Thursday 10th July Whistler - Ferry Crossing - Victoria

Up at 6.30am this morning and we headed to the ferry to sail across the Strait of Georgia and through the spectacular Gulf Islands, an archipelago known for its Mediterranean-type climate to Victoria.

We stopped at Nanaimo at 11.30am. Nanaimo has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" . We continued on to Chemainus for lunch. Chemainus is now famous for its 39 outdoor murals. This outdoor gallery has given birth to many businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist industry stemming from the murals helped rejuvenate the town after its large sawmill closed in the early 1980s and was replaced by a smaller but far more efficient mill.

After lunch we drove to the world famous Butchart Gardens , rated among the most beautiful gardens in the world. We strolled through the colourful Sunken Garden, the Japanese and Italian Gardens, the English Rose Garden, and the magnificent Ross Fountain. These gardens were spectacular and very well groomed.

We checked into the Royal Scots hotel at around 7pm, and had the hotels driver take us to the harbour to have fish and chips at the local Red Fish Blue Fish which is an outdoor waterfront eatery in an up-cycled cargo container on a wooden pier in Victoria's Inner Harbour. It's a unique, fresh, and sustainable approach to the old fish 'n' chip shop. We waited an hour in the queue, but it was well worth it. The Halibut was delicious and the chips were the best ever. We then walked around the harbour, there were the most amazingly huge sailing vessels, float planes, monuments, buskers, horse and carriage rides, shops, bars, cafes, restaurants and tourism outlets. The buildings were beautiful especially the Fairmont Empress Hotel and the Parliament buildings which were even more spectacular when it got dark when they lit up. We walked back to our hotel and had a nightcap on the balcony of the adjoining hotel.