Victoria, BC

At the end of June we went to British Columbia to see Victoria and Vancouver.  We started our trip by heading out to Victoria.  We had been planning on taking a bus to get to the ferry, but as we were talking to the information desk a local from one of the islands suggested we split a cab as he was heading out there as well and it would get us to the ferry before it left.  It turned out well and it was interesting to hear about his most recent trip during the taxi ride.
After getting settled in our room we went to happy hour at the bar in our hotel.  The bartender talked to us about the history of bar tending how they were bringing back the classical style of bar tending with in-house bitters and cocktails made to suit the patron.

We then went out to dinner at a nice Italian place.  After a nice dinner out we walked around town.  It was beautiful and the weather was nice.
 The next morning we went out to the Butchart Gardens.  The manicured gardens were the most beautiful I can remember.  Everything was so green.

After the gardens we went to a cider farm where they had tastings and we had lunch.  It was fun to sample the different ciders from very dry to sweet.  Our favorite was the one right in the middle.

That evening we got some fish and chips by the fisherman's wharf and then suited up to head out on the water.  We were taking a speed boat out to spot some killer whales.  It was an amazing experience as the whales breached and played around us at times coming close to the boat.

The next morning, before taking the ferry back to Vancouver we went to Beacon Hill Park in the South of Victoria.  The park included a variety of wildlife such as deer and peacocks.  They also had a petting zoo with baby goats that Erin insisted on petting even though she had to wait for the little kids to finish playing with them.

We finally got our luggage and made the trek to Vancouver.  It was a long haul as we took a bus to the ferry and then a bus from the ferry to the train which took us downtown.  It didn't help that I had forgotten to get tickets or exact change for the second bus and we had to wait at the ferry terminal for the next bus.  We were glad to get to our hotel at the end of the day.