Victoria VACATION!!!

**Warning:  Long Post Ahead**

Back at the beginning of the year my parents offered us use of their timeshare. They had some extra points they weren't going to be using and let us at 'em. We decided that since we were going to be getting the best deal ever on a vacation we should choose a place we really wanted to go. At first I was all about the Oregon Coast. It's one of my favorite places. Then Ty made the suggestion we look into Canada. We eventually decided on Victoria and I'm so glad we did. It was convenient that we had our passports still from our Germany trip and I thought we might as well get our use out of them.

The driving to and from was the worst part, and I get anxiety while driving so Ty was a trooper and my super-hero and did ALL of that. Remember how I love him....A LOT!?  We stayed the night in Port Angeles so we wouldn't have to get up really early to catch the ferry.  We rode on the Black Ball (Coho) Ferry.We were in line early so we were lucky to be in the front. It was really cool to see them open the door before we got into the dock and see us floating into the harbour.

We stayed at the Worldmark by Wyndam (Trendwest) hotel. It was great. We were right on the water and really close to downtown.
Some pictures I took from the ferry.

For the first few days we just hung around and lounged. Anyone who says you have to do different on vacation is crazy. On Sunday we did try to find the church building, but the meetinghouse finder site lied and we didn't know where to look. It said that it was in Victoria when it's actually in Saanich. Anyway, we still got to see the beauties of the island. When we first got off the ferry, we had some time before we were supposed to check in so we drove around a little. The houses were so amazing! I didn't take pictures of them and I'm kind of sad about that. They were really cool. We had a little bite at the McDonald's. A few differences. I don't think they have Wi-Fi there. If they do they didn't have any signs for it and my computer wasn't picking up a signal. Also, they have a huge fireplace in the middle. A bunch of hobo looking men were sitting in all the seats so we didn't get to enjoy the spoils of that comfort. They have a little red maple leaf in the middle of the signature "M". There's a few different menus items, including some chicken sandwiches like Spiced Thai and Pesto Chicken. When we were ordering, I they asked us about beverage sizes, but in metrics (why, I don't know). We stood there dumb-founded stuttering out that we just wanted the regular size.

The best part about staying at one of the Worldmark condos is that in a lot of them there is a full kitchen. However, due to the border crossing security, we had to do a little grocery shopping. Trying to figure out how much deli meat for the guy to slice was hard. We told him in standard measurements what we wanted and I think he guessed pretty well.

Here's a few pictures of the condo.View of Fisherman's Wharf from our balcony (Night and Day).

In downtown, by the docks, there is a causeway where locals turn it into a market and they sell handmade items. It's like a real life Etsy.There are also some street performers. This gal was most impressive.  At first, I wasn't sure if she was statue or an actual person.There were also some musicians sharing their talent.
This is actually on Fisherman's Wharf. I had to include this guy. His sign says, "Raising money to take my wife to a romantic dinner."

We got to see the Parliament building, which is almost like a castle.
We also went to the Undersea Gardens. This was actually really, really cool.  It's all underneath this contraption. Going down the stairs was a little bit freaky.  The ceiling had this effect that made it look like it was really close to your head.  Not to mention it was really steep.

We were lucky enough to get there at a good time and got to see the diver show.

Feeding time.  They've actually trained the fish to come when a triangle bell is rung.

Rockerfish.  Aptly named for their cool rock-star mohawks.

Now, let's talk about food.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.  I think the theme of the week was YUM!
Here's some pictures of the delectables we ate.
The first four are from The Old Spaghetti Factory.

 Spumoni!!!!!  I need more of this in my life.

This Creamhorn is just a sample of the yummies we picked up from both the Dutch and German bakeries.

This is a Donair which is, according to my brother, the best kind of Kebab.  I would agree.

Steaks from Ric's Grill.  So Yummylicious!

Sundaes from a Soda Shoppe.  I thought I went to heaven!

Burgers and fries from Barb's Fish and Chips on Fisherman's Warf.  Seriously.  So GOOD!  For a fish and chips place, they make some amazing burgers.

We didn't eat this, but really?  Green Tea ICE CREAM?  These Canadians are strange.  Don't tell them I said that.  Also, ice cream is waaaay expensive there.  It was like $8.00 Canadian. 

When we went down to Fisherman's Wharf, we got to see some of the floating houses and some really cool boats...I mean ships.

Looks like this guy was doing some remodeling.

 
The best part of the trip, at least for me, was when we just drove around the shore and saw the beaches and the ocean.  Absolutely breath taking.

The day we came home the weather was great.  Nice and sunny and we had a clear view of our destination.

We had such a great time and would love to go back someday.
Thanks for enduring through the many pictures (I hope you like them!) and this really long post.
I just rather give it all to ya at once than break it into pieces of a bunch of different posts.