Victoria, Canada

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is a quaint town on Vancouver Island.  It is a great place for seniors to retire to, which explains why you will see a lot of short, gray hair around you.  It may also explain why the shops close down by 8PM in downtown and the pubs, while aplenty, seem to keep their raucousness indoors.

Victoria is easy to walk as most of the sites are within the downtown core, although there are a few sites that are a bit too far to travel by foot.  However, public transportation would come in handy for those attractions if you don't have a car.

Parking in downtown was a lot easier than I'd anticipated.  Parkades are easy to find and the first hour is free.  If you look beyond the downtown core, you'll find plenty of free limited street parking as well as metered street parking.  Street parking on Sundays is free.

It's also difficult to get lost as there are free tourist maps everywhere... posted outside restaurants, in museums, etc.  The ugly power boxes usually found next to lamp posts and at pedestrian crossings are also covered with a map of downtown.

My trip lasted for three days, two nights.  Here is what I saw and did during that time:

Day 1

9:00 AM

Depart on ferry from Tsawwassen Terminal

11:00 AM

Arrive Swartz Bay Terminal

11:30 AM

Arrive downtown Victoria; Lunch at Dutch Bakery

12:30 PM

Explore and go shopping on Antique Row, Government Street, Market Square, and Chinatown

4:30 PM

Check into hotel 

8:00 PM

Explore Inner Harbour; Dinner

Bastion Square

Antique Row

Antique Row, if truth be told, was disappointing.  I was expecting to see shop after shop of antiques; of old things spilling onto the streets.  However, I counted about five antique shops at the most.

I found shopping at Market Square and Store Street to be much more exciting than Antique Row.

Market Square

Market Square

A sample of downtown Victoria

A sample of downtown Victoria

Welcome to Chinatown

Chinatown

Fan Tan Alley, Chinatown

Fan Tan Alley, Chinatown

Fan Tan Alley, Chinatown

Fan Tan Alley, Chinatown

Fan Tan Alley, Chinatown

Inner Harbour in the evening is quite stunning.  With beautiful buildings such as the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings lining the harbor, the area makes for a wonderful night time stroll.

The Empres Hotel

Inner Harbour marina

Parliament buildings

Detail of the Legislative Assembly of BC

Royal BC Museum

 Day 2

11:30 AM

Visit Hatley Castle and Gardens

1:30 PM

Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

2:30 PM

Visit Royal BC Museum

4:00 PM

Explore Cook Street Village*

5:00 PM

Explore Oak Bay Village*

6:00 PM

Dessert and drink at The Soda Shoppe

7:00 PM

Explore Empress Hotel

8:00 PM

Dinner

*While both villages are equal in quaintness, Cook Street is half the size of Oak Bay which makes it less charming.  If you plan to visit both, I advise going to Oak Bay first as most of the shops close at 5PM while Cook Street stays open until at least 6PM.

Take the scenic route from Cook Street to Oak Bay

Interior of Munro Bookshop on Government Street

Day 3

10:00 AM

Check out of hotel

10:30 AM

Take a free tour at the Legislative Assembly of BC

11:30 AM

Take photos of Inner Harbour

12:00 PM

Explore Beacon Hill Park; picnic lunch

2:00 PM

Visit Craigdarroch Castle

3:15 PM

Visit Government House

4:00 PM

Admire the view from Mount Tolmie Park

5:00 PM

Depart ferry from Swartz Bay Terminal

6:30 PM

Arrive Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal

Inner Harbour during the day

Buskers can often be found on Inner Harbour

Saving the Undersea Gardens for a future trip to Victoria

Welcome to Mount Tolmie Park

View of Mount Douglas from Mount Tolmie

View of Victoria from Mount Tolmie

View of Victoria from Mount Tolmie

Itinerary: The South of France

I spent about two weeks backpacking through the South of France, focusing my travels in Provence and the Cote d'Azur.  I flew out of London directly to Nimes Airport.  I didn't rent a car.  I made good use of the comprehensive train and bus systems in France, trying to get out of the major tourist spots as much as possible.  In order to keep this trip as headache-free as possible, I made Arles my home base in Provence and Nice my home base in Cote d'Azur.  I made day trips to surrounding towns.  This allowed me to sleep in as I pleased and not have to change lodging every night.  Here's my itinerary:

Day 1:  Depart London on Ryan Air; Arrival into Nimes Airport; took the shuttle bus to Nimes train station; took the train to Arles

Day 2:  Day trip to Nimes; traveled by train

Day 3:  Day trip to Marseille; traveled by train

Day 4:  Day trip to Avignon; traveled by train; Explored Arles

Day 5:  Day trip to La Camargue; traveled by bus

Day 6:  Day trip to Montpellier, traveled by train

Day 7:  Day trip to Aix-en-Provence; traveled by bus

Day 8:  Checked out of Arles Hostel; took the train to Nice

Day 9:  Day trip to Antibes and Cannes; traveled by train

Day 10: Explored Nice

Day 11: Carnaval festival in Nice

Day 12: Day trip to Monaco; traveled by bus

Day 13: Day trip to St-Paul de Vence; traveled by bus

Day 14: Day trip to Menton, traveled by train

Day 15: Day trip to Eze Village; traveled by bus

Day 16: Explored Nice

Day 17: Explored Nice

The only things I would change about this itinerary is to spend more time in Marseille and less time in Nice.  On the day trip to Antibes and Cannes, I would have gone to Cannes first as there's less to see and do there, then spend the remainder of the day and evening in Antibes.  Also, I wouldn't have gone to Monaco on a Sunday as it was really quiet that day.  Here's what I would recommend if you are considering a similar trip:

Day 1:  Depart London on Ryan Air; Arrival into Nimes Airport; take the shuttle bus to Nimes train station; take the train to Arles (overnight in Arles)

Day 2:  Explore Arles (overnight in Arles)

Day 3:  Day trip to Nimes; travel by train (overnight in Arles)

Day 4:  Day trip to Avignon; travel by train; side excursion to Pont du Gard and Uzes (overnight in Arles)

Day 5:  Day trip to La Camargue; travel by bus (overnight in Arles)

Day 6:  Day trip to Montpellier, travel by train (overnight in Arles)

Day 7:  Day trip to Aix-en-Provence; travel by bus (overnight in Arles)

Day 8:  Check out of Arles; travel by train to Marseille (overnight in Marseille)

Day 9:  Excursion to Chateau d'If; explore Marseille (overnight in Marseille)

Day 10: Check out of Marseille; travel by train to Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 11: Carnaval festival in Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 12: Explore Nice (overnight in Nice)

Day 13: Day trip to Cannes and Antibes; travel by train (overnight in Nice)

Day 14: Day trip to Monaco and Eze Village; travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 15: Day trip to St-Paul de Vence; travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 16: Day trip to Menton, travel by bus (overnight in Nice)

Day 17: Check out of Nice

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, in its Alpine setting, feels like a village.  There's something quite fairy tale and romantic about walking on the tiny streets, looking at the beautiful shops and buildings, and hearing classical music play in the air.  It is best known as being the film setting for The Sound of Music and the birthplace of the great musical composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  You'll see Mozart everywhere, especially in the form of souvenir chocolate balls.

Everyone in Salzburg was really nice and helpful.  I had no trouble finding people who spoke English really well.  This surprised me because Salzburg was such a small town compared to Vienna, where I constantly encountered people who said they spoke "only a little" English.  It was wonderful to speak with people who were so receptive to tourists.

During the summer, you can see all of Salzburg and its museums, PLUS go on a tour of The Sound Of Music all in one day with some careful planning and lots of energy.  (Closing times of the attractions might make your time really tight to fit it all in one day in any other season.)  It took me about seven hours to explore the entire village, including paying visits to museums and castles, taking a snack break, and having a leisurely dinner.  Here's my recommendation for how to best spend one day in Salzburg*:

9:30AM  

Start your day with The Sound of Music Tour. 

1:30PM  

The tour finishes at Mirabell Gardens.  Walk through and take lots of photos.  Purchasing a 24-hour Salzburg Card from the tourist office will grant you free entry to most of Salzburg's most popular sights and museums.

2-5PM  

The biggest bang for your buck with the Salzburg Card will be the cable car ride to Untersberg which offers magnificent village views.  Do this one first since it closes by 5PM most days of the year (4PM in the winter).  Then take the bus (free rides covered on the Card) to Hellbrunn Palace before it closes at 6PM. (Hellbrunn is a stop in the Sound of Music Tour, but you don't actually take time to go into the Palace.)

View of Salzburg

5-7PM  

Take the bus back to the train station and make your way through the village to check off all the other museums covered by the Card:  Salzburg Fortress, Mozart's Birthplace, Mozart's Residence, etc.

Salzburg Fortress can be seen from anywhere in the village.

Mozartplatz

7PM  

If you're inclined to get the most out of your Card, you can take the Salzach Cruise at 7PM (8PM on select days in August) or take in a symphony (not included on the Card).

Walking through the village

*Alternately, you could do this day in reverse.  The Sound Of Music Tour departs twice daily at 9:30AM and 2PM, so you could see all the village sights during the morning and then do the tour in the afternoon.  This would be a good option for those traveling in the off season when the attractions close at 5PM or earlier.