Noa's mom and sister, Megan, were in town recently and we decided to seize the opportunity to travel with them. As a celebration of their visit (and Megan's recent graduation from college - CONGRATS, Megs), we traveled up north a few hours to Victoria, British Columbia. A special shout out and thanks to Noa's dad, Jack, for helping to make this awesome trip happen. He made many of the arrangements for us. Thank you, Jack!! We love you!
We had to drive up to Port Angeles and then hop on a ferry to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The ride was a bit rocky, but thankfully it wasn't much more than an hour, so we didn't have to deal with seasickness for very long.
We stayed at the Hotel Grand Pacific (highly recommend!), which was right near the downtown attractions, like the Parliament building, the historic Empress Hotel, and the waterfront.
This is Parliament and is was basically next to our hotel. I loved the large lawn leading up to it.
Victoria is truly a seaside city with lots of boats and most of the attractions right by the water.
This is a view of the Empress Hotel, best known as Victoria's oldest hotel.
Our first meal out was right on the water at the Flying Otter Grill,
Followed by a ride on a water taxi.
Our stop was another place on the waterfront, where the houseboats and harbor seals reside.
This was, by far, my favorite stop. We walked along the boardwalk and picked up a tray of fish to feed to the harbor seals.
So, these fat seals would swim up to the dock and watch for people dangling fish down. The only problem was that nearby seagulls were also watching for the fish. We had to drop them quickly or else a seagull would come and swoop down and get it. Still, it was awesome to see these GIANT seals bob up from the water to get the fish. They were so big and had amazing eyes.
Then we took a leisurely stroll along the waterfront. The weather was perfect!
"Someone" had so much fun on our walk that she just couldn't keep her eyes open!
That night, the city lit up. It was beautiful. This was the view from our balcony of the Parliament building.
The tulips were out in full force!
Okay, this might be a close second....
The next day, we set out for the Butchart Gardens. Carol is an avid gardener and we knew that springtime would be a great time to visit this 55-acre garden, just outside of the city. It did not disappoint.
The was the main part of the garden and where it all started. The founder, Jennie Butchart, began planting in 1904. It's hard to believe this used to be an abandoned quarry.
We also really liked the fountain nearby. This is one of my favorite photos from the day.
Actually, it's hard to decide. There are lots of good ones from that day, most with Ruby. The backdrops were just amazing and the sun was out, so I was a little excited about taking pictures.
Noa took this photo. I love it. Reminds me of the redwoods in California.
Full disclosure: In the midst of all the beautiful gardens, I was impressed by the trash cans. Yup, the trash cans. It's the attention to details that make me swoon. Every trash can was topped with some kind of flowering plant. Nice touch, Butchart.
Ruby's favorite part was the fish fountain. I have no idea why this was her favorite, but I do know that she screamed bloody murder when it was time to move on. She was obsessed.
Later that afternoon, we toured the historic Empress Hotel downtown.
Then, we headed to dinner at Pagliacci's. We were told about this place from one of the locals and it was definitely a popular destination - every table was full and there was a wait. But, the food was amazing and thankfully, the place was bustling, so Ruby could "talk" as much and as loudly as she wanted. I recommend this place to anyone visiting Victoria.
On our walk home, we stumbled upon a crazy street performer.
And Noa got pulled into the show. Can you spot him in the pic below?
I'll admit, she wasn't very good. But, at least she did this impressive move. This was the one good trick she had. Still, the show made for an interesting walk home.
The next day we took the morning ferry back to Poulsbo. I could have easily stayed in Victoria for several more days. The weather was amazing and there were still a lot of sights (and stores!) to see. It would be fun to go back. In the meantime, I have a few more photos to share from Carol and Megan's visit, but those will have to wait for another post.
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