Victoria - Past & Present

While in Victoria, we took a self-guided tour of the beautiful Parliament Building with its lovely dome.  We were greeted by a receptionist who kindly shared with us the system of government in British Columbia; I guess we missed that in U.S. government class at school.  As we understand it, the Premier (our Governor counterpart) is a member of the Executive Council (Cabinet) along with the Assembly of Legislators.  The Premier recommends appointments to the Executive Council, which handles business through a committee system.  We found an interesting connection with the past when we took our dinghy along Victoria’s Gorge Waterway.  We happened upon a small dock with a posted sign for the “Point Ellice House” built in 1861.  The house turned out to be the home of Judge Peter O’Reilly who was a member of the first Executive Council of British Columbia during the formative years of the Province.  The home inspired our imagination but has been neglected and is in need of repair.  We also learned more about the past at the impressive Royal B.C. Museum, which includes First Nations artifacts, natural history, and pioneer history.  A visit to Fisherman’s Wharf brought us once again to the present, strolling around the nice marina and collection of houseboats, some of which are shops and eateries.  We leave Victoria tomorrow to continue our journey northward.

Peter O’Reilly Historic Home