Victoria, BC

Over Labor Day we went to Victoria, BC. This was our 2nd trip there but we saw a lot more of the city this time. We bought tickets for the on off bus. You could get on and off at any stop any time. So we were able to see a lot of the city without as much walking as before.
We went to quite a few little shops. One of them was a Converse Shoe store. They had pretty much any style of converse you could ask for. (Christmas shopping) Do you see a pair you just can't wait to have?
Craigdarroch Castle was another place we went. It was built between 1887-1890 for Robert Dunsmuir, who made his fortune from Vancouver Island coal. It was a 28 acre estate. They had 2 sons and 8 daughters. One fact that we noticed was how wealthy the family was, yet all the children except the youngest daughter, turned to alcoholism and other destructive addictions. It shows that money can't buy happiness. The castle was amazing knowing when it was built. They are still in the process of restoring it.
The Parliament Building is a beautiful building that over looks Victoria's waterfront. A 25 year old architect drew the plans for the building. We went on a tour and it was very interesting.
In Chinatown there's a gate that goes across the road that the Chinese government gave to the city. There's a statue of a lion on one side. They were told that when an honest politician walks by, the Lion would become real. (I guess they don't have any more honest politicians than we do)