With my work permit running out mid-January, I’m suddenly becoming very aware of how little time I have left in Canada. I still haven’t been to Victoria yet and I still have a whale watching voucher which has been a goodbye present from my colleagues in London, so I spontaneously book a trip to the town on Vancouver Island. The weather forecast isn’t brilliant but I fear that better weather won’t be on the cards for the next three months at least. This is how I find myself back on the island just at the end of November.
Not-whale watching in Victoria
As I check into my hostel, the cosy Ocean Island Inn featuring colourful, clean dorms, individual bathrooms, breakfast included in the room rate as well as its own bar, I find out that there is a Christmas parade happening that day. So I just drop my things and head over to watch the parade as well as the lighting of the Christmas tree together with Bonnie from the US and Leo from Germany, my room mates.
It’s quite chilly in Victoria so we decide to head to a pub straight after the parade rather than having a beer outside near the newly-lit Christmas tree. From the lady behind the bar next to the tree, we have received a few recommendations for pubs: The Bard & Banker, The Garrick’s Head and Irish Times, all lined up along what seems to be the city’s entertainment mile, Government Street. Our pub visit turns into a bit of a pub crawl and by the end of the night, we have visited all three of them plus the Churchill, a bar right next to the Garrick’s Head.
The pubs in Victoria, just like the city itself, reminds me much of the pubs in London. Victoria has a reputation to be a very European city and with its little alleyways, I definitely agree with that. As the capital of British Columbia, the city houses the British Columbia Legislative building whose construction finished in 1897 and which is situated at the harbour from where my whale watching tour leaves the next day. Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city’s Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after the one in San Francisco.
The next morning, I force myself out of bed, tired and hungover but determined to see some Orca or Humpback whales at last on the 4th whale watching tour of my life. It’s raining when we leave the harbour in an open Zodiac boat on what promises to be a very disagreeable experience. But pretty much as soon as we leave the harbour, the rain ceases and the big suits that Prince of Whales has equipped me and my three fellow whale watchers with actually keep us quite warm. I’m just taking some pictures on my mobile as my camera has stopped working for some reason when the skipper says we’ll speed up “a little”, followed by the boat gathering speed so abruptly that it almost sends my phone flying overboard. I don’t know what to hold on to first: My hat, my camera wrapped up in a plastic back, or the boat so I alternate as we shoot over the calm water surface to a pretty little island with a lighthouse and snow-capped mountains in the background. It’s the fastest I’ve ever moved on a boat and it’s an exhilarating feeling. Just off the island on the cliffs, we see a big group of sea lions barking on a rock, as well as three young bald eagles. Unfortunately that’s pretty much where the good stuff ends. As we proceed with our 3-hour tour, the sea becomes rougher, the water splashes into our faces despite the skipper’s best attempts to give us a smooth ride and most importantly, despite of our dedication, we don’t see any whales. It’s all good though when the friendly crew welcomes us back inside the changing rooms with a nice cup of hot chocolate upon our return, plus I will have credit for another whale watching tour with Prince of Whales for a lifetime. Needless to say, next time I’m going to go in summer.
Snowshoeing on Dog Mountain
Although it rarely snows in Vancouver and the mountains surrounding the city don’t usually tend to get a lot of snow before Christmas, early December turns all of Vancouver and the mountains into a winter wonderland. That’s great because I have booked a snowshoeing trip with Nature Photo Hikes. The weather couldn’t be better when we head out early Sunday morning to Mount Seymour, which is just a 20-minute drive from Vancouver. We’re hiking to Dog Mountain. The hike is scheduled to take about three hours in total and it’s my first time snowshoeing.
At first I’m finding it a bit strange to walk with the snowshoes. As they have spikes on the bottom, you need to lift your feet a bit more than with normal shoes. But I get used to it quickly and enjoy hiking up the narrow path through the thick and beautifully white snow. We’re hiking past Frist Lake which is almost entirely frozen, over a bridge and past trees with branches laden with heavy layers of snow. As it has literally just snowed the previous day, the snow is all fluffy and powdery so the conditions for snowshoeing are perfect.
It seems almost too soon when we get to the top in the blazing sunshine. Covering up in sunscreen and enjoying the spectacular views over Vancouver with Stanley Park in the distance, we pause for lunch before we head back through the snow-covered trees to the start of the trail.
On top of the world
More things to see and do in Victoria (aside from the pubs):
I didn’t have a lot of time in Victoria on my visit, but I will definitely make sure to come back for some actual whale watching and for the following:
- Chinatown with Fan Tan Alley – the narrowest street in Canada
- Market Square
- Inner Harbour
- Beacon Hill Park, the city’s main urban green space
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Royal BC Museum
- Hiking, e.g. on Mount Douglas
