glimpses of Victoria

 Our first stop was a visit to Victoria's Butterfly Gardens.  The adults were a little disappointed with it although the tour and visit was the right length of time for children, especially following two flights.

 

This is a view of Victoria's Provincial Legislature from the viewpoint of the front of Empress.

It seems that no trip to Victoria is complete without a visit to the beautiful Butchart Gardens.  It was worth the admission to visit as we gasped in awe at the beauty of the Sunken Gardens.  It was impressive reclamation of land which used to be a mine until it was abandoned and converted into the gardens.  Much to our surprise, the girls were enthusiastic about walking through the gardens and K visited each one (but N didn't visit the Japanese Garden as her feet were sore).   The girls were delighted by the Carousel but didn't pay much mind to the nearby totem poles which were made traditionally by First Nations in parts of British Columbia.

We visited the nearby Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site.  The Fort itself wasn't terribly interesting as it was not engaged in any particular battle although it served active duty until after World War II.  The nearby lighthouse was a worthwhile visit as it described what life would have been like for the families who worked and lived in the lighthouse and was quite interactive for children.

We lucked out by encountering a Cadillac reunion at Fort Rodd.  This was my favorite from the early 1950s!

I didn't have much time for sightseeing as I was at a conference.  Near the end of our stay, we visited Fisherman's Wharf as part of a Harbour Tour.  It never occurred to me that people set up residence in boats on the West Coast!  It was very picturesque!