Victoria, Canada (Friday 8/27) 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm:
Victoria is often referred to as Canada's Little England. It's a small, picturesque city, and is a wonderful place for relaxing strolls, shopping, and long lunches at quaint cafés. The city really prides itself on culture, and popular activities include touring the awesome 50-acre Butchart Gardens, having high tea at a swanky hotel, and visiting one of the many art galleries.
Overview of Victoria:
Though the Spanish first claimed what is now Victoria, the English established the first settlement on the site of today's Bastion Square. It was 1843 and Queen Victoria had reigned for less than a decade when James Douglas of Hudson Bay Company set up a trading post there. Victoria's protected harbor on the southern coast of Vancouver Island offered asafe refuge for the clippers of the day and the Douglas's good relations with the Native Americans helped the settlement grow quickly.
In an era known for its formality and elegance, early Victoria must have seemed like the frontier to British settlers, particularly in 1858 when more than 25,000 rough and ready moners swarmed through the muddy streets into what is now Old Town on their way to Caribou Gold Rush. But the new Victorians were intent on civilizing the wildernedd, bringing with them their fine English china, their architectural ideas, their garden and their tradition of afternoon tea (still staunchly upheld). They set about creating a society based on a half-remembered, half-imagined England. Now the capital of British Columbia, Victoria is filled with heritage buildings and reminders of those early days. Bastion Square is still a trading post of sorts, with artisans selling their wares from market stalls.
Tiny Chinatown is North America's oldest, and just north of Market Square lies a restored block of 19th century buildings that includes the Occidental Hotel that welcomed Klondike gold miners in 1898. Located in sub-Mediterranean zone, Victorians enjoy some of the most moderate weather in all of Cnada. Victoria boasts an average of 2,183 hours of sunshine yearly, and an eight-month frost free season. Average annual rainfall is 26.2 inches (compared to over 50 inches in New York). The average monthly rainfall in winter is 5 cm (2 inches) and in the summer is less than 2.5 cm ( 1 inch).
Victoria at a Glance:
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia. It is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, which is the largest of British Columbia's 6,500 islands. It has excellent taxi service, including the Victoria and Empress Taxi services. The time zone is Pacific Daylight Time, which is a three hour difference from Eastern Standard Time. The currency is the Canadian dollar; U.S dollars are accepted. The language is English and French and the population is 75,000.
