After more than 24 hours of travelling on everything from an A380 to a small twin-prop Alaskan Airlines plane, yesterday evening (Pacific Time US & Canada) I arrived in Victoria.

Located on Vancouver Island, Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, with a population of just over 80,000 people.[1] As someone travelling from Victoria (the state), Australia to Victoria, BC, I was interested to see a statue of the British explorer Captain James Cook directly opposite my hotel. His profile was instantly recognisable, even from a distance.

I have since discovered Cook was the first non-aboriginal man to set foot on what is now British Columbia in 1778,[2] eight years after he lead the first recorded European visit to the East coast of Australia. Apart from anything, this shows how little I know of Canada’s past. So today I am looking forward to finding out more about British Columbia, its people and its history with a visit to the Royal BC Museum (though sadly I just missed the Aboriginal Cultural Festival – yesterday was National Aboriginal Day in Canada).

Other than that, I’m going to spend the day getting a feel for the city. And I’m going to head to Centennial Square for some free jazz, as part of the Victoria International JazzFest, which runs until 29 June. Stay tuned.

The Empress, Victoria, BC

My home for the week, the beautiful Empress hotel, Victoria, BC.

[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Victoria, British Columbia,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria,_British_Columbia&oldid=613918911 (accessed 22 June 2014).

[2] ‘History,’Victoria, British Columbia, Full of Life, Tourism Victoria, http://www.tourismvictoria.com/plan/about-victoria/history/ (accessed 22 June 2014).