One must take a ferry to get to this city on an island. I ferried from Port Angeles in Washington state (an hour long ride). Did not get to spend much time here since also needed to ferry to Vancouver later in the day (an hour and a half ride). I got my first new passport for this trip so I could visit Victoria and Vancouver. So, Victoria will forever be known as the first place I visited on my passport.

The city was fun to visit mostly because of the realization that (A) it is in another country of which I had spent maybe 5 - 10 minutes in back in the 1980's, and, (B) that it is at the extreme west end of the country, far, far away from Kansas City. And while the city has so much incredible scenery -- mountains and big water -- the city itself is pretty lowkey and nothing spectacular. Getting to the BC Ferries from Victoria required a 25 mile drive up highway 17. I expected much of it to be a drive past mostly forested undeveloped stretches. Wrong! The entire stretch was developed.

Of course the first thing after showing a passport (and answering a bunch of questions about my purpose in the country) was to deermine how fast the speed limit in KPH is compared to MPH. So I went extra slow and easy and always stopped for yellow lights.

I spent two and a half hours riding two ferries in the same day plus another two and a half hours waiting to get on or off the ferries. Having reservations ahead of time saved me probably another hour so having reservation is a very strong recommendation.

The Black Ball ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria was a smaller boat and was laid out the way I wish airplanes were designed for the passengers. Rows of seats like a theater with tables and bench seats around the edges. I could lay down on one of the benches to relax or use the table for my laptop (WiFi provided). Passengers can walk to go to large restrooms and go to the snack area for a wide selection of foods. And of course on a ferry but not an airplane the passengers can step outside in the open air to be mesmerized by the water and mountains.

Victoria has done an incredible job of providing paths for both walkers/joggers and bicyclers. Sometimes a two-lane road going one way has one lane for traffic and the other for walking and biking.