49.6

Back in 1900...joking!

I shot this in front of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, Victoria. I was lucky to catch this horse-drawn carriage with the rider in her typical clothe. There were no modern cars around and someshow that scene reminded me of a memorable old time family portrait (despite the guy with the cap and sunglass). But I must confess that the choice for the sepia with the old look effect was due to the horrible light conditions. It was shot at noon, against the sun and the camera metering put the foreground to a complete darkness. I worked hard to manage that but at the end the result was...let's say not suitable for posting in here.

British Columbia Parliament Buildings

The BC Parliament Buildings in Victoria were constructed in 1893 by a young 25 year old creative architect, imagine that - just 25, by the name of Francis Rattenbury in honor of celebrating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Arguments arose of course, but soon the controversy was put aside and the Parliament Buildings were finally completed in 1915 with great anticipation. The Province of British Columbia now had an official residence for the B.C. Parliament and a home for the Provincial Legislation to assemble and discuss ways of boosting the lagging local economy at the time.

Francis Rattenbury and his crew focused the construction of the BC Parliament Buildings using, as much as possible, local materials, resources and expertise - supporting the local businesses was very important then and it is still now. Granite rock foundations were brought in from nearby Nelson Island, the site facades locally imported from Haddington Island and much of the local brick, lime and Douglas Fir were from Vancouver Island.

Even back then, Victoria BC dealt with construction over runs and controversy as the construction costs ballooned to just under 1 Million Dollars opposed to the $600,000 budgeted for the project.
The BC Parliament Buildings, today, run visitor tours daily during the summer months. Usually the tours run between May long weekend and Labour Day long weekend in September. All tour times should be confirmed as tour times can alter.

Horse-drawn carriage

One of the best ways to see Victoria is via a horse-drawn carriage. Relaxing, totally informative, and actually a lot of fun! You get to see where the locals live, can visit the city's best park (Beacon Hill), or view the beautiful scenery along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The carriages can pick you up/drop you off at local hotels and/or restaurants. Tally-Ho Carriage Tours is Victoria's oldest running transportation company (since 1903).