I had expected Victoria to be picturesque but I was taken aback by just how lovely the city and its famous waterfront is. I was also rather surprised at how compact everything is down by the harbour. Our hotel was only 1 block from the B.C. Legislature and inner harbour and only a 10 minute walk, taking the long route around the harbour walkway, from Fisherman’s Wharf.
While the wharf is still home to the local fishing fleet (salmon, tuna and halibut are big in this area), a fair chunk of the area is now devoted to floating restaurants and shops which cater to the large number of tourists who visit. The kids also had a blast here feeding anchovies to the seals that hang around the wharf pontoons. You can find a super-high resolution panorama of this view over on my Flickr account if you’re interested.
If you are observant, you may notice something it the water towards the bottom left of this image. That collection of ripples is a family of sea otters, two parents and three young, that had previously been playing on the rocks immediately below the walkway I was standing on to take this picture.
For the technically inclined...