LIFE's STORIES, ADVENTURES & TRAVELS

[© R.Schamle, created with Firefox 19] Images of Vancouver Island and Victoria, the Capital of British Columbia, where I moved to in Fall of 2002. And never went back to Alberta, where I had lived and worked for 27 years. As the capital of British Columbia, it is also home to the Mansion and attached Gardens of the Lieutenant Governor of BC. Victoria is Named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and, at the time, British North America, Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the British Columbia Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and the Empress hotel (opened in 1908). The city’s Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco’s. The region’s Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before non-native settlement, possibly several thousand years earlier, which had large populations at the time of European exploration. Victoria, like many Vancouver Island communities, continues to have a sizable First Nations presence, composed of peoples from all over Vancouver Island and beyond. [Wikipedia].

Victoria is also known as the ‘city of gardens’. In fact when I arrived in 2002, roses were still blooming in December. There are a number of spectacular gardens and parks. I put together a series of video slide shows of the Island, Victoria, Vancouver, and the town of Sidney at the northern tip of the Saanich peninsula where ferries take off for the mainland (about 5km north of Sidney). Lots of wildlife, best known for the resident pod of killer whales (orcas), large number of bald eagles & many more species. Vancouver Island is the largest Pacific Island east of New Zealand, near to 500km long at its longest point and 80km wide. Surrounded by over hundred islands and islets – the Gulf Islands. Across from Vancouver Island (by ferry) is Vancouver, Canada’s third largest city. Vancouver Island is basically a volcanic rock island. It is also situated along the Cascadia subduction zone, an earth quake zone from north of Vancouver Island to southern California. Canada’s most volatile fault line lies here deep under the ocean. More than 1000 seizeable earth quakes are recorded per year, due to active faults or breaks in the earth crust. The west coast of Canada is one of the few areas in the world where all three of of the most common plate movements take place, resulting in significant earthquake activity. My images embedded into my post also show some of the large ferries. I would say BC Ferries is the largest ferry operation on this planet with a fleet of around over 40 vessels. And these monsters operate exclusively between Vancouver Island and the West Coast main land [http://www.bcferries.com/onboard-experiences/fleet/]. Video’s :– (1) Victoria with Inner Harbour, Governor’s Mansion & Gardens. (2) Beacon Hill Park. (3) Sidney & Salt Spring Island. http://www.beautifulbc.net/index.asp?id=8