We took a bus just before noon and after a bus ride that took us almost an hour, we got off about two kilometres from the National Hitoric Site. Right after getting off the bus, I discovered a race course for toy cars where three (or later four) of those toy cars were racing each other. It was quite interesting to watch how fast those tiny cars could drive.
We walked for a while along the street until I saw a pathway three the woods that looked nice to walk through. This way, we got off the main road and to an area which looked like a very small and typically American town far away from the big city. The houses were all wooden and looked rather simple.
It didn't take too long to reach the park with the lighthouse from here. The whole area was enclosed and we did have to pay an entrance fee to get into the area of the National Historic Site. The fee of 3.90 CAD was definitely worth it, because there wasn't only the lighthouse but also a big fort - Fort Rodd Hill.
After checking out the first structure of the fort, which included an underground magazine for ammunition and a big cannon, we could watch a short explanation and demonstration of different guns. Especially the shotgun and the machine gun were surprisingly loud. After the demonstration, everyone who wanted it got the cartridge case of one of the blanks they had fired.
The next structure of the fort which we checked out offered a magnificient view of the ocean and the lighthouse. While we sat there and enjoyed the view for a while, there were two children climbing up a huge rock just below where we were sitting. Climbing on that rock kind of appealed to me and I really wanted to try that, too. However, when we reached the rock, it was actually a lot bigger than I had anticipated. I tried climbing it for a second but then felt like it would be too hard for me as I would be worried about falling. Thus I didn't climb it. However, by that time, Tuulia had already climbed the rock and was looking down on us from above. Margo quickly joined her. I decided to stay down on the ground, though, and discovered a huge shell while the two others were enjoying the view from above.
On the way to the lighthouse there was a guy painting an image of a building. We went over there and started chatting with him and his female companion. The painting looked really great, although I didn't realy get why he was painting the building and not the beautiful landscape all around it.
The Fisgard Lighthouse looked really nice up close and it was even possible to go inside. There was also a small exhibit inside and you could play some kind of steering wheel game, which Margo tried.
Next, we could see a bomb-proof bunker and a small exhibition on the Canadian women who were recruited during the war.
Before leaving the historic site, we walked along a Historic Nature Trail and checked out the Garry Oak Learning Meadow. Due to the season, there wasn't too much blooming right now.
The walk back to the bus stop seemed quite long this time, but we were lucky and caught a bus right away.
We got off the bus in Downtown Victoria. Since the busstop was right at Centennial Square, where the Social Salsa Sunday was currently taking place, I wanted to go and check that out for a moment. After watching the other people dance for a few minutes, an older guy asked me to dance, which turned out to be really fun. Margo took the chance to take a lot of pictures of me dancing.
After that, we felt like going out and drinking something so we walked to the 'Irish Times'. We got a nice sport outside, where we could watch the street while still listening to the music that was playing in the pub. Margo and Tuulia both had some beer while I ordered a cider. The two of them also shared a plate of nachos while I ordered a lamb burger. The burger was good apart from the apple chutney, which I just didn't like in combination with all the other food. As it was getting a bit cool and there was some nice Irish music playing, I ended up dancing Jumpstyle on the spot in order to feel warm again.
Next, we walked along the harbour in the direction of the Empress Hotel. The 'Blues Bash' was still on and we could see some band playing a level below where we were walking. There was also a nice sunset, although this wasn't the best spot to watch it. A few meters further down in the inner harbour, we could see some of the classic boats that belonged to the 'Classic Boat Festival'. Furthermore, as they were really close, I showed Margo and Tuulia several statues of the 'Hands of Time'.
Finally, we took a bus back home, where we arrived around 8:30 PM.
Definitely a nice day!
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