I am still recovering from a very sweet and short vacation from celebrating Canada Day but I am ready to share with you all the bits of fun that I had. Let me show you around and recap how I spent my day on a lovely sunny Canada’s 150th Birthday!

Although we celebrate Canada Day every year on July 1, this year it was extra special because 2017 marked Canada’s 150th Birthday. Just like any birthday where we celebrate milestone like 1-year-old or 18th birthday, 150th is a milestone that happens only once in a lifetime and I am so glad to be around to celebrate and be part of this occasion.

I celebrated Canada Day in Victoria, BC. Victoria is a perfect short weekend getaway being only 1 1/2 hours away by ferry from Vancouver. They started Canada Day celebration as early as June 21,2017, basically 11 days countdown before July 1,2017. I visited Victoria countless times already but I had never seen this place as busy and festive as this. There were people almost everywhere I looked, no empty places, and everybody was having so much fun just like me. The inner harbor area (shown above) was where most of the events took place.

There were outdoor events, performances and food trucks set up in the beautiful inner harbor. Almost every hour, there were different performers on the stage set-up right in front of the huge parliament building. The Arkell band did a sound check performance at around 2:00 pm and the people went crazy and cannot seem to get enough of them, and I did not even know who they are.

I stayed most of my time in the inner harbor, but I also went around to check what’s happening in other area. Just few blocks away from the inner harbor is the Bastion Square Public Market. They have nice cafe with outdoor patio sitting, few restaurant and pubs and seasonal artisan market where one can buy souvenirs.

I also visited Fisherman’s Wharf, another one of my favorite place. This place offers food kiosks, unique shops and most of all cute and colorful floating houses on the dock. I had my lunch at Barbs and ordered fish and chips, and a soft served twirl ice cream to end the meal.

At around 9:00pm, people started gathering awaiting the performance of Arkell. Jump packed as it was with crowd, the event were very peaceful and I did not see any fights or disturbances. Police officers were very visible in the area, and the people were in their best behavior. I felt safe and comfortable walking around. The closing concert started 9:15 pm, I have to admit I am not even familiar with this band until that day. They hey have some songs that I like, not bad for a closing concert. The ground was packed with people of all ages, and people were having so much fun like there’s no more tomorrow.

After the concert, people started moving to the inner harbor area to watch  the fireworks display. A lot of people were already there, most of them were the ones who did not watch the concert. I managed to get myself a nice spot to watched the fireworks. It was quite a windy and chilly night, something that I did not expect. The fireworks started 10:15 pm, right after the concert, and ended 10:30 pm. It was a nice scene to watch, although there seem to be something missing for me, I guess it would have been better if it there was music playing while the fireworks were going on. There were also some few seconds gap in between the release of the fireworks, which somehow disrupt the continuity and excitement of seeing it. But overall, it was not bad at all. It was a perfect way to end the celebration and festivities of Canada Day.

My visit to Victoria will not be complete without stopping by the Ogden Point Breakwater. This is a nice place for walking and watching harbour traffic as cruise ships, ferries, sailboats and float planes pass in this area to reach Victoria.

At the end of the breakwater is lighthouse, a perfect spot to enjoy the view and to take photo. I walked and walked almost the whole 2 days, but I enjoyed it so much so there is no complaining about it. I guess, that is my simple pleasure in life.

It was over all a very nice long weekend for me. I did not go far as I have originally planned, but it all worked out pretty well at the end. I enjoyed every minute of the day, walking around, eating, and reading my book. I had so much fun celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday. Till my next adventure!

Cheers!! Happy 150th Birthday Canada! Thank You for being my home away from home ♥♥♥

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