April 24 Victoria and Vancouver Island
We join the morning traffic going into the city this morning and stop first at Chinatown. The oldest Chinatown in Canada, not large but picturesque. We enter through the Gates of Harmonious Living.
Fan Tan Alley is a narrow alleyway with shops and restaurants.
We stop at a little cafe called The Sour Pickle and have a little breakfast. Typical English fare with bagels, tea, coffee and eggs. We drive a little farther into town and get a nice parking spot on the street between the National Museum and The Parliament Buildings.
We first visit the Parliament building which is very ornate and beautiful. Designed by a young architect in 1904 it is still home to government offices, courts, etc.
There are over 100 stained glass windows in the building, most commemorating the queen or some department of government, but very pretty.
Back outside we notice their public transportation is open to everyone!
Nearby is Thunderbird Park, a collection of native totems. These are duplicates of ones found in the museum. Unfortunately the museum is closed.
With the cold, wet weather we are surprised to have seen quite a few homeless on this trip and Victoria has its own.
The weather is still cold (high 40's) and wet, so instead of walking by the harbor, etc., we head north on the TransCanada Highway (#1) toward Coombs and Quinault Bay. We stop near Coombs at a Parrot Refuge. Over 900 birds here which have been rescued from people who bought them and then didn't want them!
Some are caged, but many are free to fly around and land on unsuspecting visitors. Some just strut by and check you out.
It is odd to walk through the rooms and hear many "hello's" coming from the birds! Can't help but respond. Some are pretty persistent in riding on Greg's shoulders.
Next stop is the old Coombs market which has turf on the roof and usually has goats grazing up there. No goats today, as they have newborns and wait till they are a few months old before letting them "upstairs". Fun market with lots of local stuff. We pick up a Nanaimo Bar - local confection named after the town down the road. Bottom layer is sort of like a brownie with coconut, a heavy custard, topped by a fudge layer. Tasty!
From here we head over to Quinault Bay. Nice area with lots of resorts and golf courses. We stop at Cedar Grove Campground after driving around a bit looking for it. Nice couple runs the place. We enjoy their hot showers and relax for the evening with snacks and soup.
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