Capital city of British Columbia, it was in this charming city of Victoria that I traveled to western Canada for the first time.

This city, located on the island of Vancouver, offers different landscapes and mingles beautifully with the sea, the mountains, the gigantic forests, the streets that still have this British architecture, their charming marina where you can see passing boats, fishing fleets, ships, kayaks and even seaplanes. In short, an adorable city where you often want to say “lovely” (with a British accent :-)) on every street corner.

Which path did we take ?

A beautiful city that we wanted to discover a part by walking. As we stayed in a hotel on the harbor in front of the parliament, the main activities were nearby. The Parliament itself is one of them, you can visit it with a guide from Monday to Friday in spring, autumn, winter (September to May) and in the summer it opens to visitors even on the weekends. At night, it lights up and makes the city even more charming, have I already said it ?!

In the South of the city, our walk was pleasant along the strait of Juan de Fuca, we breathed the sea air along the pebble beaches. Try to find one in the shape of a heart!

Beacon Hill Park is on the way, a very large park that well represents the flora and fauna of the region, it is home to magnificent birds like the heron but also the peacock that can give you a majestic show with its tail, or should I rectify myself by: the peacock and its majestic feathers. It is also known for its totem, I speak of the park this time and not the peacock! Indeed, we find in this park the world’s tallest totem pole measuring 160 feet, just that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown Victoria is really … synonym of charming … lovely ?! Government Street is one of them, with its paintings on the walls, pretty signs and decorations on the shops, restaurants and bars. We also stopped for a small tea tasting at Munchie’s. Since Victoria still has a very British history, tea has become a “touristic” activity like in England. So the afternoon tea is very popular to take it at the Fairmont Empress hotel. If you want to drink a tea in a royal setting at $ 50 it is THE place! We found a little expensive for a tea and a we are not that royal, thus we went to the Munchie’s, less majestic but we could also discover this street downtown and we even brought a few tea bags home.

An ecological city

What drew our attention also is that Victoria is a green city, very responsible for our ecosystem, it is indicated everywhere to “Bring Your Own Bag”, even in the hotel there was a cloth bag that we could borrow if we ran errands. It is the first city in the province to ban the use of plastic bags. In addition, restaurants offer a diverse menu that will make happy for vegetarians and vegans.

So if you go to Victoria bring your own bag!

P.s: thank you to my boyfriend who takes me wherever he goes and makes me discover these destinations with passion.