Visiting Victoria

 Today was our last full day in Canada before we board the Disney Wonder for the second half of this vacation and we decided to spend on Vancouver Island.

We were up early and out the door at 6:15ish to catch the 7:00 am ferry to Vancouver Island. We barely made it in time and were put on Standby, but fortunately, there was room and we drove on to the ferry. It was a 90-minute cruise to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island.

Our first excursion once off the ferry was Butchart Gardens. These lovely gardens were a 20-year project envisioned, designed, and nurtured by Jennie Butchart whose husband started a cement plant on the island. A limestone quarry was her backyard, and when the quarry had been depleted of its limestone, she set out to turn it into a sunken garden. Over the years, she added other gardens including a Japanese garden, an Italian garden, a rose garden, and a Meditteranean garden. The gardens have remained in the family for over 100 years with the younger generations adding their own touches such as a carousel, a children's lawn, concerts, and fireworks.

My two favorite gardens were the Sunken Garden and the Japanese Garden. The Sunken garden was gorgeous bursting with color from the many flower varieties alongside ferns and other assorted plants. I kept thinking, I would love a miniature version of this in my backyard. The view from the top looked like a beautiful quilt of color and as you walked down the stairs into the garden, you entered a magical world that transported you to another place.

After the Sunken Garden, we took a ride on the carousel which had really interesting animals to ride. I rode the giraffe, David rode an ostrich, and Joe rode a bunny. The creatures were painted with a whimsical flair and the ride was a lot of fun. Then it was a quick stroll through the fragrant Rose Garden.

The next stop was the Japanese Garden which was planted along the coastline right next to the Butchart's private dock. The Japanese Gardens were tranquil and beautiful. Although there were no flowers (traditional Japanese gardens don't normally have them), the foliage, trees, and babbling brook with little bridges were lovely. I could have sat on a bench all day and enjoyed the peaceful space.

We had an afternoon tea at the impressive Butchart residence. We sat in the breakfast room overlooking the Italian Garden. The tea had a nice assortment of savory and sweet items. We told the waitress that we were not fish eaters so she didn't bring us the albacore tuna or salmon sandwiches. But sadly, David still didn't like any of the other savory items which included quiche, sausage roll, cucumber sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, and egg salad. He commented that he wished there had been a peanut butter and jelly or cheese sandwich. Ironically, when we were finishing up, we heard the waitress tell a parent that there was a child's menu that included peanut butter and jelly! David did enjoy the Wildberry Trifle, cranberry scone, and the many little sweet desserts. My tea, called Teaberry Blend was yummy. Joe had Bachelor Button and David had the 100th Anniversary tea. This was not something either would have chosen, but I loved having afternoon tea with my sons in such a lovely place and I was stuffed when we left.

We finished up at Butchart Gardens and drove into Victoria to see Craigdarroch Castle. It isn't really a castle, but it is definitely much bigger than it looks from the outside. Four floors with an amazing history the "castle" was built as a home for Robert Dunsmuir a coal baron. Sadly, he died before it was completed in 1890, but his widow Joan Dunsmuir moved in with three of her ten children and some grandchildren. She only enjoyed the home for 18 years before she also died. Her family could not afford to keep the home, so it was auctioned off and was used as a military hospital, a college, school board offices, and a music conservatory. It fell into disrepair and was eventually deemed a National Historic Site and placed under the care of a non-profit to renovate and repair. There were 30 different areas/rooms to look at. Some had been restored to their original condition while others have been left to tell the other chapters in its history. I was so engrossed in this museum, that I lost track of time. As a result, we weren't able to see the Inner Harbor but instead raced back to the terminal to catch our 5:00 pm ferry for the ride back to Vancouver.

Tonight David and I are doing laundry and then it's off to bed. We board the ship at 12:00 pm, but we still have at least one thing to do before then, Fly Over Canada!

I keep forgetting to mention that my son, David has a blog and you can read it at Favorite Son's Spiel