Something Olde, Something New Victoria May Be Steeped In History And Tradition, But It Has A Distinct Modern Side

No, you haven’t wandered into a motion-picture set.

This is the real thing.

A kilted piper is playing a jig along the promenade by Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Baskets of flowers bloom from old-fashioned lamp posts.

Horse-drawn carriages and London-style double-decker buses await passengers before a backdrop of elegant, ivy-decked buildings that seem to be from another time.

And, right on cue, a float plane slips between sailing yachts and glides to a landing by the venerable Empress Hotel.

It’s time, of course, for high tea at the Empress.

This is Victoria, British Columbia’s classy provincial capital.

But what’s wrong with this picture?

It’s the dour expression on the bronze face of Queen Victoria’s statue out front of the Parliament Buildings.

Why isn’t she smiling? There are no gloomy, gray-skies moods here.

Things couldn’t be better for the queen’s namesake city. A recent travelers’ survey ranked Victoria among the world’s top 10 urban destinations.

So, cheer up, dear queen. All is well.

A bit of geography: Victoria (pop. 290,000) anchors the southern tip of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. Vancouver, the province’s largest city, is on the British Columbian mainland, a short trip away by ferry or float plane.

Victoria grew from a raffish 19th-century trading post into a genteel garden city that cliche-makers several years ago labeled “a bit of olde England.”

And there’s the rub.

It’s true that they do serve crumpets and scones during high tea each afternoon at the Empress. And Government Street downtown is dotted with shops featuring toffee and tartans from the old country.

But Victoria also has lively pubs and coffee houses, thriving theaters, one of North America’s top-rated museums (the Royal British Columbia Museum), uncrowded parks, seaside cycling and hiking trails - and Canada’s oldest Chinatown.

It’s past time, Victorians say, to delete the “olde England” label.

This cozy city, with its agreeable climate, long has been a favorite settling-down place for retirees. But now there also is a young, active crowd in the mix.

Today’s Victorians still are lawn bowling and playing cricket. They also are out cycling, scuba diving and windsurfing.

“We have it all,” says Steve Trenton, a cheery airport-bus driver.

Except for one thing: “There’s no rat race here. We wouldn’t allow it.”

So, how does a newcomer get acquainted with Victoria?

Starting point for just about every visitor is the 89-year-old Empress Hotel.

There’s nothing dusty about this dowager. Canadian Pacific, the owner, spent almost $50 million to update the Empress a few years ago. A good thing, too.

The Empress was in such sorry shape back then that the beloved hotel almost was traded for a high rise.

“Don’t you dare!” thundered the local press.

Canadian Pacific heard the message, and decided to renovate instead of raze. The remodeling was dubbed “Operation Teacup.” Yes, even the tradition of afternoon tea at the Empress was continued during construction.

A sigh of relief was heard across Canada.

“It’s Crumpets as Usual,” was the headline in The Ottawa Journal.

High tea is the highlight at the Empress. Call ahead (250-384-8111) for a reservation. Even with a $25 (Canadian) price tag for the afternoon snack, high tea is a daily sell-out.

After tea, stroll across Government Street to the Inner Harbour and board one of the little pickle-shaped harbor ferries that commute between hotels, pubs and marinas.

The skippers know some peachy places.

One is The Gorge, a tranquil inland waterway away from the downtown din of tour buses and street musicians. Don’t be surprised if a curious harbor (harbour?) seal bobs its head or a Canada goose shoots a touch-and-go landing by the ferry.

Another stop is Point Ellice House, last of the stately homes in a long-ago neighborhood ingested by industrial plants.

Point Ellice was built in 1861 for the Peter O’Reilly family. O’Reilly struck it rich in British Columbia’s Cariboo gold rush of the 1850s.

This is not just another old house with a history. When the last O’Reillys moved out in 1975, they left everything as it was - every cup and saucer, the piano, the harp, the chess sets, the dolls, the boys’ sailing-ship models, the antique cranberry glass - even the seed catalogs.

Now Point Ellice House is a museum, a provincial heritage home. Drop in for a tour or stay for tea.

There may even be ghosts around, says John Robertson, a heritage host.

Peter O’Reilly’s daughter, Kathleen, had many suitors, but never married. She vowed never to leave Point Ellice, and died in the house.

Visitors tell of being shown through the Point Ellice by a young woman wearing a Victorian gown - when there was no such costumed guide on duty.

Next stop: Butchart Gardens, the Victoria area’s premier attraction.

Catch one of those sightseeing buses by the Empress for the 13-mile trip out to the gardens.

Almost 1 million visitors strolled through Butchart’s 50 acres last year. What they saw began as a bleak rock quarry back in 1904.

Robert Pim Butchart tore limestone from the pit until there was no more for his cement-manufacturing plant. Jenny Foster Butchart, his wife, had a better idea.

She ordered tons of topsoil from nearby farms to cover the floor of the old quarry, then dangled over the rock walls in a bosun’s chair to tuck sprigs of ivy into the crevices. Soon after came flowers planted by Mrs. Butchart.

Presto! A sunken garden.

The Butcharts are gone. But the masterpiece they created - the original sunken garden, a rose garden, a Japanese garden, an Italian garden and more - continue to delight.

The gardens are open every day of the year.

Best times to be here: Fireworks every Saturday night in July and August. Christmas lights and carolers during most of December.

After a busy day of sightseeing, stop in at Spinnakers Brew Pub (308 Catherine St.) for something cool.

As you enjoy a Scottish ale (brewed on the premises), you may hear the sad story about a solo swan in Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park.

The white swan is a widower. Its mate died a few months ago, and now the swan cruises alone in a pool bordered with weeping willow trees.

Someone cared enough to place a “Personal” in Monday Magazine, a local weekly: “Wanted - a suitable mate for a lonely swan.”

That’s Victoria.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go Getting there Ferries, tour vessels and airplanes carry visitors to Victoria from Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle and other points. By sea: Royal Victorian Ferry Victoria Line has daily vehicle and passenger service between Seattle and Victoria from mid-May to mid-October. Travel time is about 4 1/2 hours. Ferries depart Pier 48 in Seattle, and from Ogden Point in Victoria. One-way fares are $60 (Canadian) for car and driver; $27 for each additional adult. Phone: (206) 625-1880 (in Seattle) or (250) 480-5555 (in Victoria). BC Ferries Frequent crossings are scheduled between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland. Example: From Tsawwassen (near Vancouver, B.C.) to Swartz Bay (near Victoria) is a trip of about 1 1/2 hours. One way adult fares in peak season (June 22-Sept. 11) are $31.50 (Cdn) weekdays; $33.50 weekends for car and driver; $6.50 every day for each walk-on adult passenger. Phone: (250) 386-3431. Coho Ferry - Black Ball Transport’s vehicle and passenger ferry Coho operates between Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Port Angeles on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Crossing time is 90 minutes. One-way adult fares are $27 U.S. for car and driver; $6.50 for each walk-on passenger. Phone: (250) 386-2202 (in Victoria) or (206) 457-4491 (in Washington state). Victoria Clipper - fast, passengers-only vessels of the Clipper Navigation fleet commute between Seattle’s Pier 69 and Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Travel time is about three hours. One-way adult fares is $55.59 U.S. Phone: (800) 888-2535. By air: Horizon Air (800-547-9308) and Kenmore Air (800-543-9595) have daily flights between Seattle and Victoria. Air B.C. (800-776-3000) serves Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria airports. Major attractions Royal British Columbia Museum - downtown, near the Empress Hotel. Admission: $7 (Cdn) for adults; $2.14 for children, ages 6-18. Phone: (250) 387-3014. High tea at the Empress Hotel - daily at 12:30, 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m. Reservations recommended. Phone (250) 384-8111. Price: $25 (Cdn). Butchart Gardens - Open every day at 9 a.m.; closing times vary by seasons. Tickets range from $5-$14 (Cdn), depending on the season. Phone: (250) 652-5256. Craigdarroch Castle - Robert Dunsmuir, British Columbia’s first millionaire, built the lavish home (at 1050 Joan Crescent, in Victoria’s Rockland neighborhood) between 1887 and 1899, but died before his mansion was completed. His widow, Joan, resided in the castle until her death in 1908. Craigdarroch Castle now is a museum. Admission: $6 (Cdn) for adults; $5 for students, $2 for children age 11 or less. Phone: (250) 592-5323. Point Ellice House - The heritage home is open from Mother’s Day to Labor Day. Tea is served from noon to 4 p.m. Price for touring the house is $4 (Cdn); tea is $10. A combination ticket is available for $12. Phone: (250) 380-6506. Victoria Harbour Ferries - Summer hours for the 12-passenger ferries are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Point-to-point transportation in the Inner Harbour costs $2.50 (Cdn) for adults; $1.25 for children less than age 12. Tickets for sightseeing tours are priced from $10 (Cdn). Additional information Tourism Victoria, 812 Wharf St., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8W 1T3. Phone (250) 953-2033 for travel information; (800) 663-3883 for reservations. Vancouver Island’s Internet address is http://hunter.net/