16 Nov House Sitting In Victoria, Canada
Have you ever heard someone tell you that the weather is always better on the island? We remember our friend Hákon saying it almost everyday when we stayed with him on Traustholtshólmi in Iceland, and I’m pretty sure the characters of Lost either said it out loud, or were thinking it the whole time they were jumping between flashbacks and their supernatural reality (yes, I was somewhat intrigued by the series…glad those days are over.)
Well Vancouver Island is no different. It has the vast wilderness, spectacular wildlife and friendly people that Canada is known for, and why it’s one of the better spots in Canada (humbly in our opinion after our magical three weeks) is because unlike most of this North American giant, you can wear shorts almost all year round which is a very important consideration if you’re looking for a place to sport your legs or latest boardshort brand.
But on a serious note (because it’s Monday and we need to be serious…or do we?) – the city of Victoria (the most populated urban region on Vancouver Island, and the capital of British Columbia) is just lovely. There are beaches around every corner (some with black sand, and some with gorgeous little multicolored pebbles from deck to wave), cobbled streets in the downtown district, a colorful wharf with delicious food and friendly harbor seals who will let you photograph them (as long as you tag them on Instagram, of course), and a buzzing harbor that even the British Royals enjoy frequenting (granted, when the Royals visit, the rest of British Columbia decides to hang there too, but it was a fun experience regardless).
Why Victoria on this globe trot ? Well, besides doing volunteer work to stay with locals and experience authentic living in each of the countries we visit, we have started doing pet and housesitting too (free accommodation – uh huuuuh), and in October, the vibrant and zealous Cornelius needed some loving…so loving and walking and training (thanks to our time with Michele & Laura) was exactly what we gave this little Irish Setter pup.
We spent three weeks living in a three-storey home in Oak Bay, with ocean views, a super energetic 18-month old Cornelius, and the opportunity to hang out in one of British Columbia’s most visited towns. We went searching for whales, flew over the coastline in a seaplane (where Stevo flew co-pilot and I panicked a little), got a free haircut from a young hair stylist who needed a long-hair model (bonus!), and enjoyed typical Canadian living, sipping on Spinnakers‘ concoction (the oldest craft brewery in Canada) whilst watching the Ice Hockey World Championships, as suggested by #TheGlobalWanderlist recommender @bc_beer_baron on Instagram.
Massive thanks to Lauranne and Nick for giving us the opportunity to have Cornelius as a pet for a few weeks, and to the city of Victoria for proving that Canada is not as cold as it’s made out to be. We will hopefully be back one day to sport our legs again, and to spot more Orcas and Humpbacks.
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