Oh, the Places You Will Go: Victoria 2015, Day 1

My cousin Miggy, and my sisters Ate Raish and Alyssa

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I've updated this blog, but I am back. If you've been keeping up with me on Instagram you may have seen some of my posts from my recent trip to Victoria on Vancouver Island.



My family and I were there for three days and it was an absolute treat. It was nice to be away from all my responsibilities, getting a break from work and school and everything else. And it was definitely a great bonding trip for my me, my sisters and my cousin Miggy who tagged along.

I'm splitting up my Victoria post into three just so I can share more photos. So here goes. Photos were taken by me and Alyssa.

Victoria, Day 1:

We caught the 7am ferry and since my younger sister Alyssa and I were the only ones who had experienced riding the ferry before, it was a great first experience for everyone else. The weather was lovely and despite the early morning cold (and yenno. the cold from being on a moving ferry) it was just a really nice ferry ride. Calming, and no one got seasick. Yay!

After a bus ride from the ferry port at Sidney, BC, we took a bus to downtown Victoria. My first impression of the city? Bustling. We were there midday on a Sunday and the tourist city was in full swing. There were people everywhere. We walked a bit, lugging our bags a fair distance from the bus stop to our hotel, the Inn at Laurel Point, which was in my opinion a perfect distance from everything we wanted to go to (would highly recommend the place, btw. If you were interested).

After checking in and dropping off our bags and an unwell Miggy, we went off to get lunch at Red Fish Blue Fish just off the side of the dock, and oh. my. goodness. Best fish and chips we've ever had. It was just a small place, their kitchen was basically a shipping container, and there was a massive lineup when we got there; we waited probably about half an hour standing in line, but it was so worth the wait. My parents and Alyssa got fish and chips, halibut and cod, respectively, and Ate and I got the tuna tacones and it was all just so good. I still think about it. There was also a soft serve place right beside it which I thought was an excellent business decision because some people bought ice cream to work on while waiting in line for Red Fish Blue Fish.  Alyssa and I had some after lunch and it was the best soft serve I've ever had. No joke.

The Parliament building

Me and Ate chilling in the shade to wait for our guided tour to begin

Parliament was next. We took a guided tour and it was pretty cool. Learned some stuff about my province and saw some really cool architecture. I don't really know what else to say about Parliament other than it was cool. So just take my word for it and check it out yourself when you get the chance.

The view from the first floor, below one of the domes

Our fellow tourists

And now, one of the absolute highlights of the day: breakwater. Breakwater was that plot twist moment of the trip because on the way there, we were all grumpy from walking longer than expected but once we go there, whoooeeeee. Man. These photos do the place no justice.

It was stunning, and peaceful and despite the fact that it was freezing it was an absolute treat. Walking down here was like having someone carefully cradle your heart until it felt peace. It really put me on relax-and-let-go-of-all-the-stress mode. On the way back, we also walked by all the nice houses, right when the sun was setting and it was just all over lovely. Highly highly recommend it to everyone.

Mum and dad, me, and Miggy

Parents heading towards the light house

The waves were getting pretty intense by the time we got here but it was really pretty. Some people were also fishing on those steps (there's about one or two more levels though).

The little lighthouse at the end of the walk, sunset, and a hummingbird cloud

And at the end of a tiring day, we were lucky enough to find this waiting for us on the hotel room balcony.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,
Patty