Part 2: My Loves of Victoria, British Columbia…

As I mentioned last week, I fell in love with Victoria, British Columbia, on my recent trip there in early May. I described my first reason for loving Victoria was the access to water sports. This place is a mecca for any water sport enthusiast, ranging from mellow sea-kayaking to dragon boat racing and even adrenaline filled kiteboarding. There’s something for everyone. The other two reasons I love Victoria?

2. Beer.

Did you know that Victoria is the craft brewing capital of Canada? There are more than 20 breweries on this island, including the highly touted and very popular Spinnakers. One of the original brewpubs, Spinnakers has been making beer for almost 30 years and has an excellent farm to table menu.

I had a chance to visit some of the smaller breweries, such as Hoyne Brewing and Moon Under Water Brewpub, and was impressed with the quality and variety of beers that I found.

**Hot tip for future travelers:  The Pedaler, a new biking tour company opening this summer, will feature a number of day trips around Victoria, including a beer tasting bike tour. These bike tours will be a perfect afternoon activity for those wanting to see a unique view of Victoria that’s off the beaten path and sure to wet your whistle. Also offered will be a city bike tour and coffee roasting tour-YUM.

3. You can walk or bike nearly EVERYWHERE.

I came over to Victoria on the Clipper and was car-less my entire trip to Victoria, and not once did I feel like I needed one. I walked all over town, and enjoyed an absolutely beautiful run on Dallas Road on a paved bike path that stretched all over the city. As I left The Inn at Laurel Point where I was staying, I asked the receptionist for a recommended jogging route. He did me one better, handing me this handy map of various routes:

Which led me to this incredible view while running:

Speaking of biking, there are over 15 miles of paved bike paths in Victoria, and it is THE best way to get around town. The Galloping Goose trail, almost 40 miles long, links Victoria to Sooke, a quaint town to the south of the city. A major part of this trail runs through downtown Victoria, and is used by hundreds if not thousands of people everyday.

I loved my visit to Victoria, and look forward to returning to explore more of this area in the future. With my luck, my list of reasons to love Victoria will only grow longer.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Lily Pond is a gem of a company that designs gear for women just like me. For those of us females prone to adventure, travel, and outdoor activity all the while keeping our environmental footprint in mind; we are Lily Ponds’ core shopper.

I recently tested out their Nightingale Toiletry Kit on my trip to Victoria, British Columbia. I had a variety of activities planned and wanted a bigger toiletry kit to carry more goodies. My past kit, similar to a men’s shaving kit, always became a mess and was hard to find those small items like tweezers. For this reason, I was looking forward to trying out the 11” long, 4.5” tall Lily Pond kit.

Layout: The kit is designed to either sit straight up on your bathroom sink or hang from an included hidden hook on the back of a bathroom door. In the hanging position, there is easy access to the two small mesh compartments, one large main compartment and two expandable side sleeves. The small, flat, mesh zippered pockets are where I like to put hair ties, bobby pins and chapstick. The two side compartments keep my shampoo and conditioner on one side, right side up and in their own zippered area, contained separately in case they spill. The other side holds my sunscreen and face lotion. In the main compartment I put my deodorant, brush, smaller lotions and other miscellaneous goodies. In the very front mesh sleeve I kept my floss-very important.

I found the outer material to be very durable and unlikely to tear. The shell is a fabric composed of a material called Cycle Pond, made from recycled plastic bottles. In fact, almost all of their bags in their 2013 collection are made of this recycled fabric.

I find I can keep more items in this kit, more than I really would take when I travel. This being said, I think I am on the minimalist side of bringing lots of lotions and products with me; I’m sure there are plenty of people who need all this room

If you’re in the market for a new toiletry kit, I’d recommend the Lily Pond Kit not only for it’s functional design and funky,cool colors but for the fact that the company is based in the States and committed to using recycled materials. As they say themselves, “Being green and socially conscious is good business.”  I couldn’t agree more.

What I love: Nicely compartmentalized, easy to organize, hanging hook a nice plus, durable, and supporting a US eco-friendly company.

Not so much: It’s a fairly large toiletry kit, and I found I had more room that I needed. Can be slightly bulky when packed full.

The Lily Pond toiletry kit retails for $49 and can be bought here on Amazon on the link below.

I have a tough job. I travel to different places all over the world, stay for a few days, and then leave. That’s not the hard part. The problem is that I continually fall in love with these unique destinations and then don’t want to leave. My newest love? Victoria, British Columbia.

I couldn’t have picked a better week to visit Victoria than the first week of May. The sunshine was bright and the flowers were in full bloom. I traveled to Vancouver Island to speak on travel blogging at the fourth annual Social Media Camp, a conference that focuses on the increasing role of social media in our everyday world. After the conference in this lovely city of 80,000, I spent some days experiencing some of the beauty and adventure that Victoria has to offer.

Well folks, I’m in love with Victoria. What exactly am I in love with you ask? Here are my top 3 loves:

1. Access to Water Sports

Being an island, it’s easy to see that a major draw to visiting Victoria is the ocean. I took both a Stand Up Paddleboard class AND a separate sea-kayaking trip to Discovery Island with Ocean River Adventures, one of the pioneers of active tourism in Victoria. The ocean provides excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.

The SUP boarding class combined water sports in an urban setting, and this was a new experience for me. Staying to the shores of the harbor, we were treated to a beautiful panoramic view of Downtown Victoria, complete with an up close and personal view of Victorianites going about their everyday lives. I felt famous as passerby’s walking along the bike path stopped to take photos of me. One older woman asked me if I was scared and if I had fallen in. “No! It’s great! Much better than walking!” I yelled back, egging her on to give it a try herself.

It was a busy afternoon in the Inner Harbor, and my head was on a constant swivel, looking to see what was going on around me. It was a thrilling experience, to be so close to these planes, boats and water taxis, but to feel completely safe and still spot the occasional harbor seal and starfish.

The next day I met Ocean River Adventures again  but this time near the Oak Bay Marina, just north of downtown. We were meeting to head out for a full day sea-kayaking tour to Discovery Island. No other company is running sea-kayaking trips to Discovery Island other than Ocean River Adventures. The island, only a ten-minute boat ride away, felt like a far-off world compared to the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. Home to 61-hectare Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park , the island is uninhabited beside one lone wolf that occasionally makes an appearance in the distance. Unfortunately we didn’t spot the wolf on my trip there, though we certainly did our best to keep on the lookout. The sea-kayaking wasn’t very challenging, we had excellent visibility, and the equipment was brand new. The one thing I’d suggest is to bring some snacks, as you can get hungry out there!

Stay tuned for my next post on my other loves in Victoria….

Kayaking photo courtesy of Brian Henry.