Friday August 4 – Victoria, British Columbia

We had a 7am breakfast then we were all on the bus by 8.30am for a tour of the city then off to Butchart Gardens, a drive of about an hour through lovely countryside, if a little dry (the heat). We noticed a lot of blackberries growing wild along the edges of properties and by the roadside. 

harbour from our room

army property, for cadets

The Gardens were created back in the early 1900s out of an old quarry by a husband and wife couple (Robert and Jennie Butchart) who believed it could be done. The sunken gardens, created around their home (which is now café and gift shop) are made up of walks, hidden gardens immense floral displays, grove of trees and shrubs, ponds, fountains, water courses, and so on. We spent two hours here and were delighted at every turn by what we saw. We still find it incredulous that lantana is cultivated over here, but of course it doesn’t grow rampant like it does in Australia. It is quite an attractive plant here.

lantana!

creature made from moss

bumble bee collecting pollen

China town in Victoria

Before we went to lunch we rang Roberta, our friend from the 2014 river cruise. She and Gordon actually live about 2 hrs north of Victoria, so we won’t be able to catch up while we are here (but still planning for catch up on Aug 30). In the afternoon we all went off on our Scenic Free Choice activities for the afternoon. We had chosen Whale Watching, so boarded the boat for a three hour trip. We had success, seeing humpback whale, and seals. It was most enjoyable, and exciting when whales were spotted, especially when close by.

Boat we went out on. We sat up the front. Was cold so Stuart went around to the back.

learning about kelp. We tasted some

Fairmont Empress

 Once back, we walked 20 minutes or so to Fishermen’s Wharf for a fish and chips dinner. It was nice. It is a very popular area, many people dining hen we did and a great many more arriving when we left. The wharf is home to a number of floating homes too, of varying sizes and heights. We walked past these, trying to be respectful and not stare inside too much.

The harbour is a very busy one, with little Popeye-type water taxis bustling here and there, whale-watching boats going in and out, ferries in and out to various ports, and float planes using it as a runway. There is a busy little international airport on the harbour, with planes going to US as well as Canadian ports.

the harbour airport

We walked back to the main harbour where there was a market nearby. 

Seagulls bathing in a fountain. They are much bigger than ones in Aus.

setting sun seen through smoke haze

 On Friday nights (and Saturdays too) everyone comes out for the evening. A movie is shown on the lawns in front of Parliament House, so its lights are turned off for this time (it is normally lit up). We wandered around, visiting shops (and buying some things) and generally soaking up the vibes. A very pleasant evening.

Crystal chandelier in the hotel. Quite spectacular