Note: Another in an embarrassing series of out-of-order posts. We could have flown from Seattle to Victoria but we actually flew from Vancouver–before we went to Seattle.

August 28, 2018

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is an island 76 miles from Vancouver. We arranged to take a seaplane (35 minutes) to Victoria from Vancouver Harbor and a motor coach and ferry back (four hours).

Our plane
Plane interior
Take-off
Victoria Island from the seaplane
Landing

Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly building was completed in 1897. Its style is “free classical” and has Renaissance and Romanesque elements. The architect, Francis Mawson Rattenbury, was 25 years old.
This coastal redwood tree on the Legislative Assembly grounds was planted in the late 1800s and is about a hundred feet tall.
The Queen’s Entrance. Only the Queen (or the Lieutenant Governor as her representative) and chiefs of First Nations have used this entrance.
The Queen’s Entrance from the inside
This canoe in the rotunda was carved by a lieutenant governor and a First Nations Chief. It represents a bridge between two cultures.
Rotunda
Looking up into the interior of the dome
The murals depict agriculture, mining, forestry, and fishing.
British Columbia coat of arms: The elk represents Victoria Island; the bighorn sheep represents British Columbia. The Union Jack in the center recognizes that B.C. was a British Colony. The sun indicates it is Canada’s westernmost province. The motto, “Splendor sine occasu” means splendor without diminishment.
The Legislative Assembly chamber is paneled with brown Italian marble and features 22 columns of green, white and purple marble.
The Speaker’s chair. It is the Speaker’s job to ensure all Members of the Legislative Assembly are treated fairly.

We learned some interesting facts about British Columbia on our tour of the Legislative Assembly building. B.C. has 60% of the world’s mountain goats and 25% of the world’s bald eagles and grizzly bears. It has the most diverse plants and animals in Canada: Its habitats include forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, and tidal areas. Half the world’s jade is in B.C.

Around Town

Victoria celebrates summer with lots of flowers.
We’d love to see the finished product on this construction site–since so much effort was being taken to preserve the facade.
Victoria Public Market
Entrance to Chinatown
Street in Chinatown

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is one of Canada’s largest churches. Its nave was completed in 1929 in the Gothic style of the 13th century.
This blue silk hung in the nave of Westminster Abbey for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. Its pattern includes the Tudor rose, thistle, shamrock and leek.
A sculpture of a robin was placed high on a pillar in the sanctuary in honor of a robin who nested in the building when it was under construction.
This pulpit was made from one 500-year old oak tree felled in England.

Totems at the Royal British Columbia Museum

This First Nation carver discussed his craft as he was working on a new totem.

The Ferry to Vancouver

Categories: Travel

3 Comments

Jay Waters · April 22, 2019 at 2:34 pm

That seaplane looked a little small and personal. But I guess you didn’t have to listen to a flight attendant tell you where the doors were located.

Susan · May 4, 2019 at 3:46 pm

How was the seaplane Jane? I know you are not too keen on being on the water long especially if it is rough? What a fun adventure

    Jane Appel · May 5, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    Seaplane was quick and easy–very smooth. Of course, I was fascinated with taking off and landing as well as the scenery below. We took a regular commuter flight so it wasn’t narrated at all–I would consider a narrated ride if we did it again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.