The following day was Saturday. I woke up early and made time for my morning devotions before I head out. The idea was that I would go with the flow. Allow each day to plan itself. I dressed and went out for breakfast. The Starbucks on the top of the hill looked inviting, so I ordered a cup of Matcha Latte and bagel with cream cheese. If it wasn’t raining so much, I would have taken my meal to sit in front of the exquisite Legislative assembly I visited yesterday. Instead I sat inside. When I finished eating I walked by the harbour (everything is near the harbour). Looking at the castle-like structure that spans acres of land is breath-taking. The Empress Hotel sits on the left of the street and by itself makes you feel like you stepped into another era. That’s where the city tour bus was parked. I wanted to take the city tour, its just that now I was in the mood to walk, yes, in the rain. 

A quick chat with Derek and his colleague helped me to create a mini-plan. I would go to the Beacon Hill Park and wait for the City Tour Bus. It would take two hours they said, but “I don’t know if there is that much to do at the Park other than feeding the birds” Derek said. Still, I thought I would find something. It was about 11am when I left. The bus begins the tour at 12pm. “We’ll wait for you at Beacon Hill at 12:40.” They handed me their schedule. The Beacon Hill park is located 15 minutes away from downtown. The rain just continued to drizzle. My favourite sight was seeing the peacocks all sitting on a fence with their heads in their feathers to shield  from the rain or cold. I was lost in thought as I strolled around. I loved that everything was so new to me. I saw a little house that was preserved because it was made in the Victorian era. 

“This amazing jewel in the heart of BC’s provincial capital was officially recognized as a park in 1882 and named for the two beacons that are strategically located atop a hill providing a navigational aid for vessels approaching Victoria’s Inner Harbour. These consisted of a blue triangle and a green square and acted as a warning to sailors for it they were able to see the square through the triangle, it meant that they were on Brotchie Ledge and in trouble.” Read more.

There was a mixture of tropical plants and typical Canadian trees all around such as Arbutus, Western Red Cedar, Garry Oak, Birch, Douglas-fir, willow and more. There are bridges and ponds everywhere and cute terraces for picturesque moments. It was freezing cold. Not wintry cold, just the annoying discomfort of rain and wind on a gloomy day. Other people were out too, jogging, walking their dogs, or their kids. Normally the children’s zoo with farm animals would have been opened but it’s close now since summer is over.

By the time I circled the Park, it was only 11:45. Did I want to wait for an hour in the cold? Hm, I opted to walk back to the Empress Hotel where the City Tour Buses were. Derek was right, there wasn’t much to do. It would have been more beautiful to stare at during the summer months. Would I make it back in time before the bus departed? I headed in the direction but with no haste in my step. I didn’t plan to hurry though my vacation. I found myself walking towards the back of the legislative assemble building and towards the front. It was approximately 12:10 and I didn’t see the bus across the street. I expected as much. I continued on walking on the harbour and decided right there and then, next stop, China town!

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