To start with, may I offer a quote about Canada - the place where I lived for four decades:
― Rev Tommy Douglas
Living and working on the Prairie, I always longed for the much milder climate on the West Coast, and particularly Victoria. I could not go and work there, since I had a well paying job in Alberta; it was just a dream to one day live there. But over the years, I visited quite often, taking the long drive of over 1200 km and then the ferry from Vancouver.
The following are impressions from the last visit in 2009, before I moved back to Austria, my birthplace.
Warmed by ocean currents from the South Pacific, Victoria's climate is not at all what one expects from Canada. The saying goes that if you move to Victoria, don't bother bringing your snows shovel with you. The tradition of Victoria is like Ye Olde England, probably more British than the British themselves, which is also reflected in their architecture.
The City of Victoria was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company on March 14, 1843, as a trading post and fort at the location the Lekwungen People called "Camosack" meaning "Rush of Water." (quoted from History - City of Victoria)
Victoria Inner Harbor
the Inner Harbor Promenade at Sunset
Descend beneath the sea does no longer exist
There were a number of attractions we visited then in 2009 that do no longer exist, one of them would be the Royal London Wax Museum - I posted an album of it on my Flickr (the photo will link to the album):
It was situated also at the Inner Harbor - Royal London Wax Museum originally opened 1961 in a street level location of the Crystal Garden at the corner of Belleville and Douglas. It was at a time when the Crystal Garden housed Canada's largest salt water swimming pool. The Wax Museum closed in 2010, a year after we visited.More Inner Harbor Photos
The Empress Hotel
Dave Harris
A fixture on the Victoria Harbor Front, right across the Empress Hotel.
Reminiscing about my time in Canada and a great time in Victoria, BC. This was not my first time (in the 40 years I lived in Western Canada), but it was my last time before I returned to Austria.
I've seen Dave Harris several times before, he is a Victoria institution for many years.
Check out his Facebook page: Dave Harris One Man Band
A nice article about him on the Country Blues website
and some pleasure boats - with the BC Legislature Building in the Background
click to open album
All photos were taken by me.
Cameras: Samsung Pro 815 and some with Canon TX1
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my son Otto in Victoria, 2009
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