Quite aside from the artist's refreshing disregard for scale and perspective, there is something appealingly sinister about this giant seaplane mural. The black windows remind me of that cult movie classic about the crazed trailer truck that pursues a poor motorist (Dennis Weaver?)across a nightmare superhighway landscape.
Bastion Square seems to attract violinists. These two, while providing excellent entertainment, were probably not licensed because of their youth. However, it seems a good and harmless way for young performers to earn a little spare change and gain some experience in the challenges of playing for the public (see short video below).
Below is a 40 second sample of the music these kids were playing. It seemed particularly appropriate for the nautical flavour of Bastion Square (that's an old light house light beside them and the Maritime Museum behind them on their right.)
Rising above Victoria's Inner Harbour is the modestly art deco tower that marks the Visitor's Information Center. I don't believe this tower has any function other than decorative. The clock is clearly no longer working. The lower portion of the visitor center can be seen in context in the background of an earlier post. Victoria derives much of its income from tourism.
I mentioned the other day that I enjoyed the chips at Red Fish Blue Fish on the wharf below Bastion Square. They were so good (and cheap - $2.50) that I had to return for a second helping. Crispy on the outside, not greasy, soft and fluffy within. I always call them chips, but others prefer fries or French fries although the correctness of the last name is disputed by the Belgians, who claim to have invented this superb method of preparing potatoes. I refer you to the Belgian Fries website for more information on this important controversy. Whatever the name, I am very fond of them and these "Kennebec Chips," as they are called on the menu, are some of the best I've ever had. Bon appétit!
Downtown today to photograph one of Victoria's mechanical street clocks but got sidetracked about three times on the way there. Bastion Square was decked out for spring and this street musician was seated in front of his home at the Lighthouse Gallery. He can be seen in the broader context of Bastion Square at the bottom right of the photo below.
The second digression today was a visit to the Maritime Museum, just visible through the branches of the tree on the left. I was stunned by the range of interesting artifacts and information there AND one can take photographs so....
| Seventeen kilometers (about 10 miles) from Victoria lies Goldstream Park. This park, largely original coastal rainforest, is a beautiful place and I propose to visit it often during the coming months to try and capture some of the indigenous plants and animals of this area. As well as a seasonally changing flora, the Goldstream River is the scene of a large salmon run every autumn. The salmon apparently attract record numbers of hungry Bald Eagles as well as the occasional bear.... The lovely spring flower pictured here is a Giant White Fawn Lily (Erythronium oregonum) There are quite a large number of species of this lily and my identification may not be correct. Any taxonomists out there please inform me if I'm wrong. I am guessing it is called a fawn lily because the mottled leaves (see photo to the right) are reminiscent of the dappled coats of fawns. |  |
On Yates Street in downtown Victoria.
The Inner Harbour Causeway has become such popular (and lucrative) venue for buskers and musicians that performers must now audition before they are granted licenses. This musician's name is Jean Bedard. You can get some idea of his music from the video below, although the sound quality is poor (I'm working on it!) I take this opportunity to thank Jean for his permission to use this photo. I hope he gets his license because I'd like to hear more.
 | Another statue graces the Inner Harbour, as prominently displayed as Queen Victoria's, facing the Empress Hotel, that of Captain James Cook. Victoria must be excused a bit of shameless name-dropping here. The famed explorer did not actually stop at Victoria. However, in 1778 he must have passed nearby on his way to Nootka Sound, further up the island. He was looking for a western exit to the fabled northwest passage. Not finding it, he turned around and went back to the South Seas, where he met his untimely end. Travelling with Cook on this voyage were two other later-to-be-famous sailors. Midshipman George Vancouver, who later returned to these waters as Captain Vancouver, has the honor of having Vancouver Island named after him as well as two neighbouring cities, one in British Columbia and another in Washington State, USA. The other famous seaman on Cook's last voyage was the Master of one of Cook's two ships, the Resolution, one William Bligh, later captain of the HMS Bounty when her crew mutinied. |
Well, it was a real challenge getting all these guys to sing together but well worth it in the end. I hope you too had a splendid, sunny day today.
No blog about Victoria would be complete without some reference to the Queen for whom the city was named, so here is a photo of the statue of Queen Victoria that stands in front of the Legislative Assembly Buildings. This is a young Queen Victoria, quite different from the aged queen we are more used to seeing (below), but when the city was founded in 1843, Victoria had only been 6 years on the throne and, at 24 years old, may have been very like this statue.
Below is a photo of the statue overlooking the Inner Harbour with the Empress Hotel on the right. The Empress Hotel, built shortly after her death, was named after the Queen in her role as Empress of India.
Just across the street from South Park School is Beacon Hill Park, a favorite weekend walk of Victorians of all species, including this Mallard duck. His mate was nearby but was much too coy to allow a photograph. This, I promise, will be the last cherry tree in bloom you will see until next spring.
First, a tip of the hat to my fellow City Daily Photo Blogger from Willits, California, for drawing my attention to urban trompe l'oeil as public art through her post "Dog with Koi Pond." I suspect most cities have some instances of this style of art. The example above is on the front of a shop here in Victoria that sells mobility devices such as electric scooters and stair assists.
On the wharf directly below Bastion Square is a stand that sells delicious french fries and seafood (Red Fish Blue Fish). While I waited for my chips to be cooked this gull kept me company - not, I suspect, for my sparkling personality, but in hopes of sharing some of my meal. When he saw there were only chips on my plate, however, he uttered one dismal squawk and flew off in disgust.
As soon as the first hint of spring hits Victoria the Bastion Square restaurants and coffee bars blossom with umbrellas. This square has lots of interesting places to eat and drink, many craft stalls selling local artisans' works, the Maritime Museum and good live music. This photo was taken from the lower, Wharf Street side of the square. Directly behind me when I took it was this splendid Buick Special Convertible (1958?), and the Inner Harbour, as viewed by the sidewalk cafe patrons above.
It's not - the real South Park Elementary is in James Bay, Victoria. I waited around to see if I could get Eric, Kyle, Stan and Kenny to pose for this but they were busy.
Emily Carr is one of Victoria's more famous personages both as an artist and as a writer. The house where she was born in 1871 and where she spent much of her life is in James Bay and is open to the public. Many of her paintings, including the two below, are in the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. |  |  |
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail has more to offer than trees and birds and flowers. This mural improves the underside of a bridge. Below are the left and right side views - next time I'll have to try the "panorama" function.... |  |
Some Victoria residents such as the harbour seal above prefer to live under Fisherman's Wharf, thus avoiding costly moorage fees while yet retaining easy access to tourists for research purposes. The three seals below, for instance, are attempting to find out if it is possible to communicate with these migratory creatures. Good luck!
The Galloping Goose trail is about 55 kilometres long so this is only a tiny portion of it. More to come.
I'm bicycual. Victoria is quite a compact little city with much of its residential area within a half-hour's bike ride of the downtown. One day soon we'll take a tour down the Galloping Goose Trail that winds its way around and through Victoria and is used by an increasing number of two-wheeled commuters.
The photos and information above are from the Owls Head Transportation Museum and pictures and information about other early bicycles can be found in the bicycle section of their website.
Wharf Street runs from the Inner Harbour along an inlet known as The Gorge. The Customs House pictured above is on Wharf Street and the plaque below will tell you all about it. 
So why do kids throw their shoes (or maybe their friends' shoes) over the power lines?
