freeway to get to the ferry terminal.  

To keep the posts from being too long and photo heavy I've decided to divide them up into the different days, but don't worry, there should only be three, the fourth day we just drove home.

DAY ONE

Tues morning, May 27th, the alarm rang at 3:30 am and we out of the house just after 5 am. Troubadour driving, we headed north on I-5 and then a little west onto Highway 101 just south of Olympia, Washington.  Our destination was the Black Ball Ferry terminal in Port Angeles, WA.  

317 miles (510 km) later we arrived.  Travelers are required to arrive 60 minutes prior to sailing and we were there 90 minutes early so we walked a block to the park/pier and had a picnic lunch.  I'd made some sandwiches the night before knowing we'd be hungry by the time we arrived.

(The view from our picnic table, and yes he was loud)
After eating we wandered down the pier and climbed the tower to see how far we could see.

(A few large ships/freighters in the strait)
(Polar Discovery in port, a crude oil tanker)
(A view from the tower - picnic spot in the group of trees on the left)
We heard a horn and knew the ferry was arriving so we walked back to the terminal in time to see the ferry turn around and back up to the dock.

(Black Ball Ferry - named the MV Coho)
(Turning around to back into port)
We sat on the top deck on the back of the ferry.  It was still breezy, but not cold.  We settled in for a 25 mile ride across the Juan de Fuca Strait.

( I liked the combination of blue and white in this photo)
(We took one foot picture just for Bobskoot, yes there is more than one foot in the pic)
(We moved to the front of the ferry when were closer to Victoria)
We watched the city come into view and things finally took shape as we approached.

(Ogden Point, little did we know we'd be walking this on Thursday)
(Canadian Coast Guard Ship)
(Not quite in the inner harbor yet)
(Almost there when you can see the ivy covered Empress Hotel)
They gave the all clear and we headed back down to the car to get ready to disembark.  A quick drive by the customs booth and we were in Victoria.  We drove the 1.5 blocks to our hotel and much to our surprise found out we were upgraded to a one bedroom luxury king suite at no extra charge. At 644 square feet it was over 2/3 the size of our house.

(Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, Victoria, BC)
(Troubadour posing with the mascot)
We were impressed with the size of our hotel room and the cleanliness too.  We had a full kitchen with refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee maker, and toaster, as well as all the dishes and cutlery needed.  The only downside was that our 'upgrade' put us on the main floor overlooking the parking lot.  Oh well, we weren't planning on hanging out there much.

We touched base with Princess Scooterpie and hammered out dinner plans for 7:30 pm.  Until then we decided to wander and get acquainted with the city.  While I may have lived in BC for 25 years, I had never been to Victoria before.

We glanced at a map and started walking.  Stopped by Starbucks for an iced coffee and headed towards Government Street.

(Obligatory picture of the Parliament Building, built between 1893-1897)
(Obligatory close up of Empress Hotel, built between 1904-1908)
We wandered into this shop and that.  Looking to see if we could find any cool shirts or non-tacky souvenirs.  I am sure people have the same trouble on the Oregon Coast.  We caught sight of a map and realized we weren't too far from Chinatown and the Gate of Harmonious Interest. Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in Canada and second oldest in North America.  Second only to San Francisco's Chinatown.

(Gate of Harmonious Interest looking from the East)
(Gate of Harmonious Interest looking from the West)
(I loved the colors of this picture)
(Oh look, the famed Fan Tan Alley, narrowest street in Canada) 
(Troubadour in Fan Tan Alley)
(A bicycle found further down the alley)
We walked up and down the alley then kept walking further west to Wharf Street to make a loop back to the hotel.

(The Swans Hotel's beautiful colors and patterns)
(Sculpture at Bastion Square, where we'd be returning for dinner)
(Original Customs House on Wharf Street, built in 1874)
(Parliament Building from across the Inner Harbour)
As we walked along the harbor we heard the sirens call of the bagpipes.  We'd not heard them in person since leaving Canada in 2001 so we had to go check it out.  We were walking along the lower level and he was playing on street level.  I snapped a pic as we walked up the stairs.



We walked back to the hotel for a quick rest and to use the facilities and then walked back to Rebar to meet Princess Scooterpie and MotoMan.

Rebar was a busy little funky/eclectic spot with a tasty vegan friendly menu.  Sorry no food porn pics, we were busy enjoying each others company.  The restaurant kicked us out about 10 pm and we had just enough time to take a group picture before walking back to the hotel.  Thank you Dar for taking the picture with your phone, which I've blatantly pilfered below for posting.  You can read Dar's post on the meet-up by clicking this ----> LINK.  A big thank you to you both for taking the time away from your hurt puppy dog to visit with us.

(Trobairitz & Troubadour)
(Motoman & Princess Scooterpie)
We walked back in the direction of the hotel, stopping for night time shots of the Parliament and Empress.  (The Canon didn't do so well but Troubadour was using the Olympus and got some great shots.  I'll let him post those. He is teaching this weekend and next, so we'll see when he has time to get to the computer.)

We walked a few blocks south of the hotel to a Thrifty grocery store.  Picked up a 6-pack of cinnamon raisin bagels, a small jar of all natural peanut butter, and 6 bananas to have for breakfast over the next three mornings.

By the time we got back to the hotel and to bed it was after midnight and 21 hours since our alarm rang at home.  It was a long and enjoyable day.

Next up Butchart Gardens and driving the Malahat Scenic Drive section of the Trans Canada.

- Au Revoir

" The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine
.

35 comments:

  1. The Mascot is about what I would look like in a Kilt.. I told you they had a cool gate at the Chinatown.. glad you had a great first day.

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    1. I tried to figure out why they are using a polar bear on Vancouver Island but I still have no idea.

      Thanks for the tip on Chinatown. I hadn't realized it was the second oldest in the US and Canada until looking it up after you mentioned it.

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  2. Beautiful photos! This is definitely on my must-do list, so I'll be eagerly reading your posts to inform me of all that there is to see!

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    1. Thanks Barb We managed to see quite a bit. Never did get to the museum, but that is okay, we saw a lot of other things.

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  3. Thank you for the photo tour of Victoria. I think the last time I was there was in 1974 after visiting the Expo in Spokane. I think I remember the name Black Ball ferry as the one we took when leaving Victoria. I thought that you would have visited Victoria often while living in B.C. I've thought about it often but opted not to due to the cost of the ferries.

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    1. I am sure it looks a little different then it did in '74. I can remember going to the Island a few times as a kid, but never to Victoria, further north and also to the sunshine coast.

      Round trip ferry was about $178 including the reservation fee, which we paid to guarantee passage at the time we wanted. We also used Black Ball for a package deal with the Royal Scot and two tickets to the Gardens. It saved a few bucks and we were pleased with the hotel.

      Victoria Clipper runs a ferry out of Seattle, passenger only. We looked into it but it was $200 per person round trip. Over double what we paid taking the car out of P.A.

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  4. Two pictures featuring kilts, are we to see one on Troubadour in the near future? As to the shot of the feet you made for Bobskoot, I don't think red is the right color for Troubadour.....:P

    Victoria looks like a beautiful city though, thanks for the tour....

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    1. Troubadour actually owns 3 kilts already but since he lost weight, none of them fit. We'll have to get some new ones made for him.

      You guys and your toes comments, lol

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  5. Very jealous Brandy! Victoria is one of the prettiest cities I know and we had a great time there. We popped into the Bard & Banker for lunch on the first morning and had our first taste of pulled pork sliders....mmmmm......sliders.
    Looking forward to seeing more. ;)

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    1. We were surprised at how clean the city is. Much different than a lot of our big cities.

      I am pretty sure we passed the Bard & Banker a few times while walking around. There looked to be a few good pubs.

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  6. I was so glad we had dinner together & that Kirk came along! It's always interesting to see how others view where I live, because I tend to take it for granted. You will have to come back with the bikes and tour the island, Tofino is a definite must.

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    1. It was definitely a good night. We had so much fun hanging out.

      Victoria sure is a pretty city.

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  7. Trobairitz:

    As Dom said, Troubarour should choose a more pinkish colour for his toe nail polish. Pink is the in colour right now

    I wished Troubadour would have brought his KILT, if only for the photo opp. Between the Mascot and the guy playing the bagpipes, he would have fit right in. I haven't been over to Victoria for a couple of years now but before that I was going every year for the scooter rally.

    It's nice to see familiar sights from different eyes. If you went north on the Malahat I hope you went to Cowichan Bay, It's one of my favourite places. I've worked many summers just West of Lake Cowichan and have spent lots of time from Duncan up towards Nanaimo. I even worked in a restaurant washing dishes in Chemainus which is known as the city of murals.

    so glad the weather is co-operating for your mini vacation

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. You know, if you guys keep inferring that the little pink toes are Brad's that means the big size 11's are mine, sheesh. :-)

      We did not go all the way to Cowichan Bay, just over the Malahat and back, we did manage to stop at a Triumph/Suzuki/Ducati dealer on the way back though. Sadly no shop shirts in sight.

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    2. I knew those pink toes were yours ... nice toes Brandy :-) Okay hikers Brad!

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    3. Ha, thank you. Although I think Brad is man enough to rock hot pink toenails, lol

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  8. Thanks for the preview Brandy - on VI for a few days at the end of August! Really looking forward to it!

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    1. I am sure you two will enjoy it. A very pretty, and clean city with lots to see and do, and take pictures of as you can see. One camera alone we had 480 photos, haven't checked the other two yet.

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  9. Hi Brandy
    This post sure was full of ship...(s). Nice pics, it sure looks like a beautiful area. I can picture Troubadour wrestling that bear and wheeling up that small alley.

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    1. It was full of ship, lol. Cheeky monkey.

      Wheeling up the alley, maybe, wrestling the bear, I dunno, maybe if he had his kilt on.

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  10. LOVELY! I went to visit a paper mill there years ago - beautiful sunsets!

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    1. We didn't see one sunset while we were there. Makes me wonder what we were doing at sunset time. Inside eating dinner each night I believe. Food over sunsets, just sad.

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    2. I think the sunsets were enhanced by the polution coming out of the paper mills! Probably all closed down now...

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    3. Pollution does make for pretty colors. The skies were pretty clear when we were there, except for the occasional clouds.

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  11. Trobairitz:

    take a look at this website and click on both "orcas in the city" and also "spirit bears in the city"

    http://www.eaglesinthecity.com/default.aspx?PageID=1031

    quote:"It seems to have begun with the “Orcas in the City” project in 2004 – followed by “Spirit Bears in the City” and “Eagles in the City” – that temporarily filled Vancouver’s streets with large fibreglass whales, bears and birds painted by various local artists.

    taken from this site

    http://thethunderbird.ca/2011/01/18/birds-bears-and-brite-lite-orcas-is-vancouver-overrun-with-animal-art/

    after these projects were over, the mascots/statues were offered for sale to private businesses, and you will find them all over the province.

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Ahhh thank you for those links Bob. We did see at least 2 orcas there as well. Now things make sense.

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  12. Ah, those little treats, an upgrade sans price increase is always nice. Victoria seems to be the right spot for it because it had happened to us as well on one of our previous visits (and it was a different hotel...).

    I love Victoria, and if I could, I would love to return one fine day... Sigh.

    Looking forward to the next instalment, especially about Butchart Gardens!

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    1. They must want to treat the tourists right so they keep coming back.

      Victoria was beautiful, but probably too many people for us to want to visit too often. Although Dar is there to woo us back.

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  13. Nice pictures though you deserve a spanking for not riding. On my holiday next month I'll have the dog in tow so we'll be in the car.

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    1. I let Troubadour know your spanking idea. I guess we each deserve one since neither rode. :-)

      It takes the same fuel to take both bikes as it does the car, but for longer trips during allergy season it is easier in the car. That and I am no fan of I-5 on the bike for 300 miles.

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  14. Ooohhh, how exciting. A road trip adventure, even if by car. And to places familiar to me. We took the MV Coho from Port Angeles to Victoria, too. And I think it's hysterical that you found the coolest kilt-wearing bear statue. You got to see a bit more of Victoria than we did, but it seems you had fair weather, too. And meeting Dar was a great perk. I look forward to reading more.

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    1. I think it is cool that you guys went to the same places. We were there for three nights so we were able to see quite a bit, not everything though.

      Meeting Dar and Kirk was a great perk to the trip. Nice to see a friendly face in a new city.

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  15. Wow! I got so caught up in the tour that I forgot I wasn't along with you guys until I looked down at my coffee cup!

    Absolutely fascinating and a beautiful area-all of it! Would love to visit some day...

    It is a totally different planet than the one that I live on and I really enjoyed seeing it from your perspective.

    Looking forward to the next leg of the journey!

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    1. Thank you for the kind words Deb. It is a beautiful, and clean, city. A nice to place to visit at least once. We are lucky to live so close I guess. Just wish the ferry was cheaper, but with the price of gas, they have to pay for it somehow.

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