Victoria + Vancouver BC - Part 3

This is part of a series. Click to see ONE and TWO.

In the late afternoon, after enjoying a walk around Victoria city, we drove a little further out to see a beautiful, hidden beach. I have forgotten the name of this area - it was inside a national park, not far from the city. We found lots of Canadian geese swimming along and many locals just sitting on the sand, enjoying the sunshine.

Photos: A lovely sandbar beach, just outside of Victoria. 


After taking the ferry back to the mainland, my parents and I headed to the university, where I would attend four days of lectures regarding my graduate studies. The institution was located in the midst of farmland, far from much of anything. From 8:30 am to 4 pm, those four days consisted of studying, reading, and listening to talks. Truly blase, so not a photo was taken.

After completing those study sessions, our threesome headed over to Vancouver. After much deliberation, and a discussion with a waitress at a local, countryside diner, we decided to ditch our rental car for the day, and take the Skytrain into the city. The Skytrain is a great way to travel not only in Vancouver, but outside the city as well. It travels mainly above ground, and connects to the airport.

Due to my parents being older, our walking tour would be compacted into three areas: the harbor front, Gastown, and Yaletown.

The harbor area of Downtown Vancouver is the starting point for Alaskan cruises. It's also the former home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. I had heard the city had kept the torch from those games in this area; I really wanted to see it.

Photos: Cruise port / Cutenekko & the torch! 

Yay! I got to see the torch!! 

From the waterfront, we walked due east, towards Gastown. This is an older, very historic area of Vancouver. It is famous for small shops, and a steam powered clock. We arrived just at noon to hear the "toot-toot" of the steam whistles. It was quite something to see.

Photos: A&W advertisement for a maple-flavored burger(!!) / Gastown shops 
The steam clock / Skytrain map. 

That leaf is hiding people's faces....Privacy is important!

My favorite area was actually Yaletown. It's quite easy to get to ...just follow the money. This is arguably, the most expensive area in Vancouver. There are yachts, ocean front condos, even celebrities! I saw Zoe Saldana (Star Trek/ Guardians of the Galaxy) riding a bike in this area. The boardwalk is very nice and an excellent place to take a stroll. My parents and I did just that....

Photos: Yaletown kayaks / boardwalk / "Here you begin Live like new"

I think this message was for me. 

This walk was just fantastic: to the left, water; to the right, high rise condos. We saw many people living the dream!

Photos: My happy feet in Vancouver! / Onward to the next destination -- Granville Island Market

I pushed my parents to walk a little more and visit a popular market on a small island. I'll show you photos of that, next time. 

Enjoy Canada! ^_^

Information: 

Vancouver is a large city located on the west coast of Canada, in British Columbia. It is famous for smoked salmon, cruises to Alaska and Chinatown. It has been repeatedly named as one of the "best places to live in the world". It is also very, very expensive (housing-wise). 

Vancouver Tourism site

City of Vancouver site

Skytrain information

Cost: 

Hotels in the city are $150+ / Outside the city, we stayed in a Super 8, it cost $100!! For a Super 8!!

Food prices range from cheap to very expensive, depending on where you eat. We recommend: White Spot -- local diner (chain) found all over BC. WHITE SPOT LINK

Victoria BC - part 2

* This is a series. Part One is HERE. 

My third official day back in my home country proved to be a winner weather-wise; we enjoyed a rare sunny day on the usually rainy west coast. My parents suggested to spend the day outside, walking. We agreed to explore Victoria's harbor front.

Smack in the downtown core of Victoria city is the "harbor walk" -- a 3 kilometer (?) walk which hugs the bay. The starting point is the visitor information center, where there is plenty of parking, and ends at Fisherman's Wharf. Let's explore together!

Views from the start of the harbor walk:
Top L to R: Victoria city sign engraved with an orca whale / Sea planes abound and carry passengers on sightseeing tours + visits to neighboring islands.

Bottom L to R: Harbor view / Water taxis! So cute!! 

The walk was very pleasant and we observed both tourists and locals out, sunning themselves on the docks. The harbor walk takes visitors past many famous buildings -- The Fairmont Empress and the Legislative Assembly building. We were excited to eat, so we hiked to the end of this route, and reached Fisherman's Wharf. 

Photos: Houseboats / Welcome sign / My fish & chips! 

My family scoured the various restaurants here; we finally settled on a famous fish & chips place -- Barb's. The fish was really great; you could even choose from cod or halibut, crispy, spicy or regular. 

We walked around the area more; the wharf has a few art shops, and some tourists were trying to feed raw fish to some friendly seals.(!) Fisherman's Wharf is small, and most only visit to eat. It's highly recommended to stop here for lunch on a fine day. 

Photo: Overview of the wharf

Our fourth day was engulfed in a strong rain/wind storm. We drove, completing a southern loop of Vancouver island, but no photos were taken due to the terrible weather. Sorry. I hope you'll return for photos from the west coast of Canada.

Enjoy fish!

Information: 

• Fisherman's Wharf site is HERE.
• Victoria Visitor's Center HERE
• Victoria Legislative Assembly building - offers free tours! HERE.

Access: 

Victoria is about 1.5 hours by ferry from Tawassen (which is a 30 minute drive outside of Vancouver city) BC, Canada. 

Cost for the ferry: $16 per person / Cars are more!

Victoria BC - Part 1

I had booked a relatively short trip to Canada in late August/ early September to visit the west coast of Canada. My original purpose was to attend four days of lectures at a university in British Columbia (a province in Canada which famously hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics); however, after a discussion with my parents, we decided to make a trip of it and spent several days on Vancouver Island, exploring Victoria, before attending the university on the mainland.

Cutenekko / a passing BC ferry / Canadian flag at the stern

Our family flew into Vancouver rather late; we headed out to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island the following morning. Our ship, The Spirit of British Columbia, departed at 11:00 AM, and would take 1.5 hours to arrive near Victoria. Inside, the ship had WiFi, a cafeteria and cafe, a private space which cost $12 CAD to use, tons of seats and a full, wrap-around deck to explore and enjoy the view.

The ship puttered through narrow inlets, which offered great views of cottages and luxury homes on various small islands. I felt tremendously happy to be back in my home country.

Upon navigating the roads and finding our hotel, we walked up the hill to find this local brew house -- Four Mile - outside Victoria city. Victoria is famously known as the "garden city of Canada" so even this brew house had a very lovely garden out front, greeting visitors. Stained glass and wood beams decorated the interior.

For lunch, I ordered turkey, which is a rare meat in Japan and curry soup; both were extremely delicious. If you are in the area, be sure to go! Visit the Four Mile website HERE. 

Four Mile House - outside and in

Later, I requested to my father to drive along the "scenic marine route". I found this on Trip Advisor; the road hugs the coastline of southern Vancouver Island and offers great views of the ocean. You can pass by old houses, luxury mansions and the University of Victoria. We pulled off at a small park, which gave us view of the bay and Pacific Ocean.

Along the Scenic Marine Route

I will post more photos from Victoria, BC, Canada soon. Be sure to come back and visit.

Enjoy traveling!