Showing posts with label Fisherman's Wharf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fisherman's Wharf. Show all posts

Monday, 26 August 2013

Girls Trip to Victoria ~ Day 2 Part 2



Friday August 16th

Continued.....


As we meander back to the condo for a rest, we walk along Government street.  We stop in at the year round Christmas Store.  They have every decoration that you could ever think of!  Then it's on to one of our other favourites....Rogers' Chocolates  More about Rogers Chocolates



Located in another historical building, the wonderful aromas of quality chocolates greet you at the door.  When we first started buying the Victoria creams, I think they were $.75 and quite a hefty size.  They've shrunk in size and cost almost 4 times as much, but definitely still worth it for a treat!




My favourite is the maple walnut....yum yum yum!  Thick layer of nice dark chocolate with a creamy maple walnut filling.  Sure could eat one right now!





 We're almost at the inner harbour area now....Parliament Buildings in the distance...


  We turn up the street and Mom decides to rent a scooter for the rest of the day!


Just kidding!  But she did ride around on my Dad's Vespa when they were young in Denmark!

With tired feet, but sunny skies, we make it back to the condo and admire the view.....



This condo rooftop would be the scene of a wedding the next day....


And even though Mom is terrified of heights, I made her conquer her fear and step out onto the balcony.  She didn't venture past that spot, but she did it!


After a little break for Mom, we're off to enjoy the sunshine in Beacon Hill Park.....
Read about the interesting history of Beacon Hill Park























Victoria has a lot of beautiful green space, but Beacon Hill Park is a gem.  Even though it's right in the city, it's never overly crowded.  Such a serene and pretty place.....


 I parked Mom at the 'Stage in the Park', to enjoy some piano music while I went off and took some photos.






 Our next stop was to go back to Fisherman's Wharf to order some crab for our dinner.  But as we walk down the ramp, Mom makes a beeline for the ice cream shop.


More maple walnut yumminess for me!


We take a little walk amongst the docks to see the floating village...









The 'outer' part of the inner harbour....


Looking back at Fisherman's Wharf...


I thought this was a really cool photo....the fog was still lifting in some areas....



It's a very busy harbour, with private planes and boats, along with ferries that run from the USA as well...


One of the little restaurants on the wharf....No Mexican for us today....Mom is off to order our crabs to be picked up later.



While she's ordering the crab, I wander over to the edge of the dock where I see a few people gathered.  They're throwing in some fish scraps and looks who's enjoying the treats!


I found his eyes looking up at us like that rather spooky....cute but spooky!



To be continued.....

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Girls Trip to Victoria, BC ~ Day 1

Thursday, August 15


It's been a difficult year for our family....but especially for my Mom.   As we near the 1st anniversary of my Dad's passing I knew we needed a distraction...something to put a smile on our faces.  One of Mom's favourite places to visit is Victoria.  A friend's holiday condo was available, the weather looked like it should be fairly nice and I was able to take a few days off work....Let's Go!

Bright and early, suitcases in the car and we are off!  I haven't done a lot of highway driving in the past few years but the next 5.5 hours of travel went smoothly and my shoulders weren't too sore.



On the ferry from Tsawwassen, near Vancouver,  to Swartz Bay, near Victoria....Mom just had to have her cheesecake while we enjoyed the view...


It's a very picturesque ferry ride....1.5 hours long, meandering through many little islands...



A short 35 minute drive and we arrive at our condo, which is right in the James Bay area of Victoria, only a 1 block walk to the inner harbour, the Empress Hotel, Parliament Buildings and Government Street.  We stayed in the condo a few years ago and it is just perfect!


The only thing is, it's on the 18th floor and mom is terrified of heights.  She thought it was on the 10th floor and was worried about that.  I didn't correct her until I pushed the 18 button in the elevator.  Too late to turn back now!  The views are great!




Tummies are growling so we're off to Fisherman's Wharf for some fish and chips.  The little water taxis are a great way to get around the inner harbour area of Victoria.  You can hop on and off as you like.


Barb's Fish & Chips is THE place to get your fix.....always busy and they're open until they run out of fish!


Fisherman's Wharf had a 'floating village'.....homes that people live in year round, anchored to the docks.  Must be a cool place to live!



And then our buzzer went off and our halibut fish and chips was ready!  So huge we shared one order. Yummy!



The long day of travel was worth it just to see Mom's smile!


And as we enjoyed our dinner, the sun came out to shine on us.  We're off to a great start!