Victoria

Finding out that you couldn't really do the return trip to Victoria by ferry and bus on the same day  SparseRunner bought two tickets for the seaplane to Victoria on an impulse. I felt guilty, of course, but have to admit that it was a fabulous trip. The flight was not as bumpy as I feared and the views were spectacular - I don't have any great photos as my phone camera kept picking stuff on the window rather than the beautiful view below.

Victoria felt very English and older. We walked through the very pleasant Beacon Hill Park - with its water features, Canada geese, and peacocks - to the viewpoint facing the Olympic mountains. We enjoyed a scramble on the beach, then took a photo on Mile 0 of the Highway 1 which goes all the way to Newfoundland. Then we went back to town through Fan Tan Alley, allegedly the narrowest commercial street in North America, and full of quirky shops, through the oldest Chinatown in Canada. We bought gifts for people back home, had a wonderful seafood lunch and started the journey back to Vancouver - bus, ferry, bus, light train. The ferry crossing was very pleasant as it went through the islands we flew over in the morning.