Thursday July 27, 2023 - We packed a lunch and headed out of town to the world famous Butchart Gardens. It was a 35 minute drive from the house and was quite a beautiful spot. We had a picnic lunch there, then headed to Malahat Skywalk, which was about 45 minutes from Butchart. Google took us on a crazy road, for about half of that drive, which went through Goldstream provincial park. The road was quite windy and was mostly one lane. After climbing to the top of the skywalk, there are beautiful views of Mt Baker, the Saanich peninsula and Finlayson Arm. The slide to the bottom was especially fun. When we got home we packed a quick picnic dinner and headed to Willows Beach for a concert. It was quite the busy day!
Butchart Gardens
The sunken gardens were made in a stone quarry. The Butcharts moved here from Ontario in 1904 and started a cement business on the island
The Ross Fountain
There are a few totem poles on Vancouver Island
Entrance to the Japanese Gardens
pathway through a pond
View to Butchart Cove
Picnic lunch on the lawn
Google's windy directions to Malahat
It was a crazy drive
Walking to the top of Malahat Skywalk
Quite a pretty structure
scary ropes walk looking through to the ground
Views of Finlayson Arm
Meg starting her slide down
Elaine's slide down!
Views from the bottom
Second picnic of the day. Dinner at Willows Beach
Lots of people for the live band
A quick walk down to see Willows Beach
Friday July 28, 2023 - For our last day together we drove to Beacon Hill Park for some exploring, we walked along the water on the Dallas Rd trail, then walked to Fishermen's Wharf for fish & chips at the Fish Store. We then continued our walk to the inner harbor where we grabbed a water taxi across the harbor to Spinnakers, which is the oldest brewpub in Canada. We enjoyed a game of gubs on the lawn with some beers, then walked across the Johnson St bridge to the Craft Beer Market for more beers and our last poutine of the trip. Dinner was leftovers and pizza on the deck at our house. It was early to bed since the kids have 6:00AM flights out.
The wonderful Demitasse counter
Meg and I split a strawberry rhubarb danish and cinnamon roll, not sure what Kev had
such a cute spot for breakfast, and only just around the corner from our house
games at the dining room table
and more ping pong
a totem pole?
A visit to Beacon Hill Park
Nicely carved chair for King Kev
Beacon Hill Park was a really nice park, with lots of hidden treasures. This is the Moss Lady
Bench carved out of a log in a small Redwood grove
Cute circular bench around this mushroom looking shelter
the largest totem pole in the world
A walk along Dallas Rd and some nice deck chairs
Fisherman's Wharf for lunch
Lunch at the Fish Store
REALLY good fish & chips (we had halibut). Meg & Maddy had fish tacos.
People actually live in these floating houses at Fisherman's wharf
Quite picturesque!
We walked to the inner harbor from Fisherman's Wharf
and passed the Parliament Building again (and another totem pole)
The Empress in the background
Queen Victoria in front of the Parliament Building
Elaine hiding in the hydrangeas
Here comes our water taxi
We're off to Spinnaker's for a beer
We walked along the Songhees Path to get to Spinnakers
Beer on the lawn
The sky was pretty amazing
Another nice path
Beautiful walk back to the inner harbor
Walk across the Johnson St Bridge
Beer at the Bar
And our last poutine
Last pics
953 Hampshire
Saturday July 28, 2023 - We left for the airport (a 30 minute drive from the house) at 4:15AM. The airport is quite small, so we probably could have left later, but wanted to make sure everyone had easy flights home. Kev and I stopped at Mt Tolmie on the way back to the house to watch the sunrise and hopped back in bed for another 2 hours sleep. After packing up, we headed down Dallas Rd to the Ogden Point breakwater. It was a nice walk, as the breakwater juts out into the Juan de Fuca Strait. We then drove to Mt Douglas, for beautiful views of Victoria and Vancouver Island. We then spent an hour exploring the town of Sydney before heading off to the airport for our 6:00PM flight home.
Sunrise on top of Mt Tolmie
Ogden Point Walkway
We walked out to the end of the walkway
The Dallas Rd stairway
View from the top of Mount Douglass
More views
Picnic lunch with a view in Sydney
Beacon Park in Sydney
Glass Beach
It was only a 15 minute flight from Victoria to Vancouver and so fun to see all the islands, since we never got very high up
Not sure how the trip could have been better! It was great to get to spend a week with the kids in such a beautiful, relaxing spot...water, mountains, city...what more could a person want? And Victoria has perfect summer weather with lots of sun, high temps during the day in the mid to low 70s and low temps in the 50s. Maybe we should move here!?
Tuesday July 25, 2023 - Today we have a 1:00 reservation for tea at the Empress Hotel downtown, so we spent the morning chilling before we drove downtown.
Bike ride with Elaine and Ian
Trafalgar Park
Cloudy but a pretty day
love the mountains always in the distance
more views from Trafalgar Park
We drove downtown for our tea at the Empress. Love the flowers with the Parliament building in the background. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia
that is some GREEN grass
We're at the Empress for tea!
More flowers
Stained Glass in the lobby
Fancy table with 4 teas to choose from: Rose Congour Emperor (Princess Diana's favorite), Lady Londonderry, Blue Suede Shoes and Creamy Earl Gray. Each pot of tea was steeped for 4 minutes (there was an hour glass timer for each table, so we could get it just right). The lunch platter was amazing! The bottom plate was full of scones with jam and clotted cream. The middle plate was finger sandwiches (egg salad, salmon, cucumber and ham). The top plate was desserts - strawberry shortcake, chocolate cherry cake, pecan tart, macarons and carrot cake.
pinkies up
pouring milk in my favorite tea (blue suede shoes which is a green tea). I think I had 4 cups of it. The girls surprised me with 2 boxes from the gift shop, which I will enjoy on a chilly day!
tea at the Empress
Teacup cheers
Flowers
Flowers
And hanging flowers on every light pole
Cute little water taxis that take you across the inner harbor
Beautiful Victoria
This was the only whale we saw
Kevin and Bullwinkle
Parliament Building through the marina
Wednesday July 26, 2023 - Ian found a par 3 golf course at a nearby Recreation Center. Henderson's was a 10 minute drive and it was $15 a person to play and rent clubs. The course was beautiful and very shaded. Only Ian and Kev really play golf, but we all had a great time, and are looking forward to more golfing! After lunch at home we took a walk to the nearby Abkhazi Gardens. The gardens were created in 1946 by Prince and Princess Abkhazi. The gardens are only on one acre, but were a great way to spend an hour. In the evening we walked the half a mile to the Penny Farthing, in downtown Oak Bay. It was a true English pub, with Shepherds pie and bangers and mash. After dinner we played trivia with the locals. It was a rowdy group and they really knew their stuff...we tied for last place :( After trivia we hurried off to catch the sunset from Anderson Hill Park (a quick 2-3 minute drive from the house, we would have walked but we were afraid we'd miss the sunset)
Our morning walk to Demitasse for delicious pastries
home sweet home
what's in the pastry bag?
Golf swings!
The Greenes
Nice walk after golf around the recreation center activity loop
more ping pong
the gang on the deck, ready for a walk to the gardens
Love the bench and the girls (at Abkhazi Garden)
We enjoyed the Abkhazi Gardens
Dinner at the Penny Farthing (on the left, Shephards Pie and in front of Meg & Maddy stuffed yorshires...yum!)
