Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/725964
DREAMSCAPES FALL 2016 54 RIDING THE BUSES VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA Our June trip to the west coast began at the Victoria International Airport in the sleepy seaside town of Sidney. For two days, our home base was the Trav- elodge, which had palm trees growing by the pool and was within walking distance of sidewalk cafés, quirky shops, the waterfront and bus routes. BC Transit day passes of $5 each got us from Sidney to Victoria (about 45 minutes) and let us hop on and off Victoria's double-decker public buses at will. Our first lunch at the Red Fish Blue Fish seafood shack on Wharf Street was the perfect start to a couple of laid-back, touristy days before we caught the ferry to Vancouver. Munching our grilled albacore tuna and wild salmon salads, we perched on stools in the hot sun near million-dollar yachts, watched seaplanes land at the inner harbour, and smiled at seals frolicking on the dock. While we did some walking, the buses were handy for hitting the old town shopping district for souvenirs, art and fashion. DANCING WITH DINOSAURS DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA A 90-minute drive from Calgary, Drumheller is the "Dinosaur Capital of the World." Deep in the Badlands of Alberta, the area is home to the educational Royal Tyrell Museum, one of the globe's top paleontology centres. Staffed by scientists and researchers who spend their careers uncovering secrets from millions of years ago, it showcases more than 160,000 specimens. Visitors can play paleontologist by participating in digs or prospecting for fossils, and take a tour of Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shaped by dinosaur bones and odd formations such as rock-and-sandstone hoodoos towering over ravines and sand dunes, the Badlands evoke the dangerous days depicted in cowboy movies. Keeping the era alive are companies such as Wild West Badlands Tours that take visitors in air-conditioned buses to places like the Last Chance Saloon in the ghost town of Wayne. Dinosaur Valley Express provides three-hour guided tours of the area in 1920s-style trolleys. A ROUND ROBIN OF MINI GETAWAYS BY E. LISA MOSES SIX IDEAS FOR A SHORT BUT GREAT TIME AT SOME OF CANADA'S SINGULAR SPOTS. MORE VICTORIA • The Fairmont Empress hosts a grand high tea: fairmont.com/empress-victoria • Check out redfish-bluefish.com; attractionsvictoria.com • Bus fares: bctransit.com/victoria/fares; ferry information: bcferries.com MORE DRUMHELLER • Every July, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play re-enacts the story of Jesus in Drumheller's natural amphitheatre, and encourages the public to join the cast. canadianpassionplay.com • Lothar Malmberg leads 90-minute ghost walks in downtown Drumheller. • Check out traveldrumheller.com; travelalberta.com Well-groomed gardens are a hallmark of Victoria. E. Lisa Moses Guides show families fossils found in Drumheller, Alberta. Travel Alberta