Our Uber arrived at 6:30 this morning. The driver was a quiet guy but very good at getting through traffic. (Also his car was a very pretty color.) Although it was raining again, we got to the port in Seattle with no trouble. So much had changed at the waterfront since the last time I was there! The viaduct is gone, completely replaced by the underground highway – a great improvement. We got our passports out and joined the short line at customs to get on the Victoria Clipper V. What a nice boat! 

It was not a crowded space. We moved from our window seats to a table in the center of the room. We had breakfast from the clipper cafe during the 3 hour journey. For fun, we drew a collaborative picture and here it is. We each only saw our part when drawing. The boat travels at 30 knots, which is pretty speedy for a ferry. It was a pleasant and well conducted trip.

We went through Canadian customs quickly – just a few questions while our passports and entry forms were looked at. Out on the street, the sun came out but it was still windy. We had a short walk to our hotel, the Oswego. Our room wasn’t ready but we checked our luggage and headed out to walk the city a little.

There are beautiful, historic buildings all along the port. The first one that really got our attention was the Parliament Building. Victoria, on Vancouver Island, is the capital of British Columbia, so the government building was important to them. It had no entrance fee and we went in to look around. It was classic, good quality, beautiful architecture and that pretty much applies to most of the city that we have seen so far. 

We continued down past the Empress Hotel, another historic place. The streets are impressive here. Many of them are closed to car traffic and are wide pedestrian walkways. There are many shops, both large and small, local and name brands. There is no trash, no boarded up windows. It feels safe and there are lots of people walking and shopping, eating in the restaurants. We found a hat shop. Esther is a hat girl and she did find a great one, but not this one.  We had lunch at Garrick’s Head on Government Street and I got to try poutine. It’s a Canadian specialty that amounts to french fries and cheese cubes with gravy on them. What’s not to like about potatoes and gravy?

This is a beautiful city, just sayin’. More tomorrow. We visit Buchart Gardens.