Archer at the War Memorial to the Unknown Soldier.

We just got home yesterday from a weekend in Victoria with the kids!

Most of the travel blogs I've done take us far and away. It was exciting to explore closer to home!

Brad travels a bit here and there for work, so we packed up the kids and went with him to Victoria for a few days.

We took a late-afternoon ferry last Saturday, which got us to our hotel after Maverick’s bedtime.

Since we were off-schedule, we put Maverick to bed as soon as we could and ordered room-service. It was surprisingly delicious and served as a great reminder why I went on the trip. No cooking, no cleaning. Our weekend in Victoria was off to a great start!

We all got up on Sunday morning for breakfast with Brad’s co-worker and his family. It was nice to have another wife and their kids to hang out with on and off while the guys were at work. I found a funky little diner that was just a few blocks from our hotel. Maverick was feeling extra feisty, so Brad and I took turns taking him outside and keeping him busy while we waited for our food.

The rest of our day was pretty chill. After Maverick’s nap, I took the kids to explore the grounds in front of the Legislative Assembly. We played on the grass and took in a small play put on by the Parliamentary Players, who taught us about how BC became a province through period acting. It was great timing for a snack, if nothing else. Part way through the play, Archer asked me when it was going to start.

We went to the pool at our hotel before getting ready to go to dinner, just the three of us. I took them to the Old Spaghetti Factory, ordered myself a double Bellini and hunkered down, hoping for the best. They surprised me! Maverick stayed in his booster seat, other than standing up in it every once in a while. He hasn’t been eating too much lately, but devoured a good portion of my chicken parmesan and even had some soup and bread. We missed Brad, but it was really nice!

We had breakfast as a family of four before Brad went back to the tradeshow on Monday morning. For lunch, the kids and I had a picnic on the grass behind the hotel before we all napped.

Then we met up with our friends for a big walk to the Beacon Hill Children's Farm followed by ice cream at the Beacon Drive In Restaurant. At the farm, we saw pigs, chickens, ducks, alpacas, a miniature horse named Peanut Butter, donkeys, multiple peacocks and so many little baby goats that my heart near exploded!

Maverick, on the other hand, was not a fan. Granted, he wasn’t feeling too well, but he didn’t want me to put him down near the goats at all! I was holding him when one jumped up on the bench beside us and started eating the back of my shirt. To be honest, I thought it was peeing on me, but the lady next to me told me kindly that it was clearly just nibbling at my shirt.

I was so proud of Archer – he didn’t complain about the walking at all! And we walked a lot! Victoria, at least the area where we stayed, all seemed very walkable and pedestrian friendly. It was great!

Brad had another late night, so the kids and I ordered room service and watched some play-off hockey before calling it a night. It was Archer’s first experience with cable tv and not being able to choose what to watch. He did like the commercials, so that was a win.

On Tuesday morning before we came home, and following breakfast at Frankie's Modern Diner, we visited Canada’s Castle. Did you know that Canada had a castle? And that it’s located in Victoria?

Me neither.

It’s called Craigdarroch Castle and it was well worth the visit! They cater to the kids, with an “I-Spy” booklet listing objects to look out for in almost every room. They had great descriptions about the beginnings of the castle and what it was used for over the years. During WWI, it was converted to a military hospital and in the years since, hosted Victoria College and a Music Conservatory. It was quite interesting!

My favourite room was the tower, complete with beautiful stained glass windows and a unique tiled floor. It was also pretty cool to see the separation between the servants’ quarters and the family’s space, as well as the dance hall and old bathrooms! It was all gorgeous, and very special to see something so historical so close by. I’m almost ashamed that I wasn’t aware of it until now and I'm thankful that our weekend in Victoria helped educate me!

Over our weekend in Victoria I couldn’t bring myself to take the kids to the Bug Zoo, but at least we know there are other things to do waiting for us when we go back.

Explore local,

Anya