Day 4 HOT RODS, CASTLES AND MUSEUMS

Today we ventured out about 10 am and headed Downtown where we spent the day.

There is a car show in town this weekend called Deuce Days.  We began seeing the cars parading up and down the streets yesterday, but today they took over the town, especially near the major hotels.  The ann

ual event began some twenty five years ago and is held in Victoria every three years.   It has grown to  1400 + vehicles, hot rods and restored oldies from nearly every state in the USA, Canada and around the world.  Jim was in 7th heaven... reliving his childhood.  He could name every make and model we saw!  Nothing wrong with his memory today.

But, before we began walking through the cars, we visited the Craigdarroch Castle.  Located near the downtown,  built in the late 1800's by the coal barron Robert Dunsmuir for his family.  They arrived penniless from Scotland and after discovering a rich deposit of coal, became one of the riches and most influential people in BC.  After both the husband and wife died the property was sold and later used for Veterans in WWI, a music school, a college and government offices until it was finally restored to it's original condition in 1890's and became a tourist destination .  The views from the 4th floor are of all of Victoria and the bay.  Truly a walk back in time.

Walked to the nearby Art Museum of Greater Victoria for a selection of work by  artists, mostly modern.  The museum is attached to another old home that gave us another glimpse  of the past.  The woodwork in both of these homes was amazing.   I enjoyed the yard the most. I would say very Japanese in design with a Japanese  Shinto Village Shrine as the focal point. 

Caught a bus to Douglas, the main street in the downtown . Grabbed a late lunch and then another bus to the Royal BC Museum and their IMAX Theater to watch the Story of Bears in Alaska, narrated by Ryan Reynolds.  We hope to see this scene in real life when we fly into the backcountry in Alaska.

The rest of our day was visiting the port of Victoria and walking among the cars lining the streets near the Government  buildings and taking hundreds of photos.  Arrived home by bus about 6 pm .  Cooked our dinner at home and enjoyed... what else.... a couple of hours of "The Good Wife".  Hope you've enjoyed our day in Victoria on the Southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.