http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/184936_articles-british-columbia-vancouver.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:43:29 GMT Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:43:29 GMT http://RealAdventures.com http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/184936_articles-british-columbia-vancouver.htm 100 100 http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1023974_Vibrant-Victoria-British-Columbia http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1023974_Vibrant-Victoria-British-Columbia Articles British Columbia Tue, 27 Mar 2001 00:03:00 Situated on Vancouver Island, British Columbia's capital has a character and style all its own. -
Situated on Vancouver Island, British Columbia's capital has a character and style all its own.


Victoria is just as vibrantly colorful as the flower baskets adorning the Inner Harbor lampposts in its famous floral signature. Situated on Vancouver Island (the largest Pacific island in North America), 40 miles across the Strait of Georgia from the B.C. mainland, the capital city of the province of British Columbia was established by the Hudson&8217s Bay Company as Fort Victoria in 1843 in honor of the British queen. The fort officially became a city in 1862, and the varied combination of cultures that had already passed through and those that were gathering there gave the growing town its unique character and style. There were the Northwest Coast Indians, with their stunning totem art the fur traders of the Hudson&8217s Bay Company miners venturing to the gold fields (who became a large and raucous presence with the Klondike strike in 1897) the Royal Navy, which came for the lowpriced land the Englishmen who journeyed there because of the sunny climate and proceeded to create a British reproduction in the colonies (complete with cricket fields, English gardens and semicastles). All of those influences have mingled to produce today&8217s Victoria...a city of great natural beauty and graceful oldworld charm a place where horsedrawn carriages coexist with touring rigs that are bicyclistpropelled an urbane society which enjoys garden parties and hightea as well as kayaking and windsurfing. It has been said of Victoria that it is "more English than the English"...a stroll around town will reinforce this statement but it is also a product of the aboriginal people and all others who have taken part of Western Canada&8217s fascinating history.

An impressive focal point on the beautiful Inner Harbor is the B.C. Legislative Buildings (also called the Provincial Parliament Buildings). Completed in 1897 and opened in 1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria&8217s Diamond Jubilee, these ornate structures overlook the busy waterway and send a bright greeting to passersby with "Welcome to Victoria" written in flowers. At night the scene becomes totally enchanting as the 3,300 light bulbs which bedeck the buildings (and were part of the original architectural design) are lit, casting a glow over the area. These small globes were initially turned on in June 1887, and their first major replacement didn't take place until 1976...things were built to last in those days.

The other gracious anchor on the Inner Harbor is the Empress Hotel, built in 1908 and planned by the same architect who was responsible for the Parliament Buildings. This Grande Dame contains restaurants, tea rooms (with all of the appropriate ceremony), boutiques, an historical overview...and a lovely step back into another age. It is adjoined by the very modern Victoria Conference Center, which provides a striking counterpart in design that manages to blend pleasingly with its older companion. Located just across the street are the Royal British Columbia Museum the Carillon Tower (a gift from BC residents of Dutch descent, with 623 bells producing wonderful melodies) and Thunderbird Park, which contains several examples of the totem art which has been handed down from the aboriginal inhabitants as well as a carving shed in which traditional pole carving continues to take place. A glance through the magnificent and stately poles reveals the Empress, the Conference Center, and the Victoria skyline beyond....all the vibrant worlds merging!

On the other side of the Conference Center is Crystal Garden, a glass hall which opened in 1925 (and is another product of that very industrious architect who designed the Legislative Buildings and the Empress). It has been, at various times, the largest indoor swimming pool in the British Empire, a ballroom, an exhibit hall, and the site of W.W.II parachute training. Today it is a conservatory described as "a tropical paradise under glass". The exhibitions include hundreds of tropical plants, birds, the world's smallest monkeys, fruit bats, waterfall and fountains, and a special enclosure containing freeflying butterflies. The organization is actively involved in conservation and preservation, as well as breeding programs dedicated to returning endangered species to their natural habitats.
Details & Reservations: Vibrant Victoria, British Columbia
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