Our last stop of the cruise before we returned to Seattle the following morning was in Victoria, the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off the Canadian Pacific coast. Named after Queen Victoria, it is considered one of the oldest cities in the northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. But let's be fair, the region was already settled by the Coast Salish First Nation, the region's indigenous peoples, long before any European arrived. Victoria is an attractive metropolis, often referred to as the "Garden City" for its lush parks, floral displays and temperate climate, which allows for year-round blooms. We docked in the port almost at dusk and had to walk 30-minutes to reach the city center through a quiet residential neighborhood lined with beautifully-gardened homes. The city has many preserved Edwardian buildings dating back to the early 1900s, and together with its modern skyline and its well-lit streets and buildings, the views of the city at night are spectacular, especially along the Inner Harbor. I would have wanted to explore the city some more; unfortunately, our ship docked here (at night, no less) for only 3 and a half hours, which didn't make any sense to me. Why even bother, right? Joe and I trekked to the city center and took in the views of the historic Parliament Building and the Inner Harbor before returning to the ship for a 90-minute night bus tour of the city. I had booked this excursion in advance and regretted it immediately once we boarded the bus. The reflection along the bus' windows from its internal lighting made it almost impossible to see anything outside. We did stop in a few places for scenic skyline views but basically the night bus tour was a waste of time and money. I must say this, what little we saw of Victoria was impressive, and I wouldn't mind going back in the future. The following morning we arrived back at Seattle where we headed to the airport to pick up our SUV rental for the second half of our trip. As for my thoughts on cruising? I prefer seeing most countries by land because coastal cities only provide one view of a nation's history and culture. To fully understand a country, one needs to travel inland to see how everything is connected and how regions were shaped physically and culturally. This is very difficult to do on an ocean cruise, since many of the ports tend to be little more than tourist traps.
(This webpage is not yet completed, the photos still need captions...)