Did you know the Japanese shelled Canada (from a submarine) in WWII? I KNOW we couldn’t believe it either! We went on a tour of the Fisgard Lighthouse (http://parkscan.harb…) and the staff person told us about it. The lighthouse is adjacent to Fort Rodd Hill where there was a coastal artillery fortress. Apparently it wasn’t until a few years ago that the Canadian government was open about the Japanese strike. Back in the day, if someone talked about it, the average Canadian thought they were nuts. (Still looking for a good link on this …)

Anyway, Victoria is a cool place!

Getting There: Victoria is on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. (Map: http://www.tourismma…) A couple of friends drove there from Seattle (taking the ferry with their car) and they said it was a big headache for just a 3-day weekend. I believe one way took them 5 hours. From Seattle, it’s easier to take the Victoria Clipper (http://www.victoriac…)—you may see whales on the ride up as well. We flew on Horizon Air (thru Alaska Airlines) and it was a simple 30-minute flight on a 37-seat plane.

It was predicted that it would rain all weekend but it was sunny the whole time. We stayed at the Dominion Grand (eew!). But check out their Web site, if you saw this and could get your airline employee discount for $39 U.S. per night with breakfast and dinners included (at nice restaurants) wouldn’t you have gone for it: http://www.dominion-…? Well, they haven’t gotten around to the renovations yet and it’s a stink-hole. And the beds were the most creaky and uncomfortable I’ve EVER slept in! OK so that was a wash, but I won’t dwell on that …

There are lots of B&Bs and hostels around that are fine alternatives to the place we stayed. Lots of posh hotels too right on the waterfront.

HI Victoria http://www.hihostels…

Hotel Douglas Hostel http://www.travelsco…

Ocean Island Backpackers Inn http://www.oceanisla…

Backpacker’s Hostel No Web site. Phone: 250-386-4471 / E-mail: turtlerefuge@hotmail.com. (I’m staying there this weekend, 6.28.03, so will be able to comment 1st hand soon …)

We rented a car for $21 U.S. a day but only needed it for 1 of our 3 days for coastal drives. You could easily bus it into downtown Victoria from the airport and just walk the whole time. Also, you can rent scooters and bikes just off the waterfront (a spot near the Gatsby Mansion). I will SO be doing this the next time we go back (technically though, it would be cheaper to rent a car). This place has 2 rental locations in Victoria: http://cyclevictoria…

The exchange rate from U.S. to Canadian is really favorable (1.49CAN to 1USD), so we got everything at amazing prices. And most shops accept U.S. currency if you run out of CAN$.

The pace of this town is mellow and agreeable if you like to walk around. Not at all crowded and, of course, this means the people living and working there are much friendlier. Someone told me before I went "Oh, it’s just like being back in London!" Umm, no it’s not—at ALL! It’s very clean for one thing and it’s quiet and spacious. I’m still puzzling over the London comparison.

Here’s an interesting note: we went to a comedy club the first night after a fab dinner at Hunter’s. It wasn’t a full house and we were right up front but I made my boyfriend promise we wouldn’t get recruited as part of the show if the opportunity arose. When they asked if anyone was out of town, we didn’t raise our hands, so we got an American "fly on the wall" experience listening to the all-Canadian cast talk about politics and the U.S., etc.

I was well-impressed with the nature of the Canadian comedian. The best American joke of the evening was this: "The U.S. is sort of like an old buddy you go out drinking with, but they always end up getting plastered and belligerent. You end up looking around like, ‘Excuse my friend, he just gets this way when he drinks’ and the U.S. turns to you and says ‘Shut up, Canada, or you’re next!’" Sad but true, eh?

Things not to miss:
*The Empress Hotel (you can wander around inside)
*High Tea at the Empress
*The waterfront
*Driving up the coast (car, scooter or bike)
*Parliament
*The Royal British Columbia Museum
*Seeing sealife, by boat or seaplane
*Any restaurant offering a traditional roast beef dinner (now THAT is British—Yorkshire pudding and everything, YUM!)

My favorite events were Sunday brunch at the Gatsby Mansion (http://www.bellevill…) and seeing an eagle perched atop a lightpost on the pier in Sidney by the Sea (city 20 mins north of Victoria—where the airport is). We couldn’t believe it! There were seagulls everywhere then we spied something so large we were like "What the hell—is that a buzzard!?" Then I was like "It’s head is white—let’s get over there!" and sure enough it was a huge magnificent eagle just hanging out, then staring down at us. Then my boyfriend made a kissy noise at it and it flew away with great swooping wings. (Question: who makes a kissy sound at an eagle? )

There is a lot of whale and seal watching opportunity but it doesn’t really get going until April so we’ve decided to go back then. The companies pride themselves on "responsible whale watching" so that is reassuring. You can hang out with pods of up to 50 whales on the right day! Wow.

Victoria Tourism site: (http://www.tourismma…

City of Victoria site: http://www.city.vict….