Canada #3 Victoria
At the start, it wasn’t going to be a long walk! From the waterfront in downtown Victoria to Fisherman’s Wharf along the David Foster Harbour Pathway was just one kilometre.
We could have taken a relaxing carriage ride past the elegant buildings on Belleville Street but we were glad we didn’t.
We would have missed seeing the continual arrival and departure of the Harbour Air seaplanes. We marvelled at the skill of the pilots and the lightness with which these tiny aircraft landed on the water.
We wouldn’t have come across the Friendship Bell, symbol of a 30 year bond between the citizens of Morioka, Japan and Victoria.
We wouldn’t have seen these beautiful waterlilies, serenely floating in a water garden along the front of an apartment building.
When we arrived at Fisherman’s Wharf, the cafés, boutiques and tourist shops were all bustling with people enjoying the fine summer weather. We admired the colourful float homes lined up against the jetties and wondered about the lifestyle of the inhabitants. The queues at the cafés were long and the tables were full, so we decided to continue further along the path.
We passed the Canadian Coast Guard and the Victoria Harbour Heliport before arriving at Ogden Point, part of the traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples. Ogden Point is the busiest cruise ship port in Canada; each year more than 400,000 passengers start their visit to Victoria here.
Ogden Point Breakwater, a 762 metre long concrete wall jutting out into the calm waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, is decorated with Na’Tsa’Maht – The Unity Wall. The mural painted by Salish Nations artists depicts the stories, past and present, of the local First Nations peoples.
After trekking out to the Ogden Point Breakwater Lighthouse and back, it was time for a rest at the Breakwater Café Bistro Bar. We enjoyed steaming hot chocolates served with a view of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains across the water in Washington State.
Continuing along Dallas Road to Holland Point Park, we joined the Waterfront Trail which passes through the park to the Shoreline Trail. Both tracks were lined with delicate pink flowers growing wild on the edge of the cliff. Huge piles of driftwood washed up by the ocean lay in stacks along the shore below.
At Douglas Street we left the Waterfront Trail, stopping first at the Mile Zero Monument which marks the start of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Nearby we paid our respects at a statue of Terry Fox, the inspirational teenager who, after losing his leg to cancer, started a run across Canada in 1980 to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. He never finished the journey, succumbing to the disease after running 5,373 kilometres in 143 days. Today, his legacy lives on in the Terry Fox Foundation.
Further down Douglas Street we entered Beacon Hill Park, where a giant watering can sprays cooling water from its spout on hot days. The ducks at Goodacre Lake didn’t need a hot day to take to the water – they were all bottoms up in search of tasty morsels.
We walked past a local school with a famous name and an intriguing place in Canadian political history and the Royal BC Museum, on our list for another day.
At last we arrived back where we’d started in downtown Victoria. Our walk may have been much longer than we planned, but we saw a lot more than we expected.
Join Jo for more Monday Walks
Great post 😁
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Thank you. It was a wonderful walk.
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No problem 😁 check out my blog when you get the chance 🙂
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Beautiful photos, again. Love the narrative. Reminds me I really need return to Victoria and our Washington State. So beautiful. Great post
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The scenery was fabulous and we never expected to see snow on the mountains, let alone find out they were in USA! We would love to stay longer next time and explore more of Vancouver Island.
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Carol this is a lovely post! I love how you have laid out all those points on your walk – so much in just one outing! Canada is such a beautiful country and you have made me want more 🙂
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Thank you Pauline for this wonderful comment. I’m so pleased you enjoyed our walk, and also pleased you want more, because there is much more to come! 🙂
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I enjoyed this walk with you. What a sad story about Terry Fox. He must have found that journey so painful, and then not to achieve his aim. I’m glad he’s remembered in that fine statue. The mountains look wonderful, don’t they? So clean and crisp.
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We came across memorials to Terry elsewhere too. He is much-loved in Canada for his bravery and his foundation continues to foster research and fundraising for cancer patients and their family. What a wonderful legacy for such a young man.
We loved seeing mountains like these and were surprised to see so much snow. It was quite exciting!
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I’m pleased you walked too. Some amazing photos to show for it. You see so much on foot, or on a bike.
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We usually come across things we didn’t know about too. I’m not so great on a bike – walking is the way to go. I did say to Mr ET just the other day I want to go out on the bike and start practising more.
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Funny that – I’ve said the same thing to my husband this week. I’m not a confident cyclist, but when I get the courage to give it a go, it’s great to be getting further than I do on foot. We had intentions of three rides this week – we managed one. Oh well, maybe next week….
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The last time I rode a bike was in Germany, where I rode into a hedge while Mr ET rode on ahead blissfully unaware of my predicament.
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Oh dear. I fell off my bike on the first day I after I’d bought it too. I’ve only rode it a handful of times since. I was never that confident, but I’m really nervous.
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Fingers crossed you manage it!
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I’m fascinated with the sea planes, would love to watch one land
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They are fantastic to watch and they are constantly coming and going. I’d love to go for a ride in one.
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What a fabulous bit of coast to have on your doorstep, Carol! I would kill for one of those floating houses! Well, perhaps not literally 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing a lovely walk. Your water lilies are perfection.
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Imagine living along the water there, with big picture windows looking out over the harbour. It would be wonderful. I suspect those floating homes come with a hefty price tag.
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I might need a Sugar Daddy 😦
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Those float homes look fascinating Carol. Do they rise and fall with the tide? If not, I would be rather fearful of flooding. Best wishes to you both.
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I imagine they would Denzil, they were not connect to the land at all. They look amazing. Oh, and nice to hear from you!
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We have done that identical walk in reverse, but not out to the Ogden Point Breakwater Lighthouse. Our favourite place is Fisherman’s Wharf and I have examined every houseboat there! I would have loved to have bought one, but they are not cheap. And just imagine watching the seaplanes and the little ferry boats coming and going all day long. Thank you for a lovely reminder of pretty Victoria. I don’t suppose I shall visit again.
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Victoria is such a pretty city and living in one of those homes would be incredible. I could have sat and watched the action on the water all day long. The seaplanes are fascinating.
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Did you take a ride on one? We almost did from Vancouver onto the Island, but you can’t take much luggage.
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I didn’t think to compare prices but our daughter is going to Vancouver Island and she is thinking of flying one way and taking the ferry the other way. The price isn’t much more to fly. Next time I definitely will consider it. The view would be fantastic. We never carry much luggage so that wouldn’t be a problem.
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I suspect hand luggage only. Don’t tell me you managed an overseas trip with only hand luggage?
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No, we’re not that clever but I like to leave the country with no more than 12-13 kg in my check in bag. I have to manage it so it needs to be light. And I don’t buy much so it doesn’t fill up. The one my daughter has been investigating had checked baggage and carry on.
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I don’t carry much more than 11-12 kg either, so I can lift it on and off transport. I did get away with hand luggage to NZ (from Sydney) but cheated by putting toiletries into my son’s suitcase.
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Such a great walk. And all in perfect weather, too.
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It was a glorious day, but what you can’t see in the photos is the wind. It was blowing a gale out on that breakwater and, straight off the water, it was very chilly. It didn’t stop us enjoying the walk but those hot chocolates were very welcome.
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Ah, perhaps that explains the scarcity of walkers. A blowing gale would be fairly typical of such a walk on our coastlines!!!!
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Yes, it wasn’t busy around on the coastal side. They were all back at Fisherman’s Wharf enjoying cake and coffee.
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Now, that was a WALK. Great shots and information. Thank you for taking us along. I’ve been there once but didn’t see some of these places so enjoyed the post. 🙂
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Thanks, Judy. We spent five days in Victoria so we were able to cover most of the sights there. It’s such a pretty city.
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I think this must be one of my favourite walks that I have ‘joined’ you for. There was so much to see, and remark on, and of course the weather and the views were both beautiful. How amazing of that young man to set out and complete so much of his challenge. And those houseboats… 🙂
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We really enjoyed it too, Elaine. It was very windy over on the coast, but the scenery was so beautiful we didn’t mind. Terry Fox must have had so much determination. We found another memorial to him in Vancouver, and we were both moved to tears by what it said about him.
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Terry Fox must have had such a lot of courage too, and isn’t it great that he has been remembered in these ways.
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All these ideas you’re giving me for a future trip to Canada, thank you!
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You’re very welcome. There are many more to come! We are still on the first couple of days out of 35. 🙂
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It looks so different to how I saw Victoria as I went there in winter. It was still interesting though but the water view was less inviting looking.
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Summer was definitely a nice time to visit, except for the large crowds of people. I would like to go back in Autumn.
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What an awesome walk. Wow, you would have missed so much if you had gone by horse and carriage. Sometimes that change of plan works in your favor! 🙂
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And the horse and carriage only went to the wharf or to the park. It didn’t do the trails along the coast. We definitely made the right decision.
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Hey Carol.
What a lovely post! So much new things to me about which did not had any idea. Thank You.
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Thanks, Matti. I’m pleased you enjoyed my post and learned something new. This part of Canada was so beautiful.
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Your shoreline trail looks lovely.
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It was so pretty, especially as we were up high and the view was fantastic. The trail went on for more than we walked. It would be nice to walk the whole length one day.
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We’re very familiar with the “path” you must have taken to fit everything in. What a great walk! You did manage to see many of our favorite places in Victoria in one long swoop. Good on you!
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It was a long walk and so beautiful everywhere. It was absolutely blowing a gale though.
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