Victoria: The Most Beautiful City in Canada?
Jul 1st, 2008 | 11:54 AM
#1
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Victoria: The Most Beautiful City in Canada?
After a nice jog through Volunteer Park the morning of June 21st and saying my goodbyes to the Emerald City, The Victoria Clipper from Seattle-Victoria was well worth the $95 that afternoon, with the views on either side of the ferry of snow capped peaks (Olympic Mountains to the West, Cascade Mountains or Mount Baker to the east), evergreen forest and to the east small brown cliffs bordered the Puget Sound as we proceeded northward. Just lovely. An odd yellowy-green mist had settled on the surface, giving the illusion that the water changed colour as the Clipper approached the waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Pulling into the harbour, I was quickly charmed by the tiny green oval cylinder boats with mini-Canadian or British Columbian flags proudly displayed on top that were the Victoria Harbour Ferries. Canadian Customs is crossed through pretty efficiently in Victoria (don’t have to wait for other passengers like on train or bus), so I was checking into the Strathcona Hotel before 6:45pm (left Seattle as 3:15pm). Although the reviews of the Strathcona on Trip Advisor were not stellar, the main sticking point for visitors I think was the noise from the adjacent Sticky Wicket Pub and beach vollyeball games going on outside. Other than that, I found things perfectly comfortable, and I solved the Sticky problem on that noisiest first night (Saturday night) by going out for a pint of beer myself until 12:30am (if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em) and slept soundly on my good ear after (I’m deaf in one ear, which does have its blessings). Hey, for $79/night plus continental breakfast so centrally-located (5 minute walk to Harbourfront) I was hardly expecting the Shangri-La, so I was pretty happy.
The first night I explored my surroundings, downtown Victoria and the Harbourfront. The stately Empress Hotel, Queen Victoria statue and BC Parliament Buildings make a continually lovely backdrop as one soaks in the goings-on by the marina here as the cute-as-a-button Victoria Harbour Ferries boats continually come and go in the water. Talented buskers play (one guitarist/accordionist duo here were just terrific) in front of the marina; sitting on a bench soaking in the ambience for several minutes, nothing could be more delightful. Although I had enjoyed my first stay tremendously in Seattle, the contrast of Victoria was striking with locals seeming more clean-cut and the layout much more clean, aesthetic and organized. Noodle Box (Douglas St., near Broughton St.) for supper that night was a tasty quick place to get out-of-ordinary noodle delights
The next morning June 22nd I strolled over to Beacon Hill Park, enjoying the duck- , geese- and turtle-filled ponds, the world’s largest totem pole built by Mungo Martin and shared with a hang glider and numerous dog-owners the incredible views of the Juan de Fuca Strait, the Olympic Mountains in the distance and beach below where Beacon Hill Park met Dallas Road. The words came to my head again sitting on a bench here, words that been entering my head again and again it seemed in the Pacific Northwest, “life does not get better than this…”
My best friend’s Dad and his wife live in Victoria and told me they’d like to take me to Butchart’s Gardens, where even they had not been in a number of years. In their car, and up the Saanich Peninsula we go (#75 bus or tour buses are other options up here). Butchart’s Gardens may be worth $26.50 per adult, but unlike many tourist locales, this one is worth every penny. This garden is unlike any other I’ve seen before, a garden full of surprises and secrets that will defy even the most jaded “gardens-are-boring” human being’s imagination, with sections hidden from view by bushes or evergreens and then bang you’re in a hollow filled with lines of blue and purple delphinium like you’ve never seen before, roses with petals that you never knew roses could have, sometimes fountains, sometimes a waterfall, sometimes a sunken garden, in one instance a spectacular giant redwood tree, lo-and-behold here’s a peek-a-boo view through a hole in a hedge of Brentwood Bay amidst the serenity of a Japanese Garden with boats docked in its peaceful marina. All THIS and much more with a beauty that not even a million words or photos could capture in its majesty, such is the exquisite use of space, the magnificent intricacy of each little flower and the tremendous show of colour that lurks around each corner, all in a magnificent setting of ever-present and ever-gorgeous hilly terrain of evergreens that is Vancouver Island. No, my friends, for all the work, creativity and love put into it, $26.50 is a STEAL to visit Butchart’s Gardens… Again, I said to myself “life does not get better than this…”
My best friend’s Dad Joey drives me next to Coles Bay and we dine by Brentwood Bay. The first is a peaceful cove of shelly beach, evergreen forest and only one other human soul with us. As I discover however when I take my shoes off to dip into the water of Coles Bay, there are swarms of miniature crab souls that I must step gingerly in order to avoid crushing them (or them pinching me!). As I sit on a rock, I see around me… squirt seemingly from a seaweed, squirt… can the crabs do that?… squirt a veritable geyser two to three feet tall comes out of a hole in the sand on a few feet away from the rock I’m sitting on. Joey explains that I was also surrounded by many clam souls as well, and they were putting on a show the likes of which I’d never seen before. Despite this close proximity to an incredible being, shortly after at Brentwood Bay, I enjoy the delicious clam chowder with a great view of water and fir/spruce/pine mountainous Malahat on the opposite shore of my dining locale. Twice more Coles Bay, Brentwood Bay I think “life does not get better than this…”
Victoria? The Most Beautiful City In Canada? Indeed, at this point, and based on what I’ve seen so far, those very words are entering my mind…
**Final Day and Final Thoughts on Victoria to come…**
Pulling into the harbour, I was quickly charmed by the tiny green oval cylinder boats with mini-Canadian or British Columbian flags proudly displayed on top that were the Victoria Harbour Ferries. Canadian Customs is crossed through pretty efficiently in Victoria (don’t have to wait for other passengers like on train or bus), so I was checking into the Strathcona Hotel before 6:45pm (left Seattle as 3:15pm). Although the reviews of the Strathcona on Trip Advisor were not stellar, the main sticking point for visitors I think was the noise from the adjacent Sticky Wicket Pub and beach vollyeball games going on outside. Other than that, I found things perfectly comfortable, and I solved the Sticky problem on that noisiest first night (Saturday night) by going out for a pint of beer myself until 12:30am (if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em) and slept soundly on my good ear after (I’m deaf in one ear, which does have its blessings). Hey, for $79/night plus continental breakfast so centrally-located (5 minute walk to Harbourfront) I was hardly expecting the Shangri-La, so I was pretty happy.
The first night I explored my surroundings, downtown Victoria and the Harbourfront. The stately Empress Hotel, Queen Victoria statue and BC Parliament Buildings make a continually lovely backdrop as one soaks in the goings-on by the marina here as the cute-as-a-button Victoria Harbour Ferries boats continually come and go in the water. Talented buskers play (one guitarist/accordionist duo here were just terrific) in front of the marina; sitting on a bench soaking in the ambience for several minutes, nothing could be more delightful. Although I had enjoyed my first stay tremendously in Seattle, the contrast of Victoria was striking with locals seeming more clean-cut and the layout much more clean, aesthetic and organized. Noodle Box (Douglas St., near Broughton St.) for supper that night was a tasty quick place to get out-of-ordinary noodle delights
The next morning June 22nd I strolled over to Beacon Hill Park, enjoying the duck- , geese- and turtle-filled ponds, the world’s largest totem pole built by Mungo Martin and shared with a hang glider and numerous dog-owners the incredible views of the Juan de Fuca Strait, the Olympic Mountains in the distance and beach below where Beacon Hill Park met Dallas Road. The words came to my head again sitting on a bench here, words that been entering my head again and again it seemed in the Pacific Northwest, “life does not get better than this…”
My best friend’s Dad and his wife live in Victoria and told me they’d like to take me to Butchart’s Gardens, where even they had not been in a number of years. In their car, and up the Saanich Peninsula we go (#75 bus or tour buses are other options up here). Butchart’s Gardens may be worth $26.50 per adult, but unlike many tourist locales, this one is worth every penny. This garden is unlike any other I’ve seen before, a garden full of surprises and secrets that will defy even the most jaded “gardens-are-boring” human being’s imagination, with sections hidden from view by bushes or evergreens and then bang you’re in a hollow filled with lines of blue and purple delphinium like you’ve never seen before, roses with petals that you never knew roses could have, sometimes fountains, sometimes a waterfall, sometimes a sunken garden, in one instance a spectacular giant redwood tree, lo-and-behold here’s a peek-a-boo view through a hole in a hedge of Brentwood Bay amidst the serenity of a Japanese Garden with boats docked in its peaceful marina. All THIS and much more with a beauty that not even a million words or photos could capture in its majesty, such is the exquisite use of space, the magnificent intricacy of each little flower and the tremendous show of colour that lurks around each corner, all in a magnificent setting of ever-present and ever-gorgeous hilly terrain of evergreens that is Vancouver Island. No, my friends, for all the work, creativity and love put into it, $26.50 is a STEAL to visit Butchart’s Gardens… Again, I said to myself “life does not get better than this…”
My best friend’s Dad Joey drives me next to Coles Bay and we dine by Brentwood Bay. The first is a peaceful cove of shelly beach, evergreen forest and only one other human soul with us. As I discover however when I take my shoes off to dip into the water of Coles Bay, there are swarms of miniature crab souls that I must step gingerly in order to avoid crushing them (or them pinching me!). As I sit on a rock, I see around me… squirt seemingly from a seaweed, squirt… can the crabs do that?… squirt a veritable geyser two to three feet tall comes out of a hole in the sand on a few feet away from the rock I’m sitting on. Joey explains that I was also surrounded by many clam souls as well, and they were putting on a show the likes of which I’d never seen before. Despite this close proximity to an incredible being, shortly after at Brentwood Bay, I enjoy the delicious clam chowder with a great view of water and fir/spruce/pine mountainous Malahat on the opposite shore of my dining locale. Twice more Coles Bay, Brentwood Bay I think “life does not get better than this…”
Victoria? The Most Beautiful City In Canada? Indeed, at this point, and based on what I’ve seen so far, those very words are entering my mind…
**Final Day and Final Thoughts on Victoria to come…**
Jul 1st, 2008 | 12:25 PM
#2
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,090
Likes: 0
I continue to enjoy your trip report! Can't wait for the next installment.
I have to ask, though....Did you go to Vancouver, too? If you didn't, you really missed another gem of the Pacific Northwest.
In Canada, do you refer to the area round Vancouver and Victoria as part of the "Pacific Northwest" region? In the US, we include Oregon and Washington in the PNW and people who live here include southwestern BC as well, as it is so close by and we all share the same geographic system, which is quite unlike anywhere else. Also, the region is fairly isolated from other US and Canadian cities.
I have to ask, though....Did you go to Vancouver, too? If you didn't, you really missed another gem of the Pacific Northwest.
In Canada, do you refer to the area round Vancouver and Victoria as part of the "Pacific Northwest" region? In the US, we include Oregon and Washington in the PNW and people who live here include southwestern BC as well, as it is so close by and we all share the same geographic system, which is quite unlike anywhere else. Also, the region is fairly isolated from other US and Canadian cities.
Jul 1st, 2008 | 03:10 PM
#3
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,661
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My last full day in Victoria, June 23rd, I wake up prepared to savour a city that had exceeded all expectation up to that moment. The Royal BC Museum was my first stop, $14 entry fee for the exhibits, in my humble opinion has the BEST exhibits I’ve been to anywhere on the subject of Pacific Coast First Nations. While the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Burke Museum in Seattle and to some degree the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto delve into these rich cultures, the Royal BC Museum seemed to me to give the greatest sense of aboriginal life pre- and post-European colonization, with in-depth analysis of mythology and day-to-day living via artwork, movies, historic replicas even silent film. Apparently, an estimated not-insignificant 80,000 people lived in the Pacific Coast region prior to the Europeans and their cultural mosaic seems quite complex.
The mask exhibit was terrific. After an audio a darkened display case would tantalizingly light up highlighting each mask explaining the creature/supernatural being the mask was intended to represent along with the people the mask was associated with (Tlingit, Haida, Nuu chah nulth, Kwakiutl, Tsimishian, Nuxalk, Kwakwaka’wakw, Coast Salish: so many Pacific Coast tribes with different artistic styles and cultures, I felt like I was just piercing the iceberg). Masks ranged from many animal spirits to Dzoonok’wa (wild woman of the woods with crazy expression and long hair), a flood survivor, man-burned-in-fire, man-with-spiny-bones-in-lip…fascinating.
Since “white man” reached Pacific Coast peoples much later than the rest of North America, their traditions managed to endure relatively untouched into much of the 1800s and traditional practices managed to hold light (sometimes in secret as potlatch ceremonies were banned in the 1880s) even into the early 1900s. That is why the silent documentary footage—“Land of the War Canoes” (1914) showing the Kwakiutl people with British audio soundtrack is such a precious piece of history. Where tribesmen push a long canoe with oars through water and later, on the stern of the canoe, in what seems a ceremonial dance, a man in a bear or eagle body-covering costume dances often spreading his (her?) arms (to threaten?, to intimidate?, for fun?, establishing territory?). Tantalizing.
Also terrific is the replica of the Haida (Queen Charlotte Islands and nearby coasts, BC) village of Skedans built in the 19th century by John Smyly, based on extensive photographs of that settlement. Totem poles lined the shoreline in surprisingly large numbers.
Styles were fascinatingly different from people to people. Tsimishian masks had well-defined cheeks. In Nootkan sculptures, eye sockets were not recessed as with other peoples. The Coast Salish (Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle First Nations) plates had flat surfaces with only a slight relief. Haida people did some beautiful carvings with argillite, a glossy-smooth black shale to make model totem poles, recorders, pipes, sometimes European figures after contact.
I amazingly learned that despite a rich cultural fabric, IT WAS ONLY IN 1960 that aboriginal people can VOTE in federal elections in Canada! If I read correctly, it’s unbelievable to think that mother would have been a grown woman before such a fundamental right was granted.
After a brief glimpse at the woolly mammoth and other likenesses in the Natural History section of the Royal BC Museum (the anthropology part drew me in more), I departed for lunch time called. I savoured the divine Monk’s Curry (green thai vegetarian dish on noodles) at the vegetarian restaurant Re-bar at Bastion Square in downtown Victoria, being sure to tell staff (and now you) that Re-Bar was one of the best veggie restaurants I’d found anywhere in North America.
After scarfing down some Roger’s chocolate from the quaint original store (Government & Broughton, established 1885), the final afternoon I rented a bike for $7/hour on Douglas St. (near the Royal BC Museum). Pedalling through Beacon Hill Park, I proceeded to do a superlative bike ride along Dallas Road (which changes names a number of times (Hollywood Crescent, King George Rd., Beach Road etc…), I essentially kept close to water as plan) as far as Oak Bay Marina toward the north. Biking along the mild hills and crests of the shore-hugging roads, I passed by gorgeous bay after gorgeous bay of the Juan de Fuca Strait, the fresh, oxygenated air periodically rich with the spicy-sweet odour of California lilacs as I admired beautiful (sometimes Tudor-style) homes, gardens and one golf course in the midst of this spectacular setting. In one cove overlooking Trial Island, steps lead down to a beach and a lone wooden lawn chair (courtesty of Victoria I think) invitingly sat out on an outcropping of rock that jutted out into the beach. The current was gorgeously swift between Vancouver Island (the big one I was on) and Trial Island and the waves lapped the shoreline peacefully as views of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains tantalized beyond. A bald eagle passed overhead with some prize caught in its talons; two gulls seemingly idiotically were swooping down at the bald eagle, I thought perhaps they wanted its prey or maybe the eagle had just killed one of their brothers or sisters. Anyhow, I thought it was not smart on their part to mess with the eagle. The eagle gone and I was laughing, laughing despite myself that here I was, sitting here on a wooden lawn chair all alone on a rock outcropping except for a few crows, one crane (bird, not iron) and kelp, how can I be so fortunate to be the only one at this moment in time admiring such great beauty? I felt thankful to be ALIVE to have such an opportunity. “Life does not get better than this,” I said to myself.
Exploration over, would I say Victoria is the most beautiful CITY in Canada? Quite possibly. But I definitely think Victoria should be considered more for its incredible natural setting, which certainly offers amongst the best I've seen in Canada, rather than framing itself in such terms than as this faux Old English Town, which I think leads people to believe it's a missable fake place, rather than the beautifully worthwhile place that it is.
Leaving Victoria on the 24th , I took Pacific Coach Lines ($40) to Vancouver which gets on board BC Ferries from Swartz Bay Vancouver Island to Tswawassen on the Mainland. The ride from Vancouver Island to the Mainland was remarkably different from the Victoria Clipper, this time instead of having two coasts on either side for the majority of the ride, the “Spirit of Vancouver Island” BC Ferries boat skirted close by to many of the beautifully mountainous, evergreen Gulf Islands that dot the Georgia Strait. A spectacularly beautiful experience that made me again say “Life does not get better than this”. BC Ferries, unlike the Victoria Clipper catamaran, was a behemoth monster in comparison, with 7 decks, enormous seating areas, outdoor lookouts and a cafeteria that offered up appealing choices from clam chowder to sushi to fresh fish to organic, free trade coffees.
During my 3 hours in Vancouver before I headed westward, after some top-notch sushi at Samurai on Davie St., as I looked out at the beauty that is English Bay Beach, I could not help but feel a certain bittersweet sadness. Three years ago, Vancouver was my first taste of the West Coast, which inspired an urge in me to visit San Francisco two years ago. And now, I had added to my understanding of the West Coast a smattering of Seattle and Victoria experiences; with this, a realization that the west coast offers tremendous beauty of a variety due to tall trees, temperate rain forest and mountainscapes that just aren’t replicated on the East Coast. I love my home of Montreal, but looking out at the people relaxing by the beach near Stanley Park, the snow-capped mountains looming above, I felt a certain reluctance to pull myself away from the west, a sadness to have to go (blast the folly of purchasing return tickets), to leave such wondrous landscapes.
Now back out east, I am thankful to have experienced the Pacific Northwest to the depth that life has given me the opportunity to do so. Thanks again to all who helped me prepare for this trip!
Daniel_Williams
The mask exhibit was terrific. After an audio a darkened display case would tantalizingly light up highlighting each mask explaining the creature/supernatural being the mask was intended to represent along with the people the mask was associated with (Tlingit, Haida, Nuu chah nulth, Kwakiutl, Tsimishian, Nuxalk, Kwakwaka’wakw, Coast Salish: so many Pacific Coast tribes with different artistic styles and cultures, I felt like I was just piercing the iceberg). Masks ranged from many animal spirits to Dzoonok’wa (wild woman of the woods with crazy expression and long hair), a flood survivor, man-burned-in-fire, man-with-spiny-bones-in-lip…fascinating.
Since “white man” reached Pacific Coast peoples much later than the rest of North America, their traditions managed to endure relatively untouched into much of the 1800s and traditional practices managed to hold light (sometimes in secret as potlatch ceremonies were banned in the 1880s) even into the early 1900s. That is why the silent documentary footage—“Land of the War Canoes” (1914) showing the Kwakiutl people with British audio soundtrack is such a precious piece of history. Where tribesmen push a long canoe with oars through water and later, on the stern of the canoe, in what seems a ceremonial dance, a man in a bear or eagle body-covering costume dances often spreading his (her?) arms (to threaten?, to intimidate?, for fun?, establishing territory?). Tantalizing.
Also terrific is the replica of the Haida (Queen Charlotte Islands and nearby coasts, BC) village of Skedans built in the 19th century by John Smyly, based on extensive photographs of that settlement. Totem poles lined the shoreline in surprisingly large numbers.
Styles were fascinatingly different from people to people. Tsimishian masks had well-defined cheeks. In Nootkan sculptures, eye sockets were not recessed as with other peoples. The Coast Salish (Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle First Nations) plates had flat surfaces with only a slight relief. Haida people did some beautiful carvings with argillite, a glossy-smooth black shale to make model totem poles, recorders, pipes, sometimes European figures after contact.
I amazingly learned that despite a rich cultural fabric, IT WAS ONLY IN 1960 that aboriginal people can VOTE in federal elections in Canada! If I read correctly, it’s unbelievable to think that mother would have been a grown woman before such a fundamental right was granted.
After a brief glimpse at the woolly mammoth and other likenesses in the Natural History section of the Royal BC Museum (the anthropology part drew me in more), I departed for lunch time called. I savoured the divine Monk’s Curry (green thai vegetarian dish on noodles) at the vegetarian restaurant Re-bar at Bastion Square in downtown Victoria, being sure to tell staff (and now you) that Re-Bar was one of the best veggie restaurants I’d found anywhere in North America.
After scarfing down some Roger’s chocolate from the quaint original store (Government & Broughton, established 1885), the final afternoon I rented a bike for $7/hour on Douglas St. (near the Royal BC Museum). Pedalling through Beacon Hill Park, I proceeded to do a superlative bike ride along Dallas Road (which changes names a number of times (Hollywood Crescent, King George Rd., Beach Road etc…), I essentially kept close to water as plan) as far as Oak Bay Marina toward the north. Biking along the mild hills and crests of the shore-hugging roads, I passed by gorgeous bay after gorgeous bay of the Juan de Fuca Strait, the fresh, oxygenated air periodically rich with the spicy-sweet odour of California lilacs as I admired beautiful (sometimes Tudor-style) homes, gardens and one golf course in the midst of this spectacular setting. In one cove overlooking Trial Island, steps lead down to a beach and a lone wooden lawn chair (courtesty of Victoria I think) invitingly sat out on an outcropping of rock that jutted out into the beach. The current was gorgeously swift between Vancouver Island (the big one I was on) and Trial Island and the waves lapped the shoreline peacefully as views of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains tantalized beyond. A bald eagle passed overhead with some prize caught in its talons; two gulls seemingly idiotically were swooping down at the bald eagle, I thought perhaps they wanted its prey or maybe the eagle had just killed one of their brothers or sisters. Anyhow, I thought it was not smart on their part to mess with the eagle. The eagle gone and I was laughing, laughing despite myself that here I was, sitting here on a wooden lawn chair all alone on a rock outcropping except for a few crows, one crane (bird, not iron) and kelp, how can I be so fortunate to be the only one at this moment in time admiring such great beauty? I felt thankful to be ALIVE to have such an opportunity. “Life does not get better than this,” I said to myself.
Exploration over, would I say Victoria is the most beautiful CITY in Canada? Quite possibly. But I definitely think Victoria should be considered more for its incredible natural setting, which certainly offers amongst the best I've seen in Canada, rather than framing itself in such terms than as this faux Old English Town, which I think leads people to believe it's a missable fake place, rather than the beautifully worthwhile place that it is.
Leaving Victoria on the 24th , I took Pacific Coach Lines ($40) to Vancouver which gets on board BC Ferries from Swartz Bay Vancouver Island to Tswawassen on the Mainland. The ride from Vancouver Island to the Mainland was remarkably different from the Victoria Clipper, this time instead of having two coasts on either side for the majority of the ride, the “Spirit of Vancouver Island” BC Ferries boat skirted close by to many of the beautifully mountainous, evergreen Gulf Islands that dot the Georgia Strait. A spectacularly beautiful experience that made me again say “Life does not get better than this”. BC Ferries, unlike the Victoria Clipper catamaran, was a behemoth monster in comparison, with 7 decks, enormous seating areas, outdoor lookouts and a cafeteria that offered up appealing choices from clam chowder to sushi to fresh fish to organic, free trade coffees.
During my 3 hours in Vancouver before I headed westward, after some top-notch sushi at Samurai on Davie St., as I looked out at the beauty that is English Bay Beach, I could not help but feel a certain bittersweet sadness. Three years ago, Vancouver was my first taste of the West Coast, which inspired an urge in me to visit San Francisco two years ago. And now, I had added to my understanding of the West Coast a smattering of Seattle and Victoria experiences; with this, a realization that the west coast offers tremendous beauty of a variety due to tall trees, temperate rain forest and mountainscapes that just aren’t replicated on the East Coast. I love my home of Montreal, but looking out at the people relaxing by the beach near Stanley Park, the snow-capped mountains looming above, I felt a certain reluctance to pull myself away from the west, a sadness to have to go (blast the folly of purchasing return tickets), to leave such wondrous landscapes.
Now back out east, I am thankful to have experienced the Pacific Northwest to the depth that life has given me the opportunity to do so. Thanks again to all who helped me prepare for this trip!
Daniel_Williams
Jul 1st, 2008 | 03:47 PM
#4
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 0
dear daniel, thanks for your peaen to our lovely little town. although a recent transplant as an immigrant from santa fe ,nm, in the usa, i greatly appreciate the quality of life which we enjoy year round despite dampness and am counting the days until my application for landed immigrant status is (hopefully) approved.
while an intersesting and charming city to visit it is a wonderful and welcoming town in which to liv. hopefully you will have the opportunity to visit again and explore some of the wonders up island and along the west coast.
happy canada day to you
cheers
AndrewDavid
while an intersesting and charming city to visit it is a wonderful and welcoming town in which to liv. hopefully you will have the opportunity to visit again and explore some of the wonders up island and along the west coast.
happy canada day to you
cheers
AndrewDavid
Jul 1st, 2008 | 04:12 PM
#5
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 922
Likes: 0
Daniel,
it was so nice to read your report and revisit Victoria!!
Not only is it a beautiful city...but it was so easy to get around...we had no trouble with parking.
Amazing....coming from the New York area.
We were at Butchart Gardens and Royal BC Museum in May/June.
I have tons of images posted on my blog....in the June posts.
http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com
Thanks for your report!
it was so nice to read your report and revisit Victoria!!
Not only is it a beautiful city...but it was so easy to get around...we had no trouble with parking.
Amazing....coming from the New York area.
We were at Butchart Gardens and Royal BC Museum in May/June.
I have tons of images posted on my blog....in the June posts.
http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com
Thanks for your report!
Jul 2nd, 2008 | 07:19 AM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,661
Likes: 0
Thanks AndrewDavid, Baily, Orcas, SallyCanuck for reading and giving kind feedback.
Orcas--I believe that Canadians hearing Pacific Northwest would tend to think of the temperate rain forest regions of Oregon, Washington and BC but having not surveyed the Canadian population as a whole, I'm BSing. The bordering regions of Alaska, northern California or the Yukon as Pacific Northwest doesn't sound quite right to me, but maybe some people include them. Even the deserty regions of Washington and BC (I suspect most people forget or never knew about these) don't seem Pacific Northwest to me, but somehow separate (maybe that's just me).
Orcas--As for Vancouver, this is where my fascination with the west began after a cross-country trip 3 years ago. With nearly 3 hours before my return trip, I zipped over on that Skytrain like you wouldn't believe to resavour Vancouver's superior sushi and re-experience that great vibe that is English Bay Beach. Vancouver is certainly up there for most beautiful city in Canada too. Vancouver definitely has those mountains looming and downtown beach space which Victoria doesn't but also Victoria lacks the (for me) unaesthetic glassy skyscrapers and has beautiful practically unpeopled peaceful bays with snow-capped Olympic Mountains views readily accessible from downtown. It shouldn't be a competition though, but an embarrassment of riches.
Andrewdavid--Good luck on becoming a permanent resident; I'm the same... US citizen, Canadian perm. resident... am becoming dual soon though for the right to voe here.
Bailey-- I liked too that Victoria is one of those places one can have a great trip without renting a car, which is my modus operandi.
Happy belated Canada day! DAN
Orcas--I believe that Canadians hearing Pacific Northwest would tend to think of the temperate rain forest regions of Oregon, Washington and BC but having not surveyed the Canadian population as a whole, I'm BSing. The bordering regions of Alaska, northern California or the Yukon as Pacific Northwest doesn't sound quite right to me, but maybe some people include them. Even the deserty regions of Washington and BC (I suspect most people forget or never knew about these) don't seem Pacific Northwest to me, but somehow separate (maybe that's just me).
Orcas--As for Vancouver, this is where my fascination with the west began after a cross-country trip 3 years ago. With nearly 3 hours before my return trip, I zipped over on that Skytrain like you wouldn't believe to resavour Vancouver's superior sushi and re-experience that great vibe that is English Bay Beach. Vancouver is certainly up there for most beautiful city in Canada too. Vancouver definitely has those mountains looming and downtown beach space which Victoria doesn't but also Victoria lacks the (for me) unaesthetic glassy skyscrapers and has beautiful practically unpeopled peaceful bays with snow-capped Olympic Mountains views readily accessible from downtown. It shouldn't be a competition though, but an embarrassment of riches.
Andrewdavid--Good luck on becoming a permanent resident; I'm the same... US citizen, Canadian perm. resident... am becoming dual soon though for the right to voe here.
Bailey-- I liked too that Victoria is one of those places one can have a great trip without renting a car, which is my modus operandi.
Happy belated Canada day! DAN
Trending Topics
Jul 2nd, 2008 | 07:46 AM
#8
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,661
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I've included the links to prequels, my first-time ever visit to Seattle and my first-time trip on the Empire Builder train from Chicago-Seattle, if anyone is interested.
Seattle visit
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35140799
Empire Builder Train
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35140565
Seattle visit
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35140799
Empire Builder Train
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35140565
Jul 3rd, 2008 | 08:19 AM
#10
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,649
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dear daniel, yes 6-9 months and counting!!!! i went to the swearing in of new citizens at the legislature on canada day here. yes i definetly want to vote also.
i just returned from a drive cross country mainly on the trabns canada w/ detours through banff jaspar edmonton and drumheller(dinosaur country) to toronto. i had done some of the trip years ago on the train ending up in montreal and heading down to vermont to visit family. if u've not done the drive it is both awesome and educational a great intro to our new country
cheers
andrew
i just returned from a drive cross country mainly on the trabns canada w/ detours through banff jaspar edmonton and drumheller(dinosaur country) to toronto. i had done some of the trip years ago on the train ending up in montreal and heading down to vermont to visit family. if u've not done the drive it is both awesome and educational a great intro to our new country
cheers
andrew
Jul 11th, 2008 | 06:49 AM
#13
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Thanks all for reading.
And thank you fellow Montrealer (I believe) mitchdesja for the kind book suggestion; if an autobiography is ever in the works, I'll definitely have to come pull memories from fodors.com.
Sounds like a great trip by car, AndrewDavid! Amazing how I've seen 8 provinces (although zero territories), lived in Mtl for 11 years but bizarrely enough only feel like I've scratched the surface of much of Canada.
And thank you fellow Montrealer (I believe) mitchdesja for the kind book suggestion; if an autobiography is ever in the works, I'll definitely have to come pull memories from fodors.com.
Sounds like a great trip by car, AndrewDavid! Amazing how I've seen 8 provinces (although zero territories), lived in Mtl for 11 years but bizarrely enough only feel like I've scratched the surface of much of Canada.
