6000 Mile EV Road Trip - Stay 17
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | July 18 – 22, 2024
Written by John Martinson
We drove from Tofino back over to Port Alberni and charged up for the trip to Victoria. On our way, we stopped at Old Country Market: Goats on Roof in Coombs, one of the the top tourist attractions in British Columbia, and what a delight! With a sod roof and goats living on it, the Market is replete with groceries, gifts, plush toys, antiques, cast iron hooks, glassware, clothing, art supplies, DIY kits, hand-painted bowls and dishes, Chinese paper lanterns, and more. I bought a plush rooster and named him “Friar Cluck.” There are also places to eat—a Mexican Cantina, a bakery café, an Italian restaurant, a donut shop, and an ice cream shop! This is a must-visit if you are on Vancouver Island.
We arrived at Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city, and were immediately charmed. Our hotel, the Fairmont Empress, is right at the center of the city on Government Street, looking out over a busy harbor, which also serves as a seaplane landing strip. Small, colorful, oval-shaped taxis buzz everywhere among yachts, ferries, cruise ships, and whale watching cruisers. Government Street is an exciting shopping and dining district adjacent to the Empress and the museum district is also nearby. It is very exciting.
The Empress is an award-winning, historic, sustainable-certified luxury hotel, known affectionately as the Castle-on-the-Coast. The Empress first opened in 1908.
After dining al fresco at The Veranda our first night, we enjoyed the hotel’s famous English Afternoon Tea the next afternoon. Our other activities over the 4-night stay included the world-famous Butchart Gardens and Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens, time exploring the Royal BC Museum and a night at the historic Hermann’s Jazz Club that featured singer/song writer and blues piano player David Vest and accompanying musicians who played amazing blues and boogie-woogie.
And on our final night, we took a Prince of Wales 3-1/2 hour sunset whale watching cruise where we followed a pod of Orcas and viewed Big Horn Sheep, Bald Eagle, Sika Deer, Canadian Geese, a Sea Otter, and Sea Lions. It was a magical end to the Canadian portion of our road trip.
