A year of roving — Victoria BC for Christmas.
Almost every year for the past eon, I have written a short note recapping our year for our family and friends. When I sketched it out I…
Almost every year for the past eon, I have written a short note recapping our year for our family and friends. When I sketched it out I found we had been way too busy to keep it short so here we go with the first of several stories.
About Victoria British Columbia
At one time, Vancouver Island was considered a separate colony from British Columbia. Victoria, named for the then-young queen, was the capital of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, while New Westminster was the capital of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. The two colonies were combined into one in 1866 as the Crown Colony of British Columbia with Victoria being named the capital. In 1871, the Crown Colony joined the Canadian Confederation to become the Province of British Columbia.
Over the years, Vancouver became the financial capital of the province while Victoria, being isolated on Vancouver Island, remained a somewhat quaint Victorian town.
Somewhere along the way, some bright Chamber of Commerce type realized that the Victorian air of Victoria was a great tourist draw. As a result, the Victorian era architecture, facades, and buildings have been preserved creating a very pleasant and walkable downtown. Combine that with the Inner Harbour reflecting the BC Parliament Buildings on one side, and the Empress Hotel on another… well, it’s just a tourist paradise.
Shipbuilding
We came to Victoria because our son was working on a project for Tote Maritime. They are converting their Alaskan vessels from Bunker C fuel to clean burning Liquified Natural Gas. Each Christmas for the past three years, at least one ship was at Victoria Shipyards for drydock and engine refit.
You should know that Victoria is home to the Canadian Armed Forces Pacific Fleet. While Vancouver and New Westminster are the major Canadian Seaports, Victoria has always had a strong maritime tradition and industry.
Hatley Castle
Victoria is also home to Royal Roads University. The land was originally owned by former Lieutenant-Governor James Dunsmuir. He had Hatley Castle built in 1908 as his family’s summer home, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The land and castle were transferred to the Canadian Armed Forces where it became Royal Roads Military College.
The gardens on the grounds are worth the visit. This photo of the Japanese Gardens was taken in February 2018. I have to plan a trip back in the spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom. Bet they look fantastic.
Bonus… If you visit, you can claim to have attended Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters as this was the location set used in the X-Men Movies.
The Inner Harbour
We drove up from Tacoma to Port Angeles where we boarded the Black Ball Ferry’s MV Coho. The Coho took us across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and landed us in the Inner Harbour, right beside the Parliament Buildings. Not as picturesque as taking a BC Ferry from Tsawwassen to Sydney, but very convenient for us.
If you do get a chance to visit Victoria, make sure you reserve a table for high tea at the Empress Hotel. We did enjoy the opportunity to taste a variety of teas, perfectly brewed. Liddy had to wait in the car as she wasn’t certified as a service animal until late July. More on that in another post.
The Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) is on the corner between the Empress and the Parliament Buildings. It is well worth the visit.
From the RBCM, you can walk a short distance over Beacon Hill Park, past Emily Carr House, to the Strait of Juan de Fuca where you will see Port Angeles and Washington State as well as all of the many ships going into and out of the ports of Vancouver, New Westminster, Seattle, and Tacoma. A very busy waterway.
Butchart Gardens
If you can, any time of year, please make sure to tour the Butchart Gardens. This is a legendary garden that has been built out of an old quarry.
At Christmas, the gardens are turned into an amazing fairyland of lights and displays.
We have been to the Butchart Gardens on a number of occasions. The most memorable was when I took my family sailing in the Gulf Islands. At the time we were able to set our boat at anchor in a cove behind the gardens. There was a dock where we were able to tie our dingy, pay our admission and go in to enjoy the day. When the gardens closed, we came back to the boat and enjoyed hot cocoa before turning in for the night.
A good start to 2022
So, all in all, it was a great lead into 2022. But wait, there’s more…
February, we go to Southern California
March, we visit Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Death Valley
Summer was busy with trips around Washington
October found us at Yellowstone National Park
December, we ran away to Europe
Stay tuned, we will link the articles as we get them published.
Dave & Liddy