Victoria B.C.

Brook and I spent the weekend in Victoria B.C. to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. In some ways, it was also our "babymoon." Evidently it is the new fad for couples to go on one last wild adventure before having their first child. Well, we weren't very wild, but we did leave the country for the weekend.

We headed north late Thursday night and stayed at the Puckett Bed & Breakfast in Seabeck, WA. For those who don't follow along, that is my parent's house. We were able to sleep in a little Friday morning before heading off to catch the 12:00 pm ferry out of Port Angeles, WA.

The ferry is a passenger-only ferry and they advertise a 55 minute crossing, although Brook and I believe it is closer to a 70 minute crossing from our experience. We also discovered the weak link in our nations security. All in all, a great way to get to B.C..

Upon docking in Victoria, we made the three block walk to the Andersen Bed and Breakfast (see http://www.andersenhouse.com/). The owners of the house have been operating there for 21 years and they do a fabulous job. It is a small B&B with only three rooms. We stayed in the Casablanca room which was really nice. Besides being close to the ferry, it was extremely close to downtown (Parliament Building, the Empress, the Royal Museum, etc.).

On Friday, we explored the dowtown area. We toured the Parliament building, went to an IMAX showing, went into the Empress, walked the Boardwalk and all through the dowtown area. We ate at an Irish pub for dinner and then enjoyed our walk back to the B&B.

Saturday featured breakfast at 9:00 am. Afterwards we walked towards the Bus terminal to catch a bus to the Butchart Gardens. However, we saw the Budget Rental Car lot next door and decided to rent a car for the day. Turned out to be a great choice because we were able to explore every bit of the Pennisula. We drove the coastline to the Butchart Gardens (see post below) and then continued around the island stopping lots of places in between.

All in all, I think that Victoria became a favorite new place to travel for Brook and I. We both loved the feel of the town and all that it has to offfer. We would love to return and do some biking and kayaking.