Victoria, empress of Vancouver Island (Victoria)

Member Name: misswilmotsghost

Product:	Victoria
Date:	17/01/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: friendly, laid back a perfect place for families not looking for theme parks

Disadvantages: can't think of any, I love it

We spent three lovely days in Victoria on Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful place, and our family really enjoyed our time there. We went on a fantastic whale-watching trip to see orcas one evening, and were very impressed by the Museum of British Columbia - which had extensive cultural collections well displayed.

As keen birdwatchers we went out to Swan Lake nature reserve on the edge of the city. I had found out about it via the internet and had discovered that volunteers led walks around the reserve on Sunday mornings (I can't remember if it was every Sunday) so we headed out to join in. There were only a few of us there, and the volunteer was surprised to find that we had come all the way from England, but was very welcoming and informative. We had a great visit, and I was thrilled to see humming birds.

We had to dash back to the harbour to see the "dancing ferries," a Victoria institution on Sunday mornings. Victoria harbour has wonderful little ferries which putter around under all the beautiful seaplanes, and they are well worth travelling on, even if it's only a little return trip, just for the experience. They also offer tours of the harbour and up the river.

There are all sorts of interesting stalls along the harbour side - we had our children's names written out in beautiful calligraphy (apparently Korean style) and in the evenings there were entertainers all along there to watch as we ate our ice-creams.

We're saving up to go back!

Summary: not to be missed if you're visiting Vancouver or Vancouver Island