VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

                                  A Charming City

    Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington’s snow capped Olympic Peninsula. This island city is a romantic, quaint seaport. Victoria enjoys mild Mediterranean weather with low humidity and off shore breezes, and gets 20-25 inches of rain a year, about a third of Vancouver’s rainfall.

The city, named for a queen, is known as the City of Gardens, and beautiful gardens bloom year round. Elaborate rose gardens flourish in the mild climate. Down town, baskets of flowers hang from the 19^th century lampposts in summer, sprouting about mid-May. They add beauty and atmosphere to the waterfront of the already charming city.

In 1843 Victoria was settled as a political choice to secure an English border with the US. Actually Victoria sits below the American-Canadian border.  The city flourished when gold was discovered in 1858.  Gold seeking miners outfitted at Fort Victoria in the mid 1850s. During the gold rush there were 57 offenses that demanded hanging. It was a booming colonial city in the late 19^th century---until Vancouver was established in 1880s. James Douglas became the first Governor. He gave the city 150 acres of land which now is Beacon Hill Park. Established as a Hudson Bay Company Fort the city is a mix of old England with a proud history and British customs.

The first commercial brewery in Western Canada was established in the 1850s and was in operation before the first lighthouse. There are many vineyards on Vancouver Island making for a burgeoning wine industry.

  Today horse drawn carriages trot past stately legislative buildings.  Historic Fort Street is known as antique row in this modern metropolitan city.  London-style double-decker buses transit the city on a regular basis. Pedicabs and ferries are also available. Local transportation is frequent, reliable and easy to follow, and walking the compact city is easy as well. Float planes take off every 2-3 minutes making for a busy harbor.  This wonderfully preserved frontier town sits in a beautiful scenic seaside locale. Victoria is the island’s largest city as well as the Provincial capital. The rest of Vancouver Island is rural to wild.

The Gorge is a long body of water, a tidal basin, that at the turn of the century was the playground for well-to-do Victorians. Many lovely old Victorian homes were in the area. Unfortunately only a couple remain. 

Lt. Governor’s house has 35 acres of gardens! Budget cuts years ago transferred all the gardeners from the house. After twelve years of neglect the gardens were in a sad state of disrepair. In 1990 a large group of volunteer gardeners was organized who now care for the gardens that are again lovely. Several volunteer gardeners were working the morning we visited and I had a chance to talk to a couple of them. The city parks have unionized gardeners and do not encourage any volunteering----what a shame!

The University of Victoria’s gardens were exquisite! Azaleas and rhododendrons were in full bloom, in every color. Some of the rhododendron blossoms were the size of a large dinner plate, and standing six feet tall they were a magnificent sight!

It seemed every home in the city had a flowering garden of some size and they obviously take great pride in their landscapes

Oak Bay, which is one of Victoria’s most British-looking villages/ neighborhoods. Many of the homes were built from stone used as ships’ ballast. Much of the iron trim was also used as ballast. Many old stone walls are still standing and were lovely. We wandered around a bit in some of the shops, and the last evening we had dinner at the Blithering Pub in Oak Bay. In one area of town each street is lined with a different kind of tree. Most neighborhoods in Victoria have lovely old trees. Each little village has its own small grocery store and local pub, both of which are part of the village charm.

Craigdarock Castle

Early railroad and coal barons built many luxurious castles in Victoria. Robert Dunsmuir emigrated from Scotland and became an empire building coal baron. He built Craigdarock
Castle, a lavishly furnished 39-room castle in 1887.  The stained glass windows in the castle were exquisite. The ornately carved woodwork was beautiful as were the fireplaces, pink granite columns, stone turrets and the parquet floors, with a different design each room.

We climbed the 87 steps to the top of the tower, which rewarded us a good view of the city below. We stopped on each floor to view various rooms. We descended down stairs that led through the servants’ quarters.

The original estate extended to the water covering 28 acres. Mr. Dunsmuir died months before the majestic castle was completed, but his wife and children moved into the castle and lived there until his wife, Joan, died in 1908. At that time the castle was a white elephant that no one wanted. Eventually the acreage of the castle was subdivided into 120 lots and sold.  

 Over the years the castle has been used as a military hospital, housed Victoria College, the School Board offices, a conservatory of music, and finally today is an historic house museum.

Victoria is a charming city with a lot of history and much to see and do.

Visit post 8-8-12 to read all about the fantastic Parliament bldg

            Post    10/27 /13 for a look at the Empress hotel and hi tea there.