The following morning, it was time to set off to Victoria on Vancouver Island. It was a bit of a trek to get there, but well worth all the effort. We had to get the train to Bridgeport station and then hop on a bus to get to the ferry terminal. It was particularly busy on the bus, and we were glad that we only had a small amount of luggage to deal with. We then boarded the ferry as walk-on passengers and had to wait a little while until the ferry left. There was quite a good selection of refreshments on board, and we needed them after having to leave really early in the morning and miss breakfast!
The journey on the ferry was lovely and scenic, and we were able to go out on the deck to fully enjoy the experience. I did keep a lookout for whales and other sea creatures but, unfortunately, I didn’t see any.
Once arriving in Vancouver Island, we had to get on another bus to get into the centre of Victoria where our hotel was. Victoria is beautiful with a lovely harbour and lots of well-kept gardens with flowers everywhere. As soon as we had dropped our bags off at the hotel and checked in, we headed straight out to explore the surrounding area.
We walked along by the harbour and ended up at the vibrant and colourful Fisherman’s Wharf for something to eat. This lovely little place by the marina is perfect for a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk and a bite to eat. There are a variety of food kiosks selling things like pizza, ice cream, and of course fresh seafood – salmon and chips was a great choice for me! It was a lovely sunny day, too, so a great day to watch the boats on the marina and admire the array of houseboat homes. There are also some boutique shops to browse around.
Everything in the centre of Victoria is easy enough to get to on foot, and by night there are a variety of bars and restaurants to choose from – so you will probably find yourself spoilt for choice. One evening we went down by the harbour and were lucky enough to see a group of otters by one of the boats!
