CC Travel Blog

May, 2008
Victoria is the capital of British Columbia Provence in Canada.

Interestingly it is an island outside of the Provence. We sailed and sailed until 5pm we reached the port. It was Saturday and most of the business and attractions had been closed. While I was disappointed at the schedule, I noticed that Norwegian’s ship arrived later than us but left earlier. I could imagine that I would be even more disappointed at that schedule.

Victoria is a small island, but with a limited schedule of 5pm-11.30pm port time, we couldn’t make out much from it besides walking around downtown and checking out the pubs.

Among all the ports, Victoria was the most expensive one; just for the shuttle to downtown alone, we had to pay $6 per person! The shuttle bus drove pass the Beacon Hill Park and stopped at the front corner of the Empress Hotel. Visitor Center would be right across the street.

Around the pier there were a few picture-perfect sites such as the Parliament Building and the old Empress Hotel.

The harbor was absolutely beautiful when the sun setting down gradually below sea level. The golden sun ray laid on Empress Hotel was a golden moment for my trip.

Most of the attractions were closed, so we walked along the Government Street to see some open shops. Some of the shops were quite cute and worth a visit. There was a wine shop selling Canadian wine, particularly concentrating on Mission Hill winery products. However, you can find ice wine tea and other nice wine accessories in the shop. I bought a bag of ice wine tea bags to try and they smelled delicious! Right next to it was an Italian gelato shop where loads of British style souvenirs could be found. Pretty tin cans for teas as well as candies and cookies were apples to the eyes.

A couple blocks down the road, Chocolate Factory was selling rocky mountain brand chocolates. Girls might also enjoy shopping at Bubble, which is a shop that sells bath soups and skin care products with natural ingredients.

A few blocks down the pedestrians would reach the small Chinatown which only covered a couple blocks. Inside Chinatown, Fan Tan was an interesting street where the oldest Chinatown’s gambling and opium operations were run in this narrowest alley.

Pubs are popular in Victoria. Irish Times Pub near Bastion Square was a consecutive-year award winning pub in a historical building. I’d love the downstairs seating where huge glass windows magically combined people-watching and drinking. Upstairs was more pub feeling but also a bit dimmed and crowded in my opinion.

After strolling around downtown, the harbor was the best place to enjoy the sunset of Victoria. Pictures are worth a thousand words!

<>Hanging around in Empress Hotel was another nice place to enjoy the sunset. Although the hotel’s furnitures were old and used, the feeling of British old tradition never dies in the surrounding.