It may be a little lengthy to get there - three hour ferry ride from Seattle - but Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island is well worth even just a day trip. My friend Ellie and I started very early in the morning and hardly made the ferry because of epic I-5 traffic. There is nothing like running to catch a boat to start a trip off on the right foot. We took the Victoria Clipper, which is pricier than the Washington State Ferry (WSF), but much more convenient since the WSF doesn't go to Victoria but instead goes to another port on Vancouver Island. The easiest part of the clipper was that we were able to book a package that included ferry passage, a day tour, and hotel. The trip up Puget Sound was quite smooth although I didn't risk going without motion sickness medicine, which turned out to be a good move as the water got rough as we moved from the sound to the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. Once we arrived in Victoria, we seamlessly got on a bus for our day tour.
The tour gave us some highlights of Victoria and Vancouver Island as we headed to the famous Butchart Gardens. The gardens were created by Jennie Butchart on her and her husband's property outside of Victoria. While the Japanese, Italian, and rose gardens are all beautiful, no garden I have ever seen is as breathtaking as the sunken garden. The sunken garden was created in the depleted limestone pit (Mr. Butchart was in the cement business) when tons of topsoil was brought in at the beginning of the twentieth century to cover the dug up pit. The result is an enormous hole filled with a garden. The effect is a lush oasis. We entered the garden by descending a grand cement staircase. Throughout the space were several ponds, raised beds, trees, waterfalls, and secret sitting areas. There is even a huge rock in the center of the garden (the limestone that was of inferior quality) with another cement staircase that can be ascended for a bird's eye view. It brought to mind what Eden may have looked like although Eden was probably a lot sunnier.
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(Left to Right - Italian Garden, entrance to Rose Garden, and Japanese Garden. Photos by E. Pittinger)
After our garden tour, we had a brief rest at the hotel then headed out to see Victoria. There is an obvious British influence in the city from the various old-style pubs to the architecture. Government street is reminiscent of many of Britain's high streets with plenty of shops and restaurants. There are also many tea shops and places to get high tea. The Empress Hotel is the premiere place for high tea but was a little above our price range at $66 a person. Instead, we had tea at Murchie's Coffee Shop where I had a delicious apricot tea and raspberry tart. After an afternoon of shopping, we had a great fish and chips dinner (the best I have ever had) at Red Fish Blue Fish. The fish stand is tucked in the harbor and has only outdoor seating, but the product is delicious. It was a bit cold to sit by the water, but we did it anyway to get the full effect.
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The tour gave us some highlights of Victoria and Vancouver Island as we headed to the famous Butchart Gardens. The gardens were created by Jennie Butchart on her and her husband's property outside of Victoria. While the Japanese, Italian, and rose gardens are all beautiful, no garden I have ever seen is as breathtaking as the sunken garden. The sunken garden was created in the depleted limestone pit (Mr. Butchart was in the cement business) when tons of topsoil was brought in at the beginning of the twentieth century to cover the dug up pit. The result is an enormous hole filled with a garden. The effect is a lush oasis. We entered the garden by descending a grand cement staircase. Throughout the space were several ponds, raised beds, trees, waterfalls, and secret sitting areas. There is even a huge rock in the center of the garden (the limestone that was of inferior quality) with another cement staircase that can be ascended for a bird's eye view. It brought to mind what Eden may have looked like although Eden was probably a lot sunnier.
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| Sunken Garden |
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After our garden tour, we had a brief rest at the hotel then headed out to see Victoria. There is an obvious British influence in the city from the various old-style pubs to the architecture. Government street is reminiscent of many of Britain's high streets with plenty of shops and restaurants. There are also many tea shops and places to get high tea. The Empress Hotel is the premiere place for high tea but was a little above our price range at $66 a person. Instead, we had tea at Murchie's Coffee Shop where I had a delicious apricot tea and raspberry tart. After an afternoon of shopping, we had a great fish and chips dinner (the best I have ever had) at Red Fish Blue Fish. The fish stand is tucked in the harbor and has only outdoor seating, but the product is delicious. It was a bit cold to sit by the water, but we did it anyway to get the full effect.
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Early in the evening, we headed back to our hotel, the James Bay Inn, an old style hotel on the more residential side of the harbor. The hotel must have been very comfortable because I was asleep by 8:30!!
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