Activities to check out in Victoria and Vancouver over the holidays

by Keith and Heather Nicol

     We decided to spend the Christmas holidays in the Vancouver-Victoria area of British Columbia and have been enjoying a variety of activities in between visiting friends and family. In Victoria we saw the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit at the Royal B.C. Museum. We saw the 2012 presentation last year in Victoria and were pleased to see it back again with a whole new crop of exceptional images from some of the world’s best wildlife photographers. Of the over 40,000 images reviewed only about 100 make the final cut so you know you are seeing the cream of the crop. This exhibit runs until early April, 2014 so you have lots of time check it out. For more information see: http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/

                                                       Photo by Douglas Seifert, USA
Swimming in front of a dugong in the Red Sea are golden trevallies, riding the pressure waves created by its nose.

      

The Aquabus heading to Granville Market

      In Vancouver we had a great time riding the Aquabus ferry (http://theaquabus.com/) to Granville Market which was full of Christmas gift ideas as well as lots of good things to eat. The Aquabus ferry system plies the waters of False Creek and we hope to get back to see more of this area by ferry. We also had a chance to check out the new FlyOver Canada experience which is located at conveniently located Canada Place. FlyOver Canada is a simulated helicopter flight over some of Canada’s most scenic areas and we were impressed to see many images of Newfoundland starting off the show. The full show is 30 minutes long and showcases many varied aspects of Canada. The simulated flight itself is 8 minutes and is complete with wind, scents and mist. It is geared for all ages and see: http://www.flyovercanada.com/ for more information.

The helicopter used for filming FlyOver Canada flies over a herd of horses in Alberta

     Our next visit was to VanDusen Gardens (http://vandusengarden.org/) and their amazing Festival of Lights show. For many people in the Vancouver area this is a must see event and runs from December 11 to January 4. There are almost 1.5 million twinkling lights on display as well as various shows throughout the gardens.  The Festival of Lights starts at 4:30 pm and runs until 9:00 pm and we recommend that you allow 1.5 hours to fully appreciate the lit up gardens. We saw the Festival of Lights on Christmas Eve and it was a real highlight.

The Festival of Lights is well worth seeing