Whenever I usually write the word of Vancouver, as here in the comments someone will ask about Victoria. Nate, get, sign. Going to Vancouver Island I knew about Victoria three things: 1) there are many retirees, 2) there are a lot of homeless people and 3) there are a lot of homeless seniors. It turns out that it is generally versatile in every way, very touristy, European, or rather the British city. I think we should start with the fact that Victoria - the capital of British Columbia with a population of 345 thousand. Man. I hate the obvious and cliche, but sooner or later it would have to write. If we compare the weather in Victoria and Vancouver, on the island - 2 weeks of the year the sun more and half the rainfall. At the same time here in the summer the average temperature - 19.6 ° C, typically 2-3 degrees colder than at this time in Vancouver. As in Vancouver, there has never been colder than -15 ° C. Yes, and here - twice less rainfall.
Flag of British Columbia after Vancouver cityscape without mountains seem dull at once as soon as it does not decorate the next point of interest or a beautiful park.
At a certain angle in landscape woven coaster, on a clear day after rising above straitSorry, Salish Sea through, but this is rare.
Compared with Vancouver Victoria - flat despite the fact that the highest point of the island - 2,195 m: the island is too large and extends from the US border in the south to 40 km from the border with Alaska in the north. Victoria is equidistant from Vancouver and Seattle - about 100 km - but to overcome these 100 km by car, it will take about 3 hours and $ 100 for the ferry: local travel in Canada has never been available.
Whatever it was, the city maintains an influx of 3.5 million tourists a year mostly from Canada and America. They are there, in fact, so much so that the center of the city - the internal port (Inner Harbour) - became the only tourist: 70000th city (without suburbs) takes travelers to 50 times its own population.
Here, on the waterfront, gather artists and artisans. Most interesting, perhaps, was this guy that cuts medallions of Canadian coins (including silver collector) and states that his work legally in spite of the fact that the abolition of money is a federal crime.
Here they have on the historic center of Tourism until parity with Montreal, but it's not all European roots Victoria.
Old Customs House, 1875 Main attraction - of course British Columbia Parliament Building - the capital of the same, yeah.
Despite the fact that Parliament offers free tours year-round, get them almost impossible as any government agency, the building is closed on weekends and holidays - just as Canadians and Americans are flocking here from neighboring towns. But consider all 3,333 bulbs nobody hurt.
City Hall in the Empire style could well belong to some sort of town Co. in Normandy.
Victoria is literally saturated the British spirit. In a century-old hotel The Empress, for example, still offer traditional afternoon tea (CAD $ 60 per person) - for a year and serves 750 thousand. Cups of tea. Employee descending pochavnichal - says it is their money and nowhere near worth it.
The Empress Hotel in the suburbs also stumbles locks.
On double-decker buses ply the city. Services that the direction of movement is not racially-correct.
In the alley suddenly discovered a wooden bridge.
Clock tower.
Netherlands Centennial Carillon Memorial Tower – Royal BC Museum Victoria BC – The singing tower При всем при этом викторианская Британия мирно сосуществует с коренной индейской культурой.
Urban art. Nobody yet can not compare this with Winnipeg.
Spirit Bear - very popular real character in British Columbia in Canada here this morning a small scandal erupted - the police arrested the girl who zainstagramila photo graffiti policeman with a bullet in his head. Graffiti appeared about a particular cop and now she is accused of threatening and harassment of a police officer. In general, if anything, all the characters are fictitious, and any resemblance to the real - the result of your fevered imagination. And in Victoria begins Trans-Canada Highway, which continues through Nanaimo on the mainland in West Vancouver and goes through the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to Saint John's to Nyufaundlenede for a total duration of 8,030 km. In May last year on it, we drove all the way from Toronto to Vancouver's east coast to the west, and it is just barely more than half.
Here was to reach a local one-legged hero to fight cancer - Terry Fox - not ran, passed away in Northern Ontario. Such pointers dead-end street to me in Canada have not yet come across, and here they are - everywhere.
In Vancouver, the few times I missed the sign «No exit» because it often happens in the most unexpected place an intersection, in conjunction with all sorts of useless «Neighbourhood Watch» - here he has at least a permanent place there. Outdoor advertising.
All trash plastered with archival photographs of the city.
In Vancouver, transformer rooms zakleyany fotoooboyami with the image of the bushes, so as not to stand out against the background of greenery in the background - it makes a little more sense, as for me. Trojan bridge.
Johnson Street Bridge
One of the attractions in the center of Victoria - Fisherman's Wharf (Fisherman's Wharf) - a village of 33 houses exactly, most of which are for sale (say this season).
Houses are quite affordable - pordyaka $ 170k. Now for sale, only 9 left.
Sewerage, water, electricity - all there.
Let the earth and a little, but directly on the foundation grow anemones and starfish.
Well, since the floating village - fishing, then, accordingly, there is also a floating fish store. Where fish store on the water, and there ...
... Harbor seals - ask the fish, which here and sell specifically to feed the kitten with it. Very handy way was underwater camera.
Despite the good traditional English Fish & Chips, nothing even remotely resembling fish cuisine Holland to his disappointment zdesya I have not found. Who will be there to sell kibbelingi - get rich.
In Victoria - the oldest Chinatown in North America after San Francisco.
Founded in 1858 the first Chinese, having heard that in Canada found gold.
Takes 6 quarters, crowning the gate Harmonious Benefits (Gate of Harmonious Interest) - gift sister city of Suzhou in 1981.
By the way, the other twin city of Victoria - Khabarovsk. He gave nothing. Here is the narrowest street in Canada - Fan Tan Alley width 90cm, where instead of opium dens, underground gambling and brothels now something terrible - souvenir shops.
In fact, shopping is not so bad - it's not a standard set of maple syrup, moose and pseudo-Indian of art.
Telephone booth in Chinatown decorated pagoda, as well as lights:
Needless to say that the oldest lighthouse (1860) on the west coast of Canada - here?
And it still works, in 1929 he was transferred to the automatic mode.
There was also the last British colonial army garrison, leaving an ambiguous message with eggs:
Victoria is still known as the city of gardens - there are more than 70 parks, some of which are as Butchard Garden known far beyond the city, and Beacon Hill Park is a tree planted by Churchill.
But most importantly, right in the center of the city in the parks you can meet anyone - from deer ...
Prior to the turtles.
Especially a lot of herons in Amsterdam.
Caught even a tree in the park, which counted at least 5 nests sticking out of them long scheyami. And, anyway, despite the fact that the city is very interesting, it is felt that it is isolated and limited. Already on the third day arose dilemma: Well, there too? The town is small, and the suburbs - it is quite normal. Yes, outside the city there are plenty of trails, there are whales and one of the best diving in the world. But anyway, as soon as the sun was on the horizon, nothing remains as just wander the streets, going to the restaurants - everything else is either closed or not built. By the way, the number of restaurants per capita Victoria also holds second place in North America, again second only to San Francisco.
At 21:30, I grabbed the clock, thinking that it's midnight to find that there was one on the central waterfront - the city quickly dies out after dark.
After 9pm there is absolutely nothing to do.
On the deserted streets away from the port becomes less comfortable tipsy from homeless people who are prone to communicate. Victor was a problem with the homeless - "as much" 700 70 thousand. Population of the city (without suburb) - which the city started in 2008 failed to solve, but suddenly happened Olympics in Vancouver and the neighbor just poured some quantity of the homeless on the island. Number of got it barely noticeable for Vancouver, but little tangible to Victoria.
As in Winnipeg are among the first freshness predominantly found Indians (according to statistics - every second).
But do not be fooled by their good will in this photo: a second before this one whipped beer from the can, the other waving fists after the girl.
In addition to the problems of the homeless include Victoria begging musornichestvo and open use of drugs on the street. I can say that downtown Vancouver is cleaner, and this fucked up on East Hastings I also do not come across. And the use of open - and it is in Toronto was the place to be: we liberalism, whether FIG.
The documentaries about Canada 1970 are all pretty often ride around on a dog sled. Now this is not usually see, but not in Victoria.
By the way, on the island of petrol significantly cheaper ($ 1.29 / l) than in Vancouver ($ 1.37 / l). Of course, it is still far from shtatovskih ($ 3.70 / g = $ 1.00 / l), but did not resist the temptation to fill a full tank before leaving. What a finish that theme of the trip was a curious oddity - Victoria in Victoria. Victoria Victoria liked, and both one and the other.
Maybe it was worth to start?
