Canada's Beautiful Secret: Victoria, BC

Day 7 onboard the Holland America Line Koningsdam. We visited the picturesque town of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. There was good food, excellent coffee, and some tasty pastries. Back on the ship we listened to a piano performance. Victoria is a hidden gem. Come along as we stroll through town to take in the beauty. On this, the last day of our 7-day cruise, we arrived in Victoria, BC. We had roughly 12 hours to explore what Victoria had to offer. We took full advantage of our time. We chose to walk the 1.5 miles from the cruise port to the Inner Harbor. The weather was very mild, and the sun was out, so walking was the right thing to do, for us. If you don't want to walk, there are several options to get you downtown, such as taxi or shuttle bus. Sometimes there are even horse-drawn carriages. We passed the majestic Empress Hotel, known for its high tea, and headed up Government Street to Murchie's Coffee and Tea. This is our second time at Murchie's, and it did not disappoint. When you walk inside you are faced with a large display case of delicious looking pastries and food options. Not to mention the extensive coffee and tea menu. Once you decide on food/beverages, you wait for the order to be brought out on silver trays. We chose to enjoy our food and drinks outside at one of the patio tables, but there is plenty of indoor seating as well. Up Government Street from Murchie's is Victoria's Chinatown. Victoria is home to the oldest Chinatown in Canada and the 2nd oldest in North America dating back to the 19th century. It is here you can enjoy the Asian inspired architecture as well as the many small shops and restaurants. One of the highlights is Fan Tan Alley. Touted as the "narrowest commercial street in North America", measuring just 3 ft. wide at its narrowest. Here you will find many art studios and boutiques replacing the drug dens and gambling halls of the past. A short walk from Chinatown we came across the Johnson Street Bridge. This drawbridge accommodates both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. We were lucky enough to be walking by when the bridge opened to allow a tall sailing ship to pass through. This is not a sight we are used to seeing on a day-to-day basis, so we couldn't help but stop and watch. We also noticed the water taxi dock nearby. We had seen these small boats passing by all day. For just a few dollars you can save your feet and take a ride to another part of the harbor. Not a bad idea since we ended up waking over 20,000 steps this particular day. We chose not to ride the water taxi this time, but maybe next time. After bridge excitement we decided to walk back to the ship for an early dinner. We arrived just in time to get hamburgers and fries from Dive-In. In our opinions, they serve the best burgers and fries out of all cruise lines. Prove us wrong with a comment. With full bellies, we returned to our cabin only to be greeted with a debarkation packet. Inside was the instructions on how debarkation would take place in Vancouver the next day as well as our bag tags for our larger luggage. You can carry off your luggage, if small enough, or check it the night prior and have it delivered to the port when you arrive. We chose to check our bags which meant we had to pack everything that night and leave the bags outside our door by 10pm. Packing done, we headed to the World Stage for one last show. Tonight's show was a piano performance by Elliot Finkel. He played a collection of songs from past to present, even adding a rap to lighten the mood. It was a great show and a fantastic way to end our cruise. The only thing left to do is to get some sleep and head home tomorrow. This 7-day Pacific Coast cruise has been great fun. The sights, sounds, and food of the Pacific Coast cannot be beat. The ship was very comfortable with fantastic service the entire time. We are so glad to have experienced this cruise with Holland America and cannot wait to do it again soon. Please subscribe to our channel to follow us as we continue to share our love of travel. Thank you and we'll see you on the next adventure.   Socials- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090521161361 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aub_and_steve/ Music- Epidemic Sound https://share.epidemicsound.com/2x7wf6 Merchandise Store- SPRING Clothing https://my-store-f7b4f8.creator-spring.com