This day was an excursion for us. We read so much about Vancouver Island and the city on it called Victoria that we really wanted to fit it into our trip! Getting to see Bouchart Gardens was an added bonus for sure!
We got up really early and were picked up at our hotel. Super friendly bus driver - it was a smaller bus so it only had a few families and we didn't really spend the day together - just travel (which was good!)
We drove over an hour to where the ferry goes to Vancouver Island.
HERE is a little more on that island. One of the things I love about adventure type vacations (with a lot of luxury thrown in) is that my girls get to see lots of different parts of this beautiful world. I know, there is so so much and this is just a little teeny tiny bit, but I love that they are seeing and experiencing different things.
The ferry was actually huge! It had a huge store that we explored and all of the cars (floors and floors of them) drove right on. So fun!
We relaxed, talked, people watched, and snacked for about 1.5 hours until we landed.
Then that same mini bus drove right off of the ferry and in about 30 minutes we were in the city of Victoria!
The first thing I noticed were the flowers. Stunning, colorful, elegant beauty!
And see that hotel in the background? Oh I want to stay there someday! If only it wasn't 3 plane rides, bus rides, and ferry rides away from home.
A perfect sunny and not warm day -- a just right day for shorts and a sweater. My favorite kind of weather in the summer.
We decided to have lunch overlooking the water and while Scott was getting the table, Anna and I walked around a bit to take some photos.
We ate right down there - under those orange umbrellas. So fun.
After lunch it was time to explore the streets of Victoria.
Love this one of Scott navigating the streets and the hats on my girls.
and our first stop as an ice cream shoppe that dipped in chocolate -- and they had V E G A N for Abigail. (she has a serious dairy allergy)
The oldest Chinatown in Canada is right there in downtown Victoria.
I fell in love with this Chinese Public School.
I would have loved to walk around in there - just a peek through the gate was not enough!
We walked around the Empress a while. Wish we could have had high tea there.
But we had one more stop on Vancouver Island -- the Boutchart Gardens -- and they were spectacular!
This was one stop my Dad said not to miss. Although he'd never been he seen, heard, read about this most famous gardens in the world!
HERE is the website on The Butchart Gardens
They were truly impossible to photograph. Impossible to capture the depth, the color, the beauty. I honestly just took pictures to remember if we look back at them.
After a day of perfection it was time to head back over the ferry to the city of Vancouver. We got back to our hotel around 10:00 PM. So worth every moment.
And we saw some spectacular sunsets too!
