- In this episode of "Fly Brother," we get giddy in the Garden City: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

We start off with a walk high in the sky at Malahat, with my good friend filmmaker Matt Harry.

Then we tiptoe through the tulips at the Butchart Gardens with master horticulturalist Carlos Moniz.

Next, we get down in Chinatown with the lady Charlene Thornton-Jo, hit the coastal and forest trails for easy access nature, then join the goodly chef Isabel Chung as she spills, well, sips tea, at the Fairmont Empress.

Finally, expert storyteller Melissa Barnhard dances us into the cultural history of Victoria's Inner Harbour.

It's a royal good time in the city named for a queen, Victoria.

Let's get fly.

(uplifting music) I'm Ernest White II.

Storyteller, explorer.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

Join me and my friends, and discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

(upbeat music continues) Come with me.

"Fly Brother."

- [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by: - [Narrator] Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel to the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks, to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

(inspirational music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (soft uplifting music) - [Ernest] Victoria, Latin for victory.

For triumph.

For success.

Victoria is a city of many victories, large and small.

Among them, her perfect balance of nature and urbanity.

The past and the present.

Excitement and relaxation.

Considered Canada's warmest city with mild winters and sunny summers, Victoria is home to nearly 400,000 people across the metro area, which encompasses charming, easily-walkable neighborhoods, waterfront promenades, culinary delights, and layers of culture.

Victoria is an entrepot for cultures from around the world, culminating in a mosaic that is unmistakably Canadian.

(soft uplifting music) We actually start our Victorian adventure at the imposing, yet inviting Malahat Skywalk.

Here, we connect with Matt Harry: filmmaker, carpenter, and community representative of the Malahat Nation.

Ah, man, this is- - [Matt] Beautiful.

- [Ernest] It is beautiful.

- It's a beautiful thing, when a community comes together, we can bring projects like this to our community.

- [Ernest] Yes.

- Yeah, it's so empowering when you're out here.

- [Ernest] Is there an elevator?

- [Matt] No elevator up here.

- [Ernest] No.

Guess we're climbing.

- [Matt] We're walking.

- [Ernest] Yes.

With sweeping 360 degree views from the top of a 10-story spiral tower, the Malahat Skywalk offers visitors an accessible way to touch the sky above Vancouver Island, a soaring first impression.

- Such a beautiful view up here.

- Man, this is spectacular.

- [Matt] And this is where you can see my nation, Malhat Nation.

We're about 370 members strong.

- Okay.

- [Matt] This is why we chose to put the Skywalk here, so we can actually see our community from this end.

- It's important to see yourselves.

- [Matt] Yeah.

- How do you feel people would be transformed by coming out here?

- The connection with nature, I think is the most important thing that we could provide for them.

The reconnection to land is important for Malahat Nation.

For communities, a broader community to experience that, I think is really powerful for us.

Just seeing that we have so many different opportunities to showcase our land.

And it's the beauty that we hold as a community, right?

- Well, thank you for creating the opportunity and the space for all of us.

- Yeah, my pleasure.

- All right.

- [Ernest] On the southern tip of Vancouver Island, where the Pacific Tide meets timeless tradition perches Victoria, capital of British Columbia.

For thousands of years, these lands have been home to the Coast Salish people long before the city was established by the British as a remote trading outpost in 1843.

Today, Victoria remains a multicolored, multifaceted gem of Canada's West Coast, a place where historic brick streets lead into ancient rainforests.

Here, you can watch the mist roll in over the Salish Sea, catch the breach of a whale in the spring, and delight in food and fetes from around the world.

With her unforgettable brand of rugged sheep, Victoria slays Queen.

(soft uplifting music continues) After our towering introduction at Malahat, we head closer into town for a blooming afternoon at world-famous Butchart Gardens.

Founded over 100 years ago by Mrs.

Jenny Butchart and her husband, the gardens sprawl over 50 acres, a florid reclamation of what had once been a limestone quarry.

What awaits us is a wonderland of flowers and trees, tended with love and expertise by scores of horticulturalists, including our guide on this leg of our adventure, Carlos Moniz, Director of Horticulture at Butchart Gardens.

Okay.

Well, Mrs.

Butchart had good taste, it seems.

- She did.

She had great taste in gardening, and she was the founder of the gardens, but then it kind of turned over to her grandson.

And he was kind of the color man.

So he loved lots of color, very flashy colors.

So that's where we kind of evolved into a big display garden, was through his his ownership of the gardens.

Imagine the vision of someone to look at this over 100 years ago and see a quarry, an active mine, and think that this is what it could become.

And I always find something different.

I always admire the next new variety of flower that we have in this variety of plant.

So every time there'd be something different coming into bloom and bringing new life to the garden.

There's always life and always ever evolving life.

- There's always life.

- Always life.

(soft uplifting music) Now it's time to hit the town, Chinatown, that is, Canada's oldest and one of Victoria's most enduring ethnic enclaves.

Here, the city's past, present, and future mingle along its 19th century streets and alleyways.

And one of its brightest spots is the Victoria Chinatown Museum, where visitor experience coordinator and retired city counselor Charlayne Thornton-Joe greets us with a smile.

Well, hello.

- Hello, there.

Welcome to the Victoria Chinatown Museum.

- Thank you.

I'm looking for a few dragon heads.

- Well, if you're looking at those, those are fabulous and they bring good luck, but they are lions.

- I keep getting it wrong.

I'm sorry, Charlayne.

- I know.

No problem.

- I'm happy to be here.

Thank you.

- Well, we're happy to have you here, but of course in our oldest Chinatown in Canada, let's show you more.

- Please.

So we're just going out into the alley.

- Yeah.

Well, you came in and now we're stepping out into the famous Fantan Alley.

You know, even though my grade threes say that we named it Fantan Alley because the alley's fantastic.

- That it is true.

It is.

- Or that we sell fans.

But the real reason is there used to be gambling establishments upstairs, and one of the most famous games they played was Fantan.

- Okay.

- And this is the narrowest commercial street in North America.

- Okay.

- And it's allowed to be called a street because there's actual addresses in here.

- So it's a whole district.

- Exactly.

Exactly.

(soft uplifting music) - Ah, such a beautiful day out here.

- It is gorgeous.

Oh my gosh.

- You're just starting to hear the buzz of Chinatown as people are waking up, the shops are opening.

Trucks are coming for delivery.

Our Chinatown is great 365 days a year, but in summer when the weather's like this, it's just gorgeous.

And with that in mind, Ernest, I want to show you something.

- Okay.

- Okay?

Let's go.

I'm following you.

- [Charlayne] Okay.

Let's go this way.

- [Ernest] Okay.

Oh.

- [Charlayne] No, don't worry.

Come on.

You have to have the whole Victoria Chinatown experience, which includes jaywalking.

- [Ernest] I understand.

- [Charlayne] I agree.

Yeah, because it is permitted.

I'm not going to getting you to do anything illegal.

Jaywalking is permitted in our Chinatown.

- Charlene, I will follow you anyway.

- [Charlayne] I don't get to hear that very often, so that's lovely.

So why I wanted you to come to this side of the street, is here we have Loy Sing Company.

And Loy Sing is the oldest continuously running Chinese business in North America.

- Oh, wow.

Okay.

- Now, I have to tell you a story.

When I was at a conference in Washington, D.C., I went to Chinatown and I noticed they had Chinese zodiacs, animals in Chinatown.

And I came back to Victoria and I said to our staff, because I was a part of the city council back then, that we needed to have this in Victoria.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- [Charlayne] So what Chinese Zodiac are you?

- [Ernest] Ah, well, I was born in 1977.

- [Charlayne] No.

- [Ernest] So, and I'm a Scorpio.

- [Charlayne] A Scorpio?

- Yes.

- [Charlayne] Well, that's fabulous, but doesn't have a lot to do with the Chinese zodiac.

- Okay.

- [Charlayne] According to your year of birth, you are a snake.

The year of the snake.

- I'm a snake.

- [Charlayne] Well, you know, Chinese zodiac animals, there's good and bad of all the attributes, right?

And it is your year.

You do know that.

It's Year of the Snakes.

- I receive.

I receive that.

- [Charlayne] Now, I want you to turn around because I want to show you the gate of harmonious interest.

Of course, in the history, our Chinatown was built as most Chinatowns because of the discrimination of the day.

- [Ernest] Yes.

- And we want to the gate to say everyone is welcome, and that we all should live in harmony.

And we want to be welcoming to anyone that wants to be a part of our Chinatown.

And so when I think of a word for our Chinatown is dynamic, vibrant.

You know, it's a living being.

And it is ever-changing without losing the importance of the history and culture.

(soft uplifting music) - Victoria's stories don't end in its streets.

They breathe beyond them.

In a city where cultures converge and history lingers, nature is never far away.

So we decided to go for a stroll and take in the views at the awe-inspiring Clover Point Park.

Skirting the southern edge of Vancouver Island along the strait of Juan de Fuca, this coastal stretch offers sweeping views of the Salish Sea.

And on clear days, the distant Olympic mountains in Washington State rise across the water.

Part of the legendary Trans-Canada Trail, one of the longest recreational trail networks in the world, stretching over 17,000 miles from coast to coast to coast, this path invites walkers and cyclists alike to explore the landscape at their own pace.

With miles of bike trails and footpaths, steady ocean winds, and endless horizon lines, Clover Point Park is where the city exhales, and we're invited to do the same.

From open ocean views to dense towering forests, we head inland into the heart of Vancouver Island's wilderness.

Welcome to the enchanting Goldstream Provincial Park.

Goldstream Provincial Park is the perfect place for a little hiking, a little camping, or a little forest bathing all year round.

With its network of trails, creeks, and 600-year-old Douglas fur trees, it is a beautiful slice of Vancouver Island's temperate rainforest.

(soft uplifting music) In Victoria, there's always time for refreshment.

And there's only one experience that fits the bill on this Victorian adventure.

Tea at the Empress.

The iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel opened in 1908, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and its trademark Chateauesque style, yes.

And executive chef Isabel Chung guides us into an experience that is, in a word, legendary.

- The tradition of tea is longstanding the Empress from our opening in 1908.

And even our China pattern has been gifted to us by the royal family to use as our official tea.

- Well, that's interesting to me because it seems that everything is very intentional.

You know, the selections of the china, the selections of the the lovely edibles that we've got here.

The selection of the tea itself.

You know, what's the story behind that?

- So our china actually originated when King George VI came to visit us in 1939.

And he brought to us 250 sets of china, which he left here as a gift to the hotel.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- That china remained in storage until 1951 when Queen Elizabeth II came for a visit.

And from that point on, we used it as our official china for our tea.

So we continue to have this print made just for us and just for this experience.

- Okay.

Now, so this is not one of the original sets from the 1939, is it?

- I don't think we have any 1939 sets left at this point.

- So that just takes the pressure off of accidentally breaking this china because I was thinking, "I can't buy that."

(Isabel laughs) Now what about this luxurious tea that we're about to drink?

- We have this lovely tea brewed for you today.

It is- - Especially for me.

- Especially for you.

- I love that.

- It matches your shirt.

- I'm excited about it.

Tell me.

- So it is Blue Suede Shoes, and the blue coloration comes from butterfly pea flour.

Go ahead and pour, and you'll notice that your tea has this lovely indigo color to it.

- Then, shall we?

- Shall we?

- Okay, I'd like to get my pinky right.

- Wow.

- Old money.

Cheers.

That's delicious.

- I'm glad you enjoy it.

- Smooth.

- Just like you.

- Isabelle, you know me well.

- Hey, we're friends.

(both laughing) I can say that.

- Now, what should we have to accompany this tea?

- With our tea service, it's always recommended that we start on the bottom tier.

And this is where Scone Master Joga makes all of the scones for us every day.

He's up to about eight million now.

- That's a lot of scones.

- He's been with us for over 40 years and he does this five days a week.

- Wow, over eight million served.

- Over eight million scones served.

- Okay.

It's like clothing napkin.

- So dainty.

A delicate.

- Oh, we tried.

(laughs) It's our recommendation that we split the scone in half.

And then we have a selection of lemon curd, strawberry preserves, and clotted cream that we make in house.

- The clotted cream is going on smoothly.

Oh my goodness, just, the heaven that I experienced just now.

- We actually used the original Buckingham Palace recipe for our scones as well.

- So, I'm eating like royalty, is what you're saying.

- You are absolutely eating like royalty on royal china today.

- Mama, moving on up.

No tea spilled, baby.

Not today.

(gasps) - [Both] Cheers.

- This is really good.

- Well, let's go take a look at the behind the scenes magic.

- Let's do it.

- You want to try to bring it door?

You want to try to cut?

- Well, I am horrible in the kitchen, but if you, trust me, if you have the faith of the mustard seed, then sure.

- Do like this.

Relax the dough.

- Okay.

Ready?

- Yes, sir.

- Here you go, sir.

- The pressure.

- Here you go.

- All right.

When do I get to conk someone on the head with this rolling pin?

That's my relationship to rolling pins up to now.

- Ready to cut.

- Aha.

You're so good at this.

- You're doing a good job.

- Thank you.

I'm actually starting to enjoy this now.

Can I try this?

- No.

- Okay.

It's not like cookie dough.

- No.

I'm going to put this tray behind you.

And are you good to start another one?

- I think we're good.

(soft uplifting music) We circle back downtown for an immersive and soulful experience with Melissa Barnhard of Songhee's Tours, which offers one-of-a-kind Indigenous-led canoe and walking tours of Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Melissa welcomes us with brilliance, humor, and a lot of heart.

- So I can offer you a traditional welcome to the Lekwungen territory, and I can share that in Lekwungen.

And that's (speaking in Lekwungen).

- Thank you.

- And that translates into, "Good day respected, friend.

My name is Nawhea'mowha and I am from Lekwungen people, and I'd like to welcome you to the homelands of Lekwungen people.

And thank you for being here.

And it's been a pleasure to meet you."

- I feel welcomed.

I feel seen.

The Lekwungen region, the geographical territory.

What does that encompass?

- So you're right.

When I say Lekwungen people, it means the joint gathering between the Esquimalt nation and the Songhees nation.

And together we are one, and we've always been one.

It wasn't until the borders and treaties where we actually divided.

And so the Lekwungen people have been and always will be the hosts of the greater Victoria area.

And I can show you Victoria as we know it.

We call it Matulia.

- Matulia.

- Yeah, give that a try.

Matulia.

- Matulia.

- You got it.

- Matulia.

- You've got it.

Yeah.

This is Matulia.

And I can show you some of the stories that we share here along the Inner Harbour.

- Excellent.

Let's do it.

All right.

- So, this is one of the spindle whorls.

There are seven of them located around Victoria.

And each one of them tells a story.

They were created by Butch Dick, his traditional name is Yux'wey'lupton.

And he's actually my great uncle.

He's my- - This is in the family.

- This is, yeah, he's my great uncle.

And he created these because he wanted people in Victoria to know that the Lekwungen people are still here.

And so there are four eagles on this spindle whorl, and that's because we're honoring our grandfather moon and grandmother's son.

The number four is very sacred for us Lekwungen people.

And that is because there are the four seasons, the four house posts, the four elements, the four directions, and the four salmon.

And those are the basic foundations of our traditional values.

- Okay.

- We also believe the eagles to be our ancestors on the other side visiting us whenever we see an eagle.

And so the eagles are very sacred.

And I would love to show you our Songhees Salish Seawolf Canoe.

She is our 40-foot fiberglass replica of our ocean-going canoes.

- She's a beaut.

- Oh, she is beautiful.

And we take good care of her.

We use this canoe for our Songhees tours.

We also use it for when we handle canoe protocols within community.

And we have new young tour guides who are learning our history.

And it's something special to be able to learn about our people and share with guests from all over the world.

And that's why I love my job.

- How do you say thank you?

(Melissa speaking in Lekwungen) (Ernest speaking in Lekwungen) - Yeah.

And (speaks in Lekwungen) and you put your hands up, that's, like a little higher.

There you go.

(speaks in Lekwungen) (Ernest speaks in Lekwungen) That means "Thank you, respected one."

(Ernest speaking in Lekwungen) (Melissa speaking in Lekwungen) Yes.

(soft inspirational music) - Melissa allures us a few steps away from the Inner Harbour to Thunderbird Park in the heart of the city.

- Okay, so this here is the Mungo Martin Big House.

- [Ernest] Now, what's the difference between a big house and a long house?

- They're both the same.

Depending on which nation you are is what you're going to call it.

- [Ernest] Okay.

- So each long house or big house is a healing home.

And it's where we waken the spirit within, and we reconnect culture, and we reconnect to our family, and we rebuild ourselves, and we're reborn.

So a lot of healing work happens in these big houses.

This one here is actually a Kwakwaka'wakw big house, and that is because the Kwakwaka'wakw people spend a lot of time visiting us here.

- And where are they located generally?

- So there are the three First Nations groups on the island.

The northern tip is the Kwakwaka'wakw.

- The middle is the Nuu-chah-nulth.

And then down below is the Coast Salish.

And the Lekwungen people are part of the Coast Salish.

So they're all relatives.

We are all one.

Our cultures are very similar.

Our languages are like cousin languages.

And whenever we need each other, we just call upon our brothers and sisters, our relatives, and we unite.

And so it is on Lekwungen lands, but it is a Kwakwaka'wakw big house.

And we are allowed to practice cultural ceremonies in here all the time.

It's a smokehouse.

And all that smoke is meant to help cleanse our spirits while we're in there.

And it all goes up into the sky to release it.

- Powerful.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

There's dirt on the bottom in the big house, and that's because we love to remain connected to Mother Earth.

- That's why I love to walk around barefoot in the forest, or rub your hands in the bushes and trees to reconnect to Mother Earth and remain grounded of who we are as K'omoks people.

We would love for our guests that come to Victoria to know that Lekwungen people are still here.

For despite of years of genocide and biological warfare and colonialism, the Lekwungen people, we're still here.

And our relatives, our neighboring nations, we all still unite.

We are all one.

And in our language, we say (speaks in Lekwungen) And it means one heart, one mind, one soul.

I hope that you feel friendship, and love, and joy, and welcome when you come to the territory.

So that way you come back and we can become longstanding friends.

- And this is what, it fills me up.

You know, to come to places where people are reclaiming their stories, reclaiming their time, reclaiming their identities, not as a way of dividing, but as a way of unifying oneself.

- That's right.

- To then show up, to be a part of that greater unity.

- I find like when guests come, that we just ask for mutual respect.

- R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

- Yeah!

(both laughing) (soft inspirational music) - [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by: - [Narrator] Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel to the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks, to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas, and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

(upbeat inspirational music) (upbeat inspirational music) (upbeat inspirational music continues) - [Announcer] To join the "Fly Brother" travel community, or to order your own copy of this episode, visit flybrother.com.

(offbeat uplifting music)