Jon Voyage!: Day trip to Victoria

With the first two days used to discover some of Vancouver's choice neighborhoods, I decided to use day three to do a day trip to the capital of British Columbia, Victoria. There are two primary ways to get from Vancouver to Victoria. First, one can drive/bus to Tsawwassen ferry terminal, take a ferry to Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island, and then drive/bus to Victoria. The other is a 30+ minute sea plane ride from harbor to harbor. Guess which choice I took?

de Havilland Twin Otter docked
2016 Vancouver, BC

From a pure time economy standpoint, the sea plane is the way to go. Thirty plus minutes from downtown harbor to downtown harbor negates all traffic and a 90 minute ferry ride. From a comfort standpoint, give me the ferry. These planes are VERY small, and certainly not made for those who are: 1.) tall; 2.) big; or 3.) both! With that said, I squeezed into this soda can with wings, and sucked up the 38 minute ride at 7:00 AM to lovely Victoria.

Welcome to Victoria
2016 Victoria, BC

The sea plane landed right in the downtown harbor, and I was greeted by the city with a lovely floral welcome on the banks by the parliament building. The plane taxied to the dock, and I couldn't wait to escape the flying sardine can. Thankfully the flight was smooth; I cannot imagine the bounce that little plane would get flying through chop.

The Empress of Victoria
2016 Victoria, BC

Stepping out of the makeshift airport where the float plane docked, I was greeted with one of Victoria's treasures: The Empress Hotel. Like all of Canada's landmark hotels, this Fairmont owned property exudes an old-world charm that separates all of Canada's top cities from their American brethren aside from New York (the Plaza) and San Francisco (which, ironically, has Fairmont's flagship property). If you ever get a chance, stay at one of these gems.

Pulled pork pancakes
Jam Cafe. 2016 Victoria, BC

As it was early, I decided to get a quick breakfast before starting my day. I settled on a spot in Old Town called Jam Cafe, which had great reviews for their pulled pork pancakes. Pulling up and taking a seat at the bar, I ordered an Irish Coffee and their special pancakes. With the order placed, I shot the breeze with the bartender, asking her take on the things I should do in Victoria. With her input, I settled on taking a quick stroll through the Royal BC Museum, and a trek out to the Butchart Gardens.

The pancakes were outstanding. The sweet of the maple BBQ sauce completely negated the need for additional syrup. The pork was tender and full of flavor, while the pickled cabbage rounded out the stack of flap jacks with great depth of flavor. What a great start for my day trip!

Her Royal Highness and Her Legacy
British Columbia Parliament
2016 Victoria, BC

Walking back past the harbor towards the Royal BC Museum, I decided to stop next door to the parliament building to take in its majesty. The BC parliament building is typical of government buildings built during its era: big central dome, large wings flanking either side, etc. What makes it stand out from other capital buildings is the rough stone façade, and patina-stained domes.

With some pictures taken, I walked to the Royal BC Museum, bought a ticket, and dove into its headline exhibit: Mammoths - Giants of the Ice Age. I learned a lot about mammoths, the difference between mammoths and mastodons, as well as other large mammals that lived during the ice age. There were also some interactive portions where you could touch replica bones, attempt to pick up stuff with a robotic mammoth proboscis.

The other exhibit I took in was that on the "First Peoples" of British Columbia. It was a fascinating collection of native carvings, totems, ceremonial adornments, and other items from the myriad number of tribes that have called British Columbia for the past 10,000 years. It was something I know my late father - a huge collector of Inuit stone carvings - would have loved to have seen, so I am glad I could check it out.

The line at Red Fish Blue Fish
2016 Victoria, BC

After a few hours in the Royal BC Museum, I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out to the Butchart Gardens, and thus headed back to the harbor to an institution called Red Fish Blue Fish. Replace food truck with food shipping container, and that is what you have with this joint. A shipping container containing a kitchen and cashier's counter, the place is known for the best fish and chips in town. By the time I arrived, the line was close to 10 people deep. By the time I left, it was probably close to triple that (see picture above). I ordered the BC Halibut fish and chips, and a side order of fried oysters.

Fish & chips and oysters
Red Fish Blue Fish. 2016 Victoria, BC

Both the fried halibut and oysters had some of the best batter that I have ever had with fried fish. Not overly think or greasy. Excellent crunch, but not over fried, and excellent flavor. The BC halibut had rich and buttery flavor, while the oysters had their signature saline quality. The tarter and cocktail sauces were home-made, and the fries were also excellent (though I opted to forego 95% of them in place of the oysters). An amazing lunch, that I would say is a must-visit in Victoria. With a full belly, I walked over to the Empress Hotel, and jumped on one of the Butchart Garden express buses. 45 minutes later, I was at one of Victoria's top tourist stops.

Sinking Gardens
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

The Butchart Gardens were founded by Robert and Jennie Butchart in 1921 on the site of their old Portland cement quarry. Once the quarry was exhausted, Jennie went about converting it into the sunken garden. Once complete, she went about converting other parts of the property into the other primary gardens: Rose, Italian, Japanese, and Mediterranean.

Sunk in the Garden
Butchart Gardens. 2016, Victoria BC

The first garden I toured was the sinking garden. Essentially a moderately deep pit covered in flora along the sides, the bottom of which teamed with various flowers of all sorts of colors. You would have no idea that this used to be a rock quarry, which made it all the more impressive.

Three Sisters & Three Daughters
Rose Garden
Butchart Garden. 2016 Victoria, BC

A quick stroll from the sunken garden took me to the rose garden. A moment of honesty: I only knew of a few rose varieties, based on colors that I have purchased as part of bouquets in the past. Upon arriving at the rose garden, I was awestruck with the number of varieties on display.

The garden was designed as two concentric circles of pathways, and another pathway through the diameter. Adorning each side of all three pathways were the various rose varieties of every color shade of the rainbow. It truly was a site to behold.

Connecting the Japanese garden to the rose garden was a beautiful cast iron sturgeon fountain, flowers adorned. I took a seat on one of the benches, and let the flowing water capture my gaze.

Dancing sturgeons
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

Continuing my trek, I was treated to the delightful Japanese garden. Contrasted with the other gardens, the Japanese gardens were subdued from a color perspective. Instead, their focus was on the placement of various objections in relation to each other: streams, trees, pagodas, etc.

Pagoda on a stream
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

Boats in the distance
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

Leaving the Japanese gardens, the next garden to enjoy was the Italian garden and the Star Pond.

Star Pond
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

Italian Gardens
Butchart Gardens. 2016 Victoria, BC

These gardens were teaming with colored varieties of all kinds. The cool thing about the Italian garden is one can reserve a table for afternoon tea. What a cool ambiance to enjoy one of Britain's indelible contributions to western civilization.

Downtown Vancouver from the air
2016 Vancouver, BC

With that, I ordered a scoop of rose and honey gelato and found a seat to relax my tired feet. It was interesting taking in the floral beauty of the Italian garden, while also doing a bit of people watching. Finishing up the sweet treat, I headed out to the bus and back to downtown Victoria where my sea plane awaited. Back in the soda can with wings, I did manage to get a few pictures of downtown Vancouver before we landed. Just an overall exceptional day in Victoria - a place I would definitely visit again. And with that, here are a few more pictures from the gardens. Enjoy!