After Dark in Old Town - Market Square

When Swans Hotel was built in 1913 it was as an extension of the grain business developed by the Peden Brothers and carried on in what is now Market Square. In the photo above you can see Swans Hotel on the far left. The photo is of the "front" of Market Square that faces the harbour. Market square is now home to many shops, boutiques and restaurants. The interior of the square (below) is used for many different kinds of events throughout the year though it is pretty quiet in the winter. Click HERE to visit the Market Square website.

Christmas Festivities Downtown

As we rushed around town getting a few last minute things done for the the BIG DAY we were lucky enough to come across this dance performance in Market Square by the ZarYevka Ballet performing the "Nutcracker Sweet" with music by Tchaikovsky. It was entrancing and well appreciated by the crowd that had braved the rain and traffic to enjoy this little bit of holiday magic. - Fern

Yum!

Saturday morning we headed downtown for a treat; waffles! Wannawafel in Market Square serves up them up freshly baked with a choice of toppings. I went for the fruit and whipped cream and my breakfast partner went for the whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Delicious!

Brad Prevedoros

I was lucky yesterday to stumble upon a performance in Market Square by Brad Prevedoros. I am often amazed at the immense talent displayed by local performers and this guitarist was no exception. It was really a joy to listen to his crisp, polished renditions - note-perfect but also performed with subtlety and sensitivity. Check out his website where you can listen to some clips from his recordings. Below is a YouTube video featuring this artist.

Ballerina

After voting in yesterday's election I went downtown to Market Square for lunch at my favorite vegan restaurant, Green Cuisine. And, as so often happens, Market Square provided an excellent photo op as a troupe of ballerinas pirouetted across the stage at the bidding of a videographer. I liked the way the grace and poise of this dancer were spotlighted by an errant sunbeam.

Market Square

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Market Square deserves a post of its own. There's a bit of mystery attached to Market Square. Here's a venue that appears to have everything going for it. It's all 19th century heritage brick that has been well-restored and it's located right on the edge of the heaviest tourist track. Yet it is largely deserted with many of its retail spaces empty and few long-time tenants. One tenant (now moved elsewhere) confided in me that the rent was so high it was difficult to make any money. But I suspect the problem has more to do with Victoria's weather. There is a local mind-set that refuses to recognize that Victoria is a cold place and persists in wondering why people don't throng to outdoor venues in mid-winter. The malls are full because they are warm and well-lighted. Put a transparent roof on this place and warm it up a bit and I'll bet it would begin to attract people. As it is....

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MKHansen asks in a comment on the above photo, "What did you do to this picture? - It looks almost like a painting." so I'll have to confess to doing a bit of post-processing with Photomatix HDR. While many people still don't like HDR processing, I become more enamored of it every day, though my use of it is still quite heavy-handed. To me, the HDR treated photo above looks more like what I was seeing when I took the photo than what traditional processing produces. In the (same) photo below, the left side is the normal digital output and while the right side has been processed with HDR. What I like about this is the way the HDR treatment rescues the blown-out highlights of the original and lightens the darker areas.

Green Cuisine

There are only two genuinely vegetarian restaurants in Victoria, Green Cuisine and The Lotus Pond. I eat at both from time to time though I generally prefer Green Cuisine. I'll do a post on The Lotus Pond some day so today I'll just write a little about Green Cuisine. It's located in Market Square, in the heart of the oldest part of Victoria. (Market Square also deserves a post of its own - but later!) Green Cuisine serves a delicious cafeteria style selection of soups, salads and entrees. One selects what one wants and pays by weight. The food is what I would call eclectic fusion - vegetarian recipes from around the world, and some from out of this world - especially the desserts. It's hard to find good vegan desserts and the tofu mousses and cheesecakes here are simply beyond compare. I had lunch here today - a bowl of yam and garbanzo soup, a chunk of focaccia bread and a chocolate cheesecake. $5.90

Downtown II

This intersection is at the bottom of Johnson Street. Coming in from the left is Store Street. On the right when it leaves the intersection it has become Wharf Street. Behind me as I took the photo is the Johnson Street Bridge. The building on the left is Market Square. On the far right is the Salvation Army building that houses their thrift store and provides other social services to people in need. Further up Johnson is the colorful Paper Box Building and arcade. Yesterday's photo was taken on Yates Street, one block over from Johnson Street, on the right.

Market Square Ballet

Like many other cities, summer in Victoria is a time for lots of outdoor entertainment of all kinds. Sometimes there are so many things happening at the same time it is difficult to choose where to go and what to see. Often I stumble on events by chance like this ballet performance in Market Square. I had gone there to eat at my favorite vegetarian restaurant, Green Cuisine. Halfway through my meal my attention was drawn by classical music from outside and when I looked, I saw these graceful dancers.

Victoria's Chinatown - Fisgard Street

Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest and was for many years the largest in Canada. Vancouver's is now much larger but Victoria's Chinatown is still a thriving and busy part of the city. It's a great place to shop for Asian foods and there are many interesting shops, boutiques and, of course, restaurants. Chinese immigrants first settled in the area during the gold rush era in 1858 and soon occupied much of what is now downtown Victoria. Canadians of Chinese ethnic origin still form one of the largest non-European populations in Canada and, after English and French, Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the country.

In the center background you can see the tile roof of the glorious gate to Chinatown, donated by Victoria's sister city in China, Suzhou.

The photograph of the camelia below was taken in Market Square, one block over from Fisgard Street.