Walked 13.79 km / 20 868 steps
Our last day started with a visit to Goldstream Provincial Park. My guidebook sold us on the plan when we read things like “Majestic Trees” and “Old Growth Forests”.
As soon as we parked the car and set out, we were excited! It was amazing!
Here was our attempt at showing how big some of the trees were (little blurry)
We were in our element, we love nature-walks like this. We walked the Visitor Center and Lower Goldstream Trails
Then we somehow missed the Bridge Trail and finally decided on the Prospector’s Trail.
I wanted to at least get to the lookout point on the map, but we didn’t make it that far. It was a great trail, but we were dressed and equipped for a nature walk, not a hike. Had we been better dressed: exercise clothes that we could sweat in and not try to keep clean, and in my case specifically rugged shoes… and not carrying a purse!! we would have continued.
Still, I loved the part we did do but I’m disappointed we don’t have better pictures. I kept stopping to take some with my IPhone and to soak up the amazing surroundings, but my husband who had the camera didn’t care about taking pictures because he was sweaty therefore grumpy… I’m still annoyed at him! LOL.
Here are some shots of the walky parts – I didn’t get any of the hikey parts:
All in all we spent about 2 hours there.
Next on the agenda was to explore Mount Douglas, and we just experienced the down side of having a car instead!
We got there roughly around 11:30, and before noon the main road (Churchill Drive) is closed so people can walk up to the summit with kids and strollers or bike up etc. instead of hiking up the trails. Great idea. Normally we’d love the walk up but there was nowhere to park! The parking area was packed and even the streets around were full of parked cars.
We decided to go have lunch, and come back after to see what the situation would be, maybe all the cars belong to people enjoying the walk and they’ll be gone when the main road opens up?
Ah the politics of where to eat on vacation!! Because I dragged a tired reluctant husband back to Bard & Banker for a nightcap the night before, I felt I owed him all he decision power food stops today in exchange for his sacrifice. He LOVED the pizza at Famoso's so we went back there breaking the "no repeats" rule.
I have to admit that it really is EXCELLENT pizza; very high on the best ever list so I really didn’t mind it that we broke the rule again. (And here’s a repeat picture since I ordered the same thing both times)
So now, back to Mount Douglas!
And the parking was just as packed as before, but the main road was open now so we drove up instead… lost of parking at the summit!! We would have enjoyed walking, but those are the breaks.
Great views from up there so it was still a fun activity overall (but to this day I wish we could have hiked it)
That’s downtown Victoria in the distance…
After this (around 3PM) I was fed up with the car. That was enough sitting for me, it was putting me to sleep! I wanted to park it away for the rest of the day and go back to exploring Victoria on foot.
We had neglected the Parliament Building “The Leg” over the last few days, so we set off to explore it and the area around. (I don’t remember anymore why the flags were at half mast)
After this, it was cocktail hour!
This place was nice because they had a nice open terrace and I was able to gaze out over the marina to the Empress… even it was under construction, it’s the way I saw it and the way I’ll remember it!
For supper, we went to The Irish Times Pub – same owners as Bard & Banker
Delicious nachos!
That was it, our final vacation meal - I didn’t want it to end!!! I didn’t want to let go of that vacationny feel!
I didn’t suggest a night cap because I knew that wouldn’t fly, my poor husband was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but he did agree to a SHORT walk around Chinatown since it was so close to the hotel!
After this, it was back to hotel to start packing 
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