Monday, July 4, 2016

PACIFIC NORTHWEST – Biking Around Victoria


So I had some time to shop and just enjoy Downtown Victoria. The Parliament Building is majestic, and the Empress Hotel right across the street is stunning. Victoria Downtown is lovely and busy, and the harbor is a flurry of activity and very intriguing.
   I found a few cute shops and bought a few souvenirs, and then moved on to try a few things for dinner. At Bard & Banker I tried their calamari, but it was horrible — so I traded it in for some Fish & Chips. Then wandered down for a Beaver Tail for dessert (basically a flat donut covered in icing and candy). I also had some Maple ice cream, and stopped at Roger’s Chocolates, for a Maple chocolate. And I had to get a few of those maple-leaf shaped bottles of syrup to take home.
   As I headed to the Southern Ferry to return to the U.S., I found a Bike Rental place — just a perfect way to spend my last few hours before leaving. And that they had eBikes to rent was even better. (eBikes have a battery pack to give you an “assist” for steeper terrain, etc.) I’m not much of a cyclist, but I can do 3-hours with a little help.
   And I wasn’t disappointed. I biked around the harbor, down to Fisherman’s Wharf, around to Holland Point, and all the way down to Clover Point, and on to Ross Bay Cemetery — then back, swopping through Beacon Hill Park. Beacon Hill is about 200 acres, right near Downtown Victoria – and although I just rode through, there were lots of birds including blue herons.
   Riding a bike around the city lets you see parts of the island you just can see any other way — and the eBike just made it so I could cover the almost 15 km (about 10 miles) go much farther in a shorter time than any other way.

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