Canada Trip Continues to Victoria B.C.

Entrance to Butchart Gardens

  This place was incredible.  We walked for hours and admired the beauty.  

I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden.

 As we came to the top of the ridge and looked down into this garden, Richard said, "I have seen this place before."  Then we realized that the jigsaw puzzle we did last Christmas was of this exact spot.

 These flowers were the size of dinner plates and four feet tall.  I can't get mine to grow that tall!

 Grady loves these monkey trees.

 The rose garden had labels on each rose saying the name and year it was cultivated.  I thought I would love the rose garden the most, but decided that roses look good only when they are in a bud and beginning to bloom.   

 Had to take this for our neighbor Rex.  Too bad there wasn't a flower blooming at the time.

 Entrance to the Japanese Gardens

 More moss

 This is a renovated private pier and harbor that was part of the Butchart's property.

On every Thursday night they have a band and dancing.  We decided after watching for a while that these people must all have been part of a dancing group.  We all really enjoyed watching them. 

 Downtown Victoria.

 The Empress Hotel was a very posh lavish hotel where many Presidents of the United States and the Queen of England and other royalty had stayed.  Their restaurant prepared everything fresh from their own gardens and even had their own beehives.  We just happened to be there when the head chef came out to get the honey for the day.  Dad being a beekeeper was surprised they didn't have on protective  hats and gloves.  We were told to have tea there and found that with tip and tax it would have been $90.00 per person.  We decided to pass on that.   

 Lots of totem poles everywhere we went.

 Victoria was celebrating their 150th birthday.

 Parliament Building.  In walking through and reading some of the displays we learned that the Queen of England is the Queen of Canada and Australia and New Zealand and a bunch of other countries.  I thought they were separate countries.  :)  Actually, she is the head of state, but not the head of the government, but still their queen.  

 It's a little bit hard to see but it says, Welcome To Victoria in flowers.

 Another fun double-decker bus with the Empress Hotel in the background.

 We rented canoes one afternoon and paddled around the harbor.

 On the ferry coming back to the U.S.  

 One stop in Friday Harbor.

 It was freezing cold but we watching the cars leave the ferry.

 Back in the U.S. 

Pike's Market in Seattle.

 Everyone watching them throw the fish.

 A randon picture....this was on an apartment building.