Victoria

Brian and I took a trip to Victoria, BC for our anniversary. We went a week early so Grammy and Grandpa were available to watch the kids. This trip came after a very intense call week for Brian, so it was a much needed vacation! We flew out Saturday morning at 5:30. It was an early flight, but we wanted to make sure we had a full 2 1/2 days there. The flights were about 20-30 minutes with a layover in Seattle. The flight from Seattle to Victoria was really pretty with the sun rising over the water. We landed around 8:30 and rented a car. It was as much to take a taxi to and from the hotel as to rent a car for 2 days. That seemed to be an obvious and much more convenient decision. Butchart Gardens was first on our list and I'm so glad we went in the morning. There was hardly anyone there, so peaceful to walk around, and the air was crisp and cool. We were very impressed with their attention to detail. Not a piece of grass was out of place, everything was pristine. When we left the gardens it was lunch time so we found this great little bar and grill off the road that was having their grand opening. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed a fabulous lunch, it was really delicious! After that we took the scenic route back to our hotel, driving through beautiful neighborhoods and along the water. We checked into our hotel, got a quick rest and had a couples massage at 4pm. We've never done this, it felt great and was a little way to spoil ourselves. The room we stayed in gave us access to a private lounge that had a complimentary cappuccino machine, soda, water and juice as well as breakfast and hor dourves from 5-7pm. So, after our massages we headed there and sat out on the patio watching all the activity in the harbor. That night we walked around the city, went down to the boardwalk and watched the street performers. I was really impressed with the Parliament Building all lit up at night. We did walk through the Empress Hotel too and that was very historic, especially the Tea Room. The next day we're at breakfast and I see the little boats we saw the day before doing a routine in the water. Turns out every Sunday in the peak season (I think we got to see their last performance of the year) they do a "water ballet" to a waltz in front of the Empress Hotel. It was really cool to watch these little boats "dance". After breakfast we decided to take a 45 min tour on one around the harbor. We learned some history, saw the sea planes take off and land, drove by the house boats and stopped over at the Fisherman's Wharf for their famous fish and chips. The weather was gorgeous both days, so we walked a lot. Our hotel had a great walking path that went around the harbor and took only 10 minutes to walk downtown. There was a great brewery on the other side so we headed over to have a drink on their patio. That night we went to Ogden Point to watch the sunset and brought a bottle of wine back to our hotel to enjoy the great view. The entire weekend was very romantic and relaxing. It was a prefect way to celebrate 7 years of a wonderful marriage.


















Lunch at our "secret find". The great bar and grill that was having their grand opening.

The view from our hotel

Enjoying the view.

Sunset our first night

This is the Parliament building at night. We met someone who told us the inside is just as impressive, but they only give tours during the week.

The Tea Room at the Empress Hotel. Right after I took this picture a large group of people came in to have tea. It was about 9pm, I think they came off the cruise ship.

Before the Harbor Boat tour. Brian's favorite part was watching the sea planes take off and land on the water.



Houseboat theme at Fisherman's Wharf. It was interesting to see what these divers had found over the years, especially those huge old cell phones. Funny how far things have come. It will be interesting to see what's up there when we get a chance go back

Sunset at Ogden Point