Victoria, BC

I’ve been fortunate to visit many different places. One of my favorites is Victoria, British Columbia. I just recently visited Victoria with Sherry. While she attended her Rotary meetings, I enjoyed the sights and sounds of this small Provincial Capitol… of course with camera in hand.

For those of you who may not know, Victoria is situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, Washington. Victoria is a great destination for a get away. You can get there by car (requires a ferry from Vancouver, or Port Angeles), by plane (float planes fly here from Vancouver and Seattle) or of course, boat. We’ve always traveled here by car and ferry, though one of these times I plan on bringing a bike! Hotels are reasonably priced, and the food is great. At some point, I will want to blog about the eating opportunities, but that will have to wait for a later time.

Walking around Victoria, there is much to see, starting first with the main feature of Victoria, the waterfront.

Just walk along the waterfront, you will find many different interesting sights. For instance, not too far from the photo above I found this doorway into the lower level of an old warehouse. I am drawn to old doors. Not sure why, but it doesn’t really matter. They make great subjects for photos!

Victoria is known for its gardens. This year, we were here about a week or two early. The cherry blossoms were just coming out. On the warm hillsides, the buds were blooming. In the shade or cooler areas, the buds were almost there.

I found the flowers below down along the waterside. I will have to look them up or perhaps someone will know what they are, but they were very delicate.

One of the “Grand Hotels” of Victoria is the Empress Hotel. Prominently situated on Victoria’s Inner Harbor, the Empress watches over the city’s comings and goings as the floatplanes and ferries dock just across the street. This is an impressive hotel – one that I rank right up there with the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (where The Shining was filmed) and the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan (where Somewhere In Time was filmed). The Empress appears ready for a visit from British Royalty at any moment. In fact, they prepare authentic Afternoon Tea every day.

If you travel with a camera in hand… (and who doesn’t these days with digital cameras in every cell phone!) I recommend that one of your trips take you Victoria. Make sure you plan on bringing that camera, your favorite traveling companion and your appetite. You will not be disappointed in your trip in the least.

I have several new posts in the works including a recap of 2010 Operation: Love Reunited families and the wedding of Liz and Tyler in Cheyenne!

Until then…