Victoria, British Columbia

I decided that I would talk about a city that is a little closer to the U.S.  It's in Canada - but no, Mom, it isn't Winnipeg.  It's Victoria - a little slice-of-heaven in British Columbia.  My first visit to Victoria was in 1993, and it was to visit a videogame developer.  That's a shame, actually, because Victoria should be shared by families and couples-in-love.  

Victoria is located near Vancouver, on the Western side of Canada.  It's actually an island - and I believe it's the largest island in North America.  It's beautiful.  I'm not joking, it's a beautiful place.  The locals have tried really hard to preserve its charm...and from what I saw, they've been quite successful.

To get to Victoria, you've got three options.  First, is a ferry from Vancouver.  Second, is to fly into Victoria's municipal airport - which is just outside of the main part of town.  The third, and best option, is to arrive by seaplane, flying right up to the downtown harbor:

I wish that were me....

The harbor area itself is really pretty - it reminded me of a mix of San Francisco and London, all rolled together.  Lots of boats anchored to the piers.  Lots of 18th century architecture.  Near the harbor is the Victoria Provincial Legislature, because Victoria is actually the capital of British Columbia.  The building itself is quite impressive:

I wish this was my photo...

Just walking through the streets of downtown Victoria is a nice, relaxing experience.  Victoria's architecture has attracted a ton of film directors, and has been made to look like Paris, England, Boston and even New York City in the 18th century.  In the spring, flowers can be found everywhere.  

Along the water, you'll find the incredible Empress Hotel (how could it not be awesome, with a name like that):

From what I remember, the big activity was to attend Tea Time at the Empress.  Another really impressive building in Victoria, is Craigdarroch Castle:

The castle is actually a historic Victorian-era mansion, built in the 1890s by coal baron Robert Dunsmuir, supposedly the richest man in 19th century British Columbia.

One other interesting thing that I heard about, was eagle-watching.  Between Victoria and Vancouver Island, you can see quite a few bald eagles.  As any American knows, this bird is majestic-looking.  Growing up in California, you just never see one in the wild.  It's an amazing experience to actually see one flying by. I've been able to do quite a bit of eagle-watching on subsequent trips to Alaska:

Anyone that's visiting Vancouver - you've got to take the extra time and hop on a ferry to Victoria.  Anyone else interested in a unique and romantic spot in North America...get yourselves there...quick!