June 2010: Victoria and Vancouver, BC Canada

I’ve been to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada many times. I think my first visit was back in 1986 at the World Expo.  Since then, I’ve gone back for hockey games against my Anaheim Ducks.  In this particular visit, we wanted to visit the city right after the Olympics were done, and during non-hockey time.

We started the trip by flying into Seattle, Washington because it was cheaper.  From Seattle, we took a ferry to Victoria, and stayed there for two nights, and then went to Vancouver.

The Butchard Gardens in Victoria is world famous, and we made it a point to visit, and to enjoy their High Tea. So we rented a car, and drove the scenic route to the Gardens.  On the way, we stopped at the Butterfly Gardens.  You’re in a quiet sactuary looking at catepillars and free flying butterflies.  It was very peaceful, but a little humid.

We continued our journey and finally made our way to Butchard Gardens.  Parking is free, and there’s picnic areas to sit and enjoy the beautiful landscape.  It took about 2 hours to walk the entire ground (at a leisurely pace) and at the end of the walk, we finished with tea at the restaurant.

 

 

One of the best places to have lunch in Victoria is called “Red fish, Blue fish”… probaby after Dr. Seuss’ book.  Its not really a restaurant, but a shipping container converted into a restaurant front.  Their specialty is (surprise) fish and chips.  The line was long, but it was worth it.

 

 

We took the bus from Victoria to Vancouver. The bus was actually the best solution, because included in the price was the ferry, and dropped us at the depot in downtown Vancouver.  From there, we took the lightrail to our bed and breakfast. 

In Vancouver, I wanted to try a street cart called “JapaDog”.  Its a japanese hot dog, featured during the Olympics.  They have multiple cart locations and even a brick-and-mortar location.  Supposedly they have crazy long lines, but we lucked out, and caught them when they were slow.

 

 

 

While visiting Vancouver, we also went to check out the Olympic sites, and the Granville Market.