Taking a walk downtown

After arriving in Victoria yesterday we decided that we needed a day without too many activities, a day of relaxing and taking it easy. And so we did.

After a breakfast at the hotel we started walking to downtown Victoria. As it was only a few blocks away we didn’t bother to take the car, as it would just be a hassle to park. Furthermore, the weather was lovely, so an easy stroll it was.

Walking to the city took us straight through Chinatown, the biggest in Canada, according to the leaflets. Its entrance marked by a huge gate, it stretches a few blocks in all directions and is as busy as you’d expect.
Walking further we encountered the old city with the harbour and the British Columbia Houses of Parliament with the official provincial Christmas Tree right in front of it. All built in the traditional Canadian style (of which I don’t know the name right now)

After taking it easy in the city and just sightseeing down there we were in the mood for a little action and drove to Victoria Butterfly Gardens to put the newly acquired 105mm macro to work. A great idea!
Home to about 6000 butterflies and a wealth of animals, it is a great place to just hang around. Which we did, obviously. 😉

Tomorrow the trip and flight home, tonight some ingenious packing to get everything in the correct bag!