Victoria, British Columbia: A Day Trip

June 12, 1982

From the sweaters we’re wearing in the pictures that follow, I can only guess that it was a cool, summer day on which we took the Princess Marguerite II from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The city that serves as the capital of British Columbia was originally named Fort Victoria. It was founded in 1842 by James Douglas, who was charged with the task of setting up a trading post on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. And so it was that Victoria became the first European settlement to be established on the island.

Though I may be a bit hazy about the weather that day, I clearly remember that we enjoyed the boat trip through Puget Sound and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I also clearly recall that we had a wonderful time roaming about the Inner Harbor of Victoria. In fact, by the time we were back aboard the ship for the return trip to Seattle, we were already making plans to come back for a longer visit.

Sailing out of Seattle aboard Princess Marguerite II.
(Space Needle in the background)

On the way to Victoria, BC.

Docked in the Inner Harbor of Victoria.
(Empress Hotel in the background)

A meandering walk in the Inner Harbor …

… leads us to Laurel Point where we watch PM II
as it prepares to steam back to Seattle.

From 1949 to 1989, PM II provided passenger service
between Victoria and Seattle.

Tally Ho!
A horse-drawn wagon tour provides an orientation to the sights.

Once inside the Undersea Gardens, visitors are under the Pacific Ocean.

The Fairmont Empress puts on a nice afternoon tea.
At the time, it was a bit too rich for our pocketbook.

Mui hobnobbing with royalty at the Royal London Wax Museum.
(the first Madame Tussaud Museum in North America)

The Classic Car Museum
(no website; so I assume the museum is no more)

Mui hobnobbing with Clark Cable.
(1941 Packard Super 8)

The original Parliament buildings (1859) were replaced by
the current sandstone buildings in 1898, one year after
Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

The stained glass windows were made in Leeds, England.
They were shipped to Victoria in molasses.

“Two to Travel” really did make it to Victoria together.

Now, talk about a real blast from the past …

Having fun on the PM II on the return trip to Seattle.

Here’s something else I recall clearly from this day — Mui lost the car!!! OK, so he didn’t really lose it; he misplaced it temporarily. When we disembarked the Princess Marguerite II in Seattle, I waited at the ferry landing, while Mui went to get the car from the parking structure. I waited, and I waited, and I waited. This was before the time of cell phones, so I had no way of reaching him. Nor did I know where he’d parked the car, so I couldn’t go find him. After what seemed like an interminable wait, he finally drove up to the ferry landing. With a sheepish look, he explained that he couldn’t remember which level he’d parked the car on. So, he waited for the structure to empty out and then went looking for it floor by floor. Smart solution; but next time, just pay attention to where you’re parking Mui.

(Before I posted this blog entry, I searched the web to see if PM II was still running. It was apparently taken out of service permanently in 1989. If interested, click here for the history of the ship.)