Victoria Part 8: The return

I suppose as I get ready to head out on my next international adventure, I should finish posting images from my last one.

Ferry is great way to travel.  It's comfortable.  There's plenty of space. You don't have worry about traffic.  And you can even buy cheap liquor.

I used to want to drive everywhere.  I'm been back and forth across the country several time and occasionally still enjoy a good road trip.  But it's not like it used to be.  That's probably because I got it all out of my system when I spent three years driving about 38,000 miles a year in the Puget Sound area.

The is today I'm happy to let the Captain drive.  Or sail.  Or, I guess, diesel. Regardless, here are some picture of the journey from Sydney, BC, to Anacortes, WA, with a stop in Friday Harbor back over Labor Day Weekend.

You can see the full set of images here.

You can see all my Victoria images here.

You can read my previous Victoria posts here.

Victoria Part 07: Butchart Gardens

It's under 30 F outside now.  There is talk of snow.  What better time to look at pictures from the summer?

One of the main reason The GF and I went to Victoria was to visit the Butchart Gardens and take a lot of pictures. And that's exactly what we did.  I nearly filled my 8GB memory card. 

Butchart Gardens is an amazing place that started as someone's private estate.  Gradually, they grew they gardens to the magical place they are today.

When we were there in late August, it was hot and brilliantly sunny. It was exactly what you might expect from a wonderful summer day.

Here are just a few of the pictures I took.  Enjoy and think warm thoughts.

You can see more of my pictures here.

You can read more about my Victoria trip here.

Victoria Part 06: Royal Wax Museum

After a visit to the Undersea Gardens, The GF and I headed to the Royal London Wax Museum, also on Victoria's Inner Harbor.  It was my first visit to a wax museum and a I enjoyed it, though not as much as I had hoped.

The museum is two levels, and people file through the exhibits almost like they're on a conveyor belt.  The limited space makes it challenging to step out of the flow and contemplate a piece.

Of course, with something at kitschy as a wax museum there's not going to be a whole lot of deep contemplation anyway.

That pace, combined with the darkness, makes it challenging to take pictures.

The other thing I noticed is that the figures don't appear as lifelike in person as they do in photographs.  I didn't get the eerie sense that I was looking at an actual person; there was no doubting the artifice of it.

Yet when I looked at the pictures later on I got the sometimes creepy sensation that I was looking at a picture of a real person.  I guess since I am used to mostly seeing famous people in pictures, seeing pictures of their wax doppelgangers would seem to be the more genuine experience than seeing the wax live.

They had their assortment of British Queens, of course.










Anthony and a topless Cleopatra made an appearance.






American figures were well represented.













Canadian heroes like Gordie Howe are enshrined with wax, too.






The original Commander Adama showed up dressed as a cowboy.






And they include both Jesus and the Pope.







On the lower level, they have a section depicting torture. Some of the wax figures are pretty grotesque, but still well done. You receive plenty of warning so you can skip that part of the museum if you'd rather not see that. Among other items, it includes a basket of severed heads.




But it was outside the torture wing where they had one of the creepiest statues. This portrayal of Walt Disney is the one I'm most likely to have nightmares about.






I think its the mustache.

The museum is worth seeing if you're okay with the crowds. Visiting at a more relaxed pace is a great way to pass some time.

Unless, of course, those glass eyes staring back at you send shivers up your spine.






More of my pictures are here.

Victoria Part 05: Reasons to go back

More posts and pictures from my recent trip will be coming over the next few weeks. But the GF is ready to go back know. There are four reasons she wants to return:

1. To have tea
2. To do more shopping on "the neat little streets"
3. To visit a Canadian Wal*Mart (they're oddly compelling)
4. To visit a castle

The Visitors' Bureau should put that in the brochure.

Victoria Part 04: Inner Harbour

During our recent trip to Victoria, The GF and I stayed at the Marriott by the Inner Harbour. It was a great location and a happy accident.

I booked the hotel because I had spare Marriott points in my account. I'm not sure how I keep accumulating the Marriott points; normally when I travel I try to earn Hilton points. I spend only 10-15 nights a year at Marriott properties, but they seem to accumulate.

It's a nice hotel. The bedding was comfortable and the staff was nice. Room service was tasty. The corner room was a smaller than some, but had huge windows. It was just a 6th floor room, so the view mainly consisted of the neighboring condos, But it was still nice to have. And the air-conditioner kept the room reasonably cool. Two nights at the property cost 50,000 points.

The location was fantastic. It was just a couple blocks from the Inner Harbour. The walk was actually shorter than it looked on the map, too, which is always a pleasant surprise.

The Harbour has a number of tourist activities, including the Undersea Gardens I talked about last week.

This is the Fairmont Empress Resort and Hotel. It's a beautiful building, with its back and sides shielded from the sidewalks with some lovely landscaping. It's well known for offering afternoon tea. We didn't try that; perhaps the next trip.



I probably have 5 or 6 versions of this picture. The challenge was to capture the hotel without capturing the traffic zipping along on the busy street.

I show this using a Sigma 10-20 MM lens. The wide angle was much more useful than I expected.

Nearby was a statue of Captain Cook who was the first European to reach British Columbia.



Around the corner is the gorgeous Parliament building.


Besides the buildings, though, the Inner Harbour area is just a pleasant area for wandering about. The vendors every few feet sell icecream, gelato, tourist goods, lemonaide, more gelato, and more icecream. On a beautiful, sunny day, it may be filled with tourists, but it is still infused with a light mood that promises the rest of the trip is going to be pretty darn nifty.

And if you get bored, you can always come back here and watch the water traffic. Or turn around and watch the human traffic. It's sure to be entertaining either way.