The long awaited Vancouver Island

Hiya.

Ever since I first went to Vancouver about 20 years ago, I've been told I should have visited Victoria and the Buchart Gardens.  So here I am and rearing to go.  I had decided to do a whale watching tour on the way over to Victoria and spend a bit more time exploring the area rather than fly of take the usual direct ferry.  So I dragged myself out of bed, gobbled down some breakfast and hit the road/ water?  As luck would have it, there were only five passengers on a boat that would usually carry a lot more so we more or less got individual attention.  I was even more lucky to have calm seas - no sign of sea sickness, phew!  The crew on the boat were all very passionate young people who were very knowledgeable about wild life in the area and around the world.We headed off in search of orcas and on the way passed some of the many beautiful bay islands.  This would appear to be Vancouver's version of Coochie.

  We saw harbour seals and a bald eagle.  I know you marvel at my wildlife photography.  Just to be intimidating there was an Australian travel writer and photographer on board as well.  They haven't requested any of my shots yet,

It was a lovely, restful journey and it took quite a while for us to reach the whales.  And there they were right in front of us.  Apparently they were a pod of locals who feed and breed along the coast.  They did breach a couple of times and there were babies.  So....spot the whale.......

  Then it was time to head for Victoria and it didn't take very long to get there.  So goodbye to our crew and on with the usual routine of check in and get your bearings.

That afternoon I booked my trip to the Buchart Gardens and tried to book a trip out of town but no luck there so Victoria it is.  I went for a walk around, trusty map in hand, and started to feel comfortable about it all.  I had lunch at a famous bakery where there some American sailors.  Walked down the street and there were some Chinese sailors and then some Canadian sailors and then some English and even some Aussies.  So many men and women in uniform and all so young!  Do they take them before they finish high school these days?  As it turned out, it was the centenary of the Canadian Navy and they were there to help celebrate.  Over the next couple of days there were fly overs and marches and all sorts of official celebrations.

On my journey around Victoria I had noticed a modest little lodging overlooking the harbour called the Empress Hotel.  Apparently royalty and famous people stay there.  I thought my little room had much more of an individual charm about it, myself.  But I couldn't resist the invitation to have a cocktail on the Verandah, darling.  And of all things, they even had tasteful royal blue knee rugs to match my jeans.  How terriblair, terriblair thoughtful, don't you think?  The recommended cocktail was a 1908 to celebrate the opening of this quaint little place and it was quite nice.  Could have gone another one but....  well .... I was a bit short on small change.  I noticed an Australian couple standing in front of The Empress which is difficult to fit into a photo frame.  The husband was lining up the shot and the wife was leaning nonchalantly on a post saying through gritted teeth "Don't worry about the flag on top, Just take the photo!"  "Please take the photo!"

Victoria has some lovely old buildings and some very quaint shops.  There's a real touch of England about the place and the things in the shops.  There's plenty to explore and lots of interesting cafes, restaurants and shops.  Because Victoria is the capitol of British Columbia, their Parliament House is there as well.  There are great museums and galleries where you can learn more about their history and the indigenous people.  I went to the supermarket and bought some goodies for dinner which I ate by the harbour.  It's such a busy place - boats coming and going,a cruise liner in dock, little water taxis zooming back and forth across the harbour and water planes landing and taking off continually.  It's a hive of activity on land as well with little market stalls and buskers along the front and people strolling around.  There is a scenic walkway that will take you well beyond the downtown area with lovely views of the water.

The next morning I had a leisurely breakfast at my hotel and wandered down to the bus for my visit to the Buchart Gardens and there on the bus was Sandy, one of the crew from the day before.  So we joined forces for the trip.  Sandy had studied some horticulture but I was completely in the dark.  As I had been warned, the gardens are totally overwhelming.  They were started early last century by Jennie  Buchart.  Her husband had quarried limestone in the area for his cement plant and she decided to make something beautiful out of the quarry and the gardens grew and grew.  There is the Sunken Garden, the Rose Garden, The Japanese Garden, the Mediterranean Garden and the Italian Garden, sculpture made out of moss and a couple of fountains all in 55 acres of land with 50 gardeners.  It takes a long time to make your way around it and, by the time we reached the Mediterranean Garden, Sandy and I agreed we needed a gelato to keep our strength up.  Mmmm, maple and walnut.  It's impossible to represent the scale and beauty of the place in photos so I would recommend a visit for yourself if you haven't already been.

And finally a good shot of an orca doing its thing!

I had a wonderful salmon dinner with a delicious B.C. wine and then hit the sack.  The next day it was ferry to Seattle and train to Portland.  Friendship doesn't get any better than being met at the station at 9 pm and taken home.  Thanks Sue.

So that's my Canada adventure.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Lotsaluv

Carmel