Unlike all the other days we have been traveling, we hauled ourselves out of bed at 6 a.m. so that we could make the early ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC. Everything went fine, and we debarked from the ferry at 9:30 a.m., a 1 1/2 hour ride. We read during the trip, as the morning was foggy, and there wasn't much to see.
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| The capitol |
When we arrived in Victoria, our first order of business was to find somewhere to park. We were lucky enough to find free on-street parking close to the center of the city, and Ray used his legendary parallel parking skills to snag the space for us (he really is a pro). We headed for the provincial capitol building, a huge building facing the harbor, and diagonally across the street from the Empress Hotel, a 477 room luxury hotel. As we approached the front of the capital, we were asked if we'd like tickets for the next morning tour. We accepted and a few minutes later, we were brought into the capitol building where a guide explained British Columbia's government, and some of the more interesting historical and architectural features of the building. As part of her explanation of the room where the parliament sits, she introduced "Queen Victoria", a actress portraying the queen. Her performance really added to the tour, as she joined us at two other parts of the tour.
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| Ray on the Pallada |
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| The Pallada--Russian tall ship |
After our tour of the parliament building, we headed over to check out the Empress, one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria. While lounging in the upstairs lobby, we perused the local newspaper, to find that the tall sailing ship we had seen in the harbor when we arrived was open to the public for free tours. That was our next stop. After waiting in line for about a half hour, we were allowed to board the ship, a Russian ship for training sailors. It also promotes the contributions Russians made through their cosmonaut program, and to the exploration of and settlement in North America. The Russian sailors looked so young--a reminder of how so many of the soldiers and sailors around the world are really kids.
By this time, we thought that we'd head to our lodging for the night in Saanich, a town about 20 miles north of Victoria, and about 10 minutes from Butchart Gardens, our final stop for the day. We checked in, had a bite to eat, and then set out for the Gardens.
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| One of the perfectly designed and manicured beds at Butchart |
We judge most gardens we have visited by comparison to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, a gorgeous oasis. Butchart Gardens is the absolute equal of Longwood, and a different kind of garden. Butchart is truly a classic garden, planted beds EVERYWHERE. We heard that they employed 600 gardeners during the summer. The expertise with which the garden was planned is startling. Each bed has been carefully designed to incorporate complementary colors, textures, sizes, shapes of flowering plants. Every walk is lined with a dazzling array of flowers. The begonias were amazing, the rose garden spectacular. This place is absolutely exquisite.
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| The Sutcliffes--Beatles tribute band at Butchart |
Today the garden also had entertainment in the form of a Beatles tribute band that played on a bandstand fronted by banks of benches and lawn. The band was a treat--joking with the audience, and inviting participation. A bunch of kids were dancing near the stage. We laughed and sang along, and generally had a great time.
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| Fireworks |
To cap the day, the Gardens were hosting a fireworks display in the evening. Their fireworks turned out to be a combination of low and high level pyrotechnics. Many of the effects were unique--we had never seen anything like them: fireworks that were fixed in place and that incorporated movement, shot off to accompanying music.
By the end of the day, we were pooped, having had a full and fabulous day. Tomorrow we head to a ferry that will take us out of British Columbia back to Washington via a different route.
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