Victoria is only a 3 hour cruise ride away from Seattle and it’s a perfect weekend getaway. I’ve never been before and wanted to visit during the winter holidays to see the festive lights at the Butchart Gardens. Nikki and Yuliya were also down to visit so we planned a short trip to Canada. 

Day 1 – Saturday December 11, 2016

We departed for the 9:00am Victoria Clipper that arrives at 12:00pm. We arrived and checked into Hotel Grand Pacific. Nikki used her points and upgraded us to a one bedroom suite. 

We walked to our brunch spot and got our first impressions of downtown Victoria. Although it was rainy, the area was charming and welcoming. It must be busy and beautiful in the summer. 

We ate at Mo:Le which was good. I had the Chinatown Ciabatta, a omelette with chinese sausage served with garlic aioli in ciabatta bun. 

We walked around downtown exploring and discovered this adorable alley called ‘Fan Tan alley’ and Market Square. There were many small local shops that had some great stuff.   

Next, I rented a zipcar and drove us to Butchart Gardens. These gardens were 30 minutes away and we arrived at dusk to see the decor light up as it got dark. It was raining but luckily for Nikki and Yuliya, who didn’t bring umbrellas, the park provided them.  

The gardens were very romantic and festive. I loved the ’12 days of Christmas’ theme. Some of the decorations were quite witty like three hens eating croissants in Paris or four birds on cell phones. It took us awhile to understand it but when we got it, we loved it. 

Just around a dark corner, we unexpectedly were presented with the most impressive view of the sunken garden. It’s a rare sight to see it under a blanket of snow. We even returned later to see it in full darkness. It was magical. 

I would definitely revisit and enjoy the gardens again in the summer. As terrible people, we decided not to return the umbrellas (we needed them for tomorrow!). As a result, they became a ongoing embarrassment. 

Along our route to dinner at Ferris Oyster Grill and Bar, we saw some festive lights. It was mediocre but Yuliya had her first poutine experience. The waiter questioned our matching umbrellas “So, did you buy your umbrellas all together?” I replyed “Yea, sort of” while Nikki and Yuliya looked at each other with guilt. 

Day 2 – Sunday December 12, 2016

After a hot night (Yuliya turned up thermostat of 80F!), we went for english tea at Murchie’s Tea & Coffee. I had the Murchie’s Medley (Vanilla and Caramel) tea latte and it was fantastic. We all got various pastries and cakes to share and had our own afternoon tea. 

We wandered the streets again and hit up some local shops before catching the 2:00pm Clipper back to Seattle. 

It was a short, rainy but fun short trip to Victoria. It’s a small downtown but really nice to walk around. Without a doubt, I’ll be back in the summer and I’ll definitely bring Chi and my family here.