Victoria Harbour, A Spectacular Welcome to British Columbia

The Harbor in Victoria, British Columbia; image from flickr by palestrina55

As our ferry rounded the point and began its entry into Victoria Harbour, our delight was hard to contain. What a beautiful sight!!       

There to greet us were trawlers trekking towards fishing grounds, water taxis flitting about with tourists, and recreational crafts of all varieties – from simple, outboard engined fishing boats to regal, ocean worthy yachts and seductively elegant sailboats.       

Victoria Harbour: image from flickr by marbla123

Ashore, the stately Fairmont Empress Hotel, rising majestically over the harbor, is framed by pristinely maintained private residences, condominiums, stores, factories, office and government buildings.    

The waters edge is fronted by walkways teeming with people scurrying about. There are numerous kiosks with souvenirs and light snacks as well as full service restaurants, many with colorful, umbrellaed outdoor seating areas, each inviting one to take in all the beauty and energy.       

Our trip across the Strait of Juan de Fuca on The Black Ball Ferry was quite comfortable and was a very efficiently run process. It delivered us to Victoria in an hour and 15 minutes, just as predicted. As luck would have it, we were first off and hoped to pass through customs with a quick hello to the customs official. Oops! To our surprise, we learned that the case and a half of wine we brought from Napa would likely be subject to duties upon returning to the states! However, if only 4 bottles remained, there’d be no issue! This, obviously, was not practical given our three day visit! Lacking any plan for the wine, and, in somewhat of a panic, we followed Rosie’s (our Garmin) instructions to the Beaconsfield Inn, the bed and breakfast we were staying at.       

PS. To learn what happened to the wine go to http://boomertrippin.com/three-times-and-youre-in-port-angeles-washington/.

Category: Canada, Outside the United States, Victoria, British Columbia, what we didTags: Beaconsfield Inn Strait of Juan de Fuca, Black Ball Ferry, Victoria Harbour |