Category: Beyond the Olympic Peninsula

Garden delights

The weather forecast was favorable for a trip to Butchart Gardens even if it was early to enjoy the spectacular full blooms of springtime. There’s always something wonderful and the Japanese garden was just the ticket.

The garden invites lingering and fills the senses. The spot where I took this shot was next to a small stream that filled a bamboo spout with water and caused it to fall and empty with a pleasing sound and rhythm.

This spot was not far from where we sat. Notice the bush in front of the red bridge here, another delight for the senses.

Daphne odora was in bloom, a spring scent that lifts me close to heaven. Our little bush hasn’t bloomed this year so it was glorious to find a number of these wonderful bushes in bloom in the gardens. We sat close enough to these blossoms to inhale them to our hearts’ content.

Afternoon tea

There are a number of places to enjoy afternoon tea around Victoria B.C. but the Dining Room at Butchart Gardens is an ideal setting. It is in the former Butchart family residence.

On the way into the residence you pass the private garden of Mrs. Butchart. One of the two dining rooms looks onto this beautiful, tranquil spot.

Both dining rooms are lovely. This is the larger of the two.

Tea for two. Everything was very fresh and delicious. And who would guess that the cucumber sandwich would be DH’s favorite?

Pink

Here is another prominent building on the Victoria B.C. waterfront. This shot was taken from the Inner Harbour on the ferry.

I snapped this shot from street level. I thought that another building I posted the other day here was the old Victoria customs building. Wrong! This one was. It was completed around 1875 and designated a historic building in 1987. Click here for an archival shot of it as well as more about its architecture and history.

On the waterfront

This was something we didn’t notice from the ferry the last time we were in Victoria: the new Johnson Street Bridge. It replaced an older bridge that was originally designed by Joseph Strauss, the man behind San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. I showed the old bridge in 2012 here. A link on that page provides information and history of the controversial project.

Waterfront prestige

This building is a prominent sight in Victoria, sitting on the edge of the Inner Harbour and steps from the mainstay tourist center, the Empress Hotel. The Victoria waterfront is marked by the white fencing in the foreground.

Move in closer to a street level view and you’re greeted with nothing but a shell of the old building. Only three original walls still stand.

The original interior remains in bits and pieces but the building is destined to house waterfront condominiums. A bus driver mentioned that the penthouse has already sold for $10 million. Units on less prestigious floors will be had for a cool $1 million or so. Perfect for my weekend getaways, don’t you think?