Where we stayed: At Bree, Meredith, and Robbie’s
beautiful house on a corner lot in Sannich. We had everything we could need – a
comfy bed in a nook, just the right height for us, a gorgeous view over the
water and a dock to get close enough for Ashley to stick her feet in, a cute
cat named Caleb, and three of the friendliest hosts on the Island to steer us
in the direction of great food and activities.
What we ate: All the delicious pub food Victoria had to
offer – pulled pork and sweet potato fries in view of the inner harbour, a
veggie burger and Thai chicken salad at the Six Mile Pub, a charcuterie plate
and bean salad, house made ginger beer and rose lemonade at Café Fantastico,
conveniently located along the Galloping Goose, and snacks from Shirley
Delicious with a local legend named Phil (cheese
pesto bread, cookies) to take on a beach hike. We ate pizza in a park, and
drank our way through craft beers at the Bard and Banker, waiting for the ghost
of Robert Service to show up. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the only scary
thing in the bar was an aggressively loud paper towel dispenser in the women’s
washroom! We also had some to-die-for unusual takes on a classic egg benny at a local diner.
What we did: Everything epic – starting with a ghost tour
of downtown Victoria. Our historian guide talked us through the story of the
ghost of the lesser-known lost lady in the Empress hotel, to the ghost of the
well-known Canadian poet Robert Service, to the spirits of the people who built
the city of Victoria, to those who inhabited it long before colonial settlers
arrived. While no “spirit-sensitive” group member had to
take a break, nor were any of us choked by any ghosts, the tour ended with Sam
having to go home and distract-shop on Amazon, and Ash needing to be escorted
down the stairs to the bathroom. No one wants to run into 2-finger Freddie from
Roger’s Chocolates… unless of course he has some chocolate… We even thought we spotted some unusual looking spots in Britt's camera... maybe a ghost sighting! The next day was
our nature adventure day, which included a 48-minute hike in to Mystic Beach
for Ash, Britt, and Bree, complete with strolling up and down hills over tree
roots and traversing a suspension bridge. The beach had a waterfall and a rope
swing, and cold refreshing water. Meredith and Sam met us with fruit and beer –
they had already also hiked up a mountain that morning. We all relaxed on the
beach, dipping in and out of the water, with Bree, Meredith and Sam also
playing Frisbee… Ash and Britt tried… Suffice it to say, we are not athletic
nor wildnerness experts, but we made it through the uphill climb back in a
record-breaking 43 minutes, entertained by Meredith, Bree, and Sam’s newly
invented game – Forest Frisbee Ninja. We also saw Esquimalt, walking along yet
another beautiful beach, and doing a tour of Royal Roads University (the site
of the castle from the X Men movies, and Ash’s future place of employment?). We
checked out all that the city had to offer, walking along the Galloping Goose
into town to meet up with our tour guide, Sam, who showed us China Town (Fantan
Alley, Dragon Alley), City Hall/Jazz Fest, and Government Street. Britt and Ash
took the water taxi across from inner harbour to Fisherman’s Wharf to pick out
their future residence – float homes, with Britt choosing the hobbit-esque
cutesy one and Ash choosing a large two story monster with the best view. They
spent some time trying all the craft brews, and then had a picnic in Beacon
Hill Park with many bird friends (mostly peacocks) strutting their stuff.
Most random conversation: That time we developed a
kayak-in movie theatre with pirated movies to be projected on the side of a
boat in Victoria’s inner harbour, with an option to have concession snacks
delivered by floating kayak stand or drone. This will be a thing one day, we
swear.
More questions for Tofino…
1) Will we become pro surfers and quit our day –
wait, no, we don’t have jobs… quit school?
2) Will we keep up our activity level up without
our athletic companions?
Stay tuned!
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