Day 32: Victoria, BC

 

We wake up and have breakfast with Verna and Bob who have fruit tree nursery, but we'll talk about that later. Some delicious fruits from their garden accompany some pancakes. We leave for Victoria with some ripe plums. Driving south to the city, we suddenly see a large mountain range with snow covered peaks emerging on the horizon. What are these?! Is it Japan?!? After realizing that these mountains are not part of the island, we finally get it. It's the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.

We park close to Beacon Hill park and take our bikes to discover the city.

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and enjoys some of the mildest weather of Canada, but as soon as you approach the shoreline you can feel the strong wind from the Pacific. Compared to the neighboring cities of Vancouver and Seattle, Victoria gets a lot less rain. We pass Thunderbird Park which is filled with many totem poles and other First Nations monuments. Then we decide to have lunch nearby on the front lawn of the Parliament Buildings.

 

 

The city is filled with people, which is not surprising because it's the long weekend and also a major tourist destination. A couple festivals are bringing even more life to this lively city. The Empress Hotel, designed by the same architect that worked on the Parliament Building, faces the Inner Habour and is well known for its afternoon tea time. The atmosphere is great. It is a lovely small city with the vibrancy of a big city.

 

 

We continue our exploration walking along the streets of the old town. Lots of hip shops and restaurants are occupying the historic brick buildings. Locals and tourists are enjoying the sun and local cuisine. Nearby is Chinatown, the oldest of its kind in Canada. We walk down the narrow Fan Tan Alley, which past was filled with opium dens and gambling clubs, among other things. We stop at Swan's Brewpub for a couple of beers before heading back to the RV along the shoreline.

 

 

We get back to our hosts' place in Sidney through West Saanich Road, and pass many farms and wineries. Right when we arrive, Bob offers to give us a tour of the fruit tree nursery. He explains to us the processes of selecting, pruning, growing and protecting the different trees. Their lemon and lime trees, with minimal protection from the rain, produce much fruit year-round. The fig trees are from all over the world: Greece, Italy, Turkey, Israel, USA. We get to try some ripe Black Mission figs that are delicious. Apricot, nectarines and peaches, kiwis, all kinds of plums, apples and pears are all around. But the most surprising trees of all are the orange trees. Growing in a greenhouse, they might be the only oranges grown in Canada. Their taste is a lot more complex that an orange from Florida for example. The climate being a little bit cooler, they develop a subtle balance between sweetness and acidity. They almost melt in your mouth. Such a great experience!

Later, we hike with Bob around the neighborhood, checking out an old grove of trees before walking to the Saanich Inlet to watch the sunset.