(Victoria, B.C., Canada)

Victoria has a very busy downtown area. In many ways, it reminds me of downtown Kingston: a very large legislative building overlooking the harbour, and a relatively “British” feel to city. However, there are some key differences.

Kingston does not have a huge and venerable hotel in its downtown core. While there are some smaller old hotels with a great deal of character, there is nothing as imposing as the Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria. The Empress is another one of the grand old railway hotels that were built across Canada over a century ago…and still retains its ancient traditions such as afternoon high tea.

Kingston also doesn’t have a distinct “Chinatown” district like Victoria does. Nor does it have a street as narrow as Fan Tan Alley, which is just 3 feet across at its narrowest.

Fan Tan Alley used to be somewhat rougher than it is now. The opium and gambling (“Fan-Tan” is a Chinese gambling game) of the past has been replaced by very tourist-friendly businesses.

We also spent some time visiting a friend in one of Victoria’s elegant neighbourhoods. And what made the biggest impression on us was something you don’t typically associate with a provincial capital city: deer.

The deer are everywhere. They have become part of the urban environment. There are signs warning motorists of the large animals in their midst. And there are even local tensions about the best way to deal with the increasing number of deer.

The deer pictures here were all taken in our friend’s backyard. As you can see, the deer is quite young. There are many more like this one, everywhere you go. And they are particularly fond of the fig trees that are scattered throughout the neighbourhood.

We have about 200 pictures of this deer. I might use some more of them in a future post, if I don’t have any other photos to accompany the text. But I think you get the idea: Victoria = deer.

Stay tuned for a post about the real reason I was in Victoria!