Victoria, BC — Four Days of Views, Wandering, and Mild Confusion

Last year, our 40th anniversary was interrupted by my back surgery, so when our 41st year together arrived, we celebrated by taking the trip to Victoria, BC that we were unable to make earlier.

It was another early‑morning flight out of Spokane, our destination Victoria, British Columbia, by way of Seattle. The flights were as normal as you could hope for at that hour — uneventful, slightly uncomfortable, and fueled mostly by determination and airport coffee.

When we landed, we grabbed a cab to the Victoria Regent Waterfront Hotel and Suites. Our suite was on the 3rd floor and looked out over the harbor. There was something happening all the time, so it was hard not to get transfixed on the view. We barely set our bags down before heading out in search of food.

This is the view from our patio. WOW!

We crossed the bike lane, dodged traffic, and found a great spot called The Local. After that, we decided to pick up groceries for breakfasts and snacks. This is where things got interesting.

Harbor activity. We could watch for hours!

With Google Maps open and no reading glasses between us, Linda somehow ended up leading the expedition — surprising, since she has absolutely no sense of direction. I followed behind, squinting at the blurry map like it was an eye exam. Undaunted by our lack of equipment or navigational skill, we eventually stumbled upon a market. We grabbed seven items, paid far too much for them, and headed back feeling victorious.

By late afternoon, we were fading fast. We’d been up since 3 a.m. We walked to the nearest Subway, bought a 12‑inch sandwich and two cookies, and called it dinner. As soon as the sun went down, so did we.

The next morning’s breakfast was simple — cereal, bananas, yogurt, and coffee — before meeting our tour bus to Butchart Gardens. We climbed aboard the bus, and our driver immediately launched into a wonderful introduction to the history of Victoria. As she drove, she pointed out parks, houses, statues, and the stories behind them. She was entertaining, knowledgeable, and made the ride a rolling history lesson. By the time we arrived, we knew far more about Victoria — and the Butchart family — than we expected. She was wonderful.

We enjoyed every inch of the gardens and took far too many photos of flowers. After a couple of hours of wandering, we filled the remaining time with a snack break. I was in charge of buying a pastry and my coffee, but instead I returned with a coffee, a chocolate chip cookie for Linda, and a scone I thought was a muffin.

Meanwhile, Linda went to get change, but the girl at the counter said she couldn’t make change from the till. However, she could make change if Linda bought a pastry. So Linda bought a apricot pastry, got her change, and then the girl informed her she could also get change at the information booth.

We laughed at how unnecessarily complicated the whole thing was and enjoyed our treats before heading back to the bus.

When we weren’t out exploring the city, we spent time on our balcony or inside our suite watching the harbor. Seaplanes came and went, water taxis zipped around, sailboats docked, and yachts cruised by. Mixed in were kayaks, canoes, and just about every floating thing you can imagine. It was endlessly entertaining — like our own waterfront theater.

Butchart Gardens in Spring bloom.

Our next day was filled with more exploring. We purchased tickets for the Hop On–Hop Off bus and boarded around 10:30 a.m. The idea behind the HO‑HO bus is simple: buy your tickets ($65 American), get on or off at any stop, see the sights, and continue whenever you’re ready. The pass is good for 24 hours from your first hop‑on.

The drivers played pre‑programmed history tidbits throughout the tour, but they weren’t nearly as interesting as the stories we heard on the gardens tour. We also found that many of the places we stopped cost extra admission, adding to the cost of the tour.

After riding the full loop, we decided to strike out on our own. We walked to the Chinatown district and wandered through the shops. Our exploration took us through Fan Tan Alley and eventually led us to a small restaurant where we shared a lunch.

Much of our time we spent walking, shopping, and enjoying goodies. The people watching was excellent and the weather was simply amazing. Everything Linda had planned came off without a hitch. Air flights, taxis, Uber trips, everything. The ultimate adventure for our 40th anniversary in our 41st year.

Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour.

Entry to Fan Tan Alley.

Adventures await in the Alley.

Grand entrance to Chinatown.

Our lunch stop, Fan Tan Cafe. So good!

Coffee and treats at Murchie's.

Great Thai Chicken pizza.

This looked like a water taxi hatch. So busy.