Vacation: Ferry to Victoria

The next day, I took the [ferry](http://www.bcferries.com) to Victoria on Vancouver Island. The ferry was a huge vessel which carried 200 plus cars and trucks on two decks. The ferry wound its way through the lovely Gulf Islands to Schwartz Bay on the north point of Saanich Peninsula, 30 minutes drive north of Victoria.

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My hotel, [Queen Victoria Hotel](http://www.queenvictoriainn.com/) was downtown, two blocks from the legislature building and the harbor. I originally planned to stay only one night in Victoria but I changed my mind and stayed an extra day.

That afternoon, I wandered around Victoria. Victoria’s downtown is compact and very walkable, wrapped around the Inner Harbour, with the Legislature Building, Empress Hotel, seaplane terminal, and lots of shops, restaurants, and bars.

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I walked to the top of Beacon Hill Park, which was behind the hotel. It had a view of the Olympic Mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.