Our home is located in James Bay, an historic area of Victoria. The downtown with its many shops and restaurants is a 10 minute walk north from the house. This stroll passes the historical legislative building and the famous Empress hotel on the inner harbour. During the summer months this area is very active with tourists and street entertainers. There are many cultural attractions in the downtown: theatres, cinemas and concert halls. A 5 minute walk south takes you to Dallas Road which follows the ocean along a walkway with stunning vistas of the sea and the snow capped Olympic Mountains in Washington State in the U S. Around the corner from our home is the famous 140 acre Beacon Hill Park with its walkways, ponds, ducks, peacocks, herons and a child petting zoo as well as a putting green. The park has many trees hundreds of years old, a rose garden and ever-changing flower beds.

Victoria is noted for its year round liveable climate with mild winters, often snow free. It is a garden city with the foliage green year round. It has an abundance of golf courses, tennis courts, lawn bowling facilities, cricket pitches, rugby fields, parks and many attractions close at hand. These include the world famous Butchart Gardens, numerous beaches and campgrounds on Vancouver Island where the city is located. Many English style double deck buses cruise Victoria’s city streets and we are often described as a most English city.