Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia

  Today we moved from Seattle to Victoria, BC, by ferry. We started out is fog and that lasted most of the way.  Breakfast may be purchased or one may bring what they want with them which we did.  

-->

 This is the Victoria Clipper returning to Seattle.  It will make a another run and will return at about 6:00 PM.

The package includes a one-night stay at the Inn at Laurel Point.  It is very close to the ferry landing and also downtown Victoria.  There is a nice walk next to the water that leads most of the way downtown.

 The city of Victoria was founded in the early 1800s and saw a great boost in population and commerce with the Fraser River Gold Rush.  It has always had a strong tie with the Pacific Ocean that is accessible through the Strait of Juan de Fuca which we crossed coming from Seattle.  There is still a lot of maritime activity.

 Persons called Native Americans in the USA are called Indigenous in Mexico and points south.  Here today a learned of a new name, that of First Nations.  A member of the Cowichan Tribe, master carver Cicero August carved this totem in 1990.  A plaque reads, “The loon, fisherman, bone game player and frog represent lessons of the past and hope for the future.”

 A strip of the bayside walk is dedicated to First Nation craftsmen and women for selling their work.

 The Fairmont Empress Hotel was built in 1904 with additions later for  the Canadian Pacific's steamship line, whose main terminal was just a block away. Later as the Canadian Pacific ceased its passenger services to the city, the hotel was successfully remarketed as a resort to tourists. Victoria emerged as a tourist destination beginning in the mid-to-late 1920s.  Note “Plasterman” in the foreground.  A man holds very still and people wonder if he is “real”.  Then he moves!

 We found some interesting tree sculptures.

 This is Bastion Square, a shopping neighborhood with a lot of specialist artists.  What did Sue lose?

 We made a stop for lunch at a McDonalds and as we were eating a very special woman walked in dressed totally in white.  She sat down near us and soon we were in a spirited conversation.  She has deep religious convictions and we found a very special person.  She agreed to meet us for dinner at a very nice resturant.

As the sun set, the British Columbia Parliament building lights up.  What a sight!  I worked hard to get some kind of a photograph and it was almost beyond the ability of my camera.