Victoria, British Columbia

We came all the way to Washington, and with the Disk Dog Championship in the bag, why not take a short hop over the strait to Victoria B.C.?

The Empress

I had been here before, and certainly didn't mind coming again. Perhaps the first thing that ferry-bound visitors see upon entering the harbor (or harbour, depending on what side of the 49th parallel you were educated; I confess a reluctance for superfluous vowels!) one sees the Empress Hotel. This impressive building commands center stage, with the Parliament Buildings (below) cosying up beside.

They take great pains to make Victoria -- at least the inner harbor -- clean and pretty. Flowers abound everywhere. It's decidedly very touristy, but a very pleasant base camp for the many sights to see. With the US dollar strong against the Canadian dollar, it's also a nice place to shop, if you're so inclined. And for being in a different country, US residents should feel right at home here. Except for the use of metric measures (kilometers instead of miles, liters instead of gallons) and the British propensity to complicate spellings (;-) almost everything is the same as in the states. (And personally, I think it's cute that they pronounce 'about' like 'a-boot' or 'a-boat'...)

Flowers Everywhere!

Nightly Entertainment

The parliament buildings (known to the locals as 'the bird cage') face the inner harbo(u)r, where one may watch the many street artists ply their trade. Since Victoria is at such a high latitude, the sky never darkens until very late in the evening, so many performers and artists can be seen late into the night. (This photo was taken well past 9 PM, and as you can see, the sky still had a decidedly blue cast to it.)

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