Victoria – Day 16

I will start this as, this was Carol’s day.  We went to Butchart Gardens.
Coming from Ontario, husband and wife, Robert and Jennie Butchart moved to Vancouver Island to build a cement plant on a rich limestone deposit at Tod Inlet in 1904.  In 1912, as cement production exhausted the limestone deposits, Jennie envisioned a grand garden in its place and began transferring top soil by horse and cart. Little by little, the quarry blossomed into today’s Sunken Garden. Between 1906 and 1929, the Butcharts expanded The Gardens, designing the Japanese Garden on the seaside, the Italian Garden on their former tennis court and the fragrant, overflowing Rose Garden. Gifted The Gardens on his 21st birthday, grandson Ian Ross transformed them into the world-renowned attraction we know today, adding outdoor concerts and night lighting in the summers, and the Magic of Christmas in the winters. Beginning in 1977, great-grandson Christopher began producing a choreographed firework show every year. In 2009, his sister, and current owner of The Gardens, Robin added the Children’s Pavilion and Menagerie Carousel. Two Totem Poles were carved in Classic Coast Salish style by Master Carvers Charles Elliot of the Tsartlip Nation and Doug La Fortune of Tsawout Band, and dedicated on September 9th, 2004 not only to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Butchart Gardens but also in recognition of the rich cultural heritage provided by Indigenous People.  Today, The Butchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada.
So the following are the images from the gardens.  I am not including the hundreds of individual flowers, but there are still a ton of images here.  You can jump ahead to Chinatown and other Victoria images below if flowers do not interest you.
Carol Chan and his mom   Mikey

OK I lied, but only a little bit.
OK – I’m hungry and we headed off to Chinatown for Dim Sum.  I haven’t had this since I left California.    Our Restaurant –
Chan’s sister joined and helped order for us.  So we got to meet these two important ladies in his life.    It was our pleasure.
Then a walk through China town and down to the wharf area on our own.  Chan walked Carol back to the hotel, so I could go explore.  Thanks Chan.
Fan tan alley.
And though she wasn’t with me on this trip – this is for Becky.


Bastion Square is located in the heart of downtown. The ceremonial entry arch, located at View and Government Streets, welcomes visitors to the original site of old Fort Victoria. The square looks out on the Inner Harbor and boasts some of the finest restaurants, pubs, and cafes in Victoria.
This statue the sailor has a newspaper that declares the end of World War II on his lap.   Celebrating 100 years of the Canadian Navy.
The Empress Hotel   A map showing where we were – Vancouver and where we are Victoria and just across the bay is the USA.