Victoria, BC

Good morning from sunny Vancouver!

I have decided to restructure my blog, which doesn't have many posts yet, and write about the highlights.

On Saturday, March 9th, I went to Victoria at 7am with Discover Canada Tours.

At around 5:30, I made my way to the bus stop and the bus arrived promptly at 5:45. I successfully transferred to the number 19 bus towards Stanley Park at the Metrotown Station, in short, everything went almost too smoothly. And indeed, the bus stopped after only 20 minutes of the 40-minute journey due to technical difficulties.

I rushed to the next bus stop, which fortunately wasn't far away. The next bus arrived 15 minutes later, while I, typically German, kept checking the time, afraid of being late for the meeting point at Canada Place. However, I had enough time as we didn't leave until 7:30.

The 40-minute bus ride to the ferry was very fun, as I unexpectedly had some friends with me. This made the one-hour ferry ride fly by. Janel, or Jay for short, our tour guide, offered us a visit to the Royal British Columbia Museum or the Butchart Gardens. However, since I wanted to explore Victoria itself, which by the way is the capital of BC, I didn't book any of these activities.

Upon arriving in Victoria, we first went to Fisherman's Wharf. This is a small settlement of houseboats, snack stands, and vendors. The houseboats all looked different and unique. Then we went to Beacon Hill Park with the Mile 0 Monument and the Terry Foy Statue. Terry Foy was one of the most famous and beloved Canadians, known particularly for his Marathon of Hope.

Afterwards, we were dropped off at the RBC Museum. Right next to it was the Old Spaghetti Factory, where we had no choice but to have lunch.

Tomohiko, a Japanese friend of mine, and I then explored the city. We walked past the beautiful Parliament Building, which opened in 1898 in a Victorian-Romanesque style, and along the Waterfront to Government Street, which eventually leads to Chinatown. You enter through a mighty gate flanked by two large lions, called the Gate of Harmony.

After a short break at the Waterfront, we took the bus back to the ferry and returned to Vancouver around 5:15pm.

By 10:30pm, I was completely exhausted and fell into bed.