This was our first visit to Victoria and we were eager to visit the crown jewel of the area, Butchart Gardens. Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada’s Pacific coast. Situated just 100 miles from Seattle, WA to the south, and 100 miles from Vancouver, BC to the north, the metro area has nearly 400K inhabitants, though has a nice smallish town atmosphere.

The ship was delayed in coming alongside this morning due to a school of dolphins. The bridge detected them as the ship approached the port and we slowed up to allow them to pass. We decided to book an uber to drive us the 50 minutes to the north of Vancouver Island, to Butchart, as it wasn’t much more money than the express shuttle headed there.

Upon arrival, just stepping out of the car, you could smell the multitudes of blooms in the gardens. I wish the blog had smell-a-vision. There is a lovely café and very large gift shop as you walk in. They provide a map and plant guide, and even have a station where you can bring your photos and the naturalist will identify the plant. We were a little disappointed that Butchart does not provide signs to identify the plants within the gardens, like so many other public gardens do.

There are several garden styles represented: English, Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean, as well as what Sharon would call “pastural”. The “sunken garden”, built it what remains of an old quarry, was vast and included a waterfall and fountain. Gorgeous rhododendron, azalea, and magnolia were blooming and the upper walk provided a view of it all. Moving along the pathways, through the arbors, we found the Sturgeon Fountain.

Eventually we made our way to the Japanese Garden, which is marked with a distinct Torri gate. The mood immediately changed, with more artistically shaped shrubs and Japanese-styled lanterns and sculptures. There was a wonderful dragon head, sticking out of the hill, used as a water spout. There are several red bridges to cross as you make your way through maples, more rhodies and azalea, bamboo and black pines.

We were surprised to learn that this 55-acre garden was the brain-child of a private citizen. Jennie Butchart fashioned the original garden from the remnants of a limestone quarry, which had supplied her husband’s nearby cement plant. Today, the gardens are still owned and operated by the family, with nearly a million visitors annually. It is a designated National Historic Site of Canada. 

After the Japanese garden, we moved through the rest of the estate and marveled at the multitudes of spots along the way where you could just sit and take it all in. We applaud the landscapers for providing opportunities for reflection and solitude throughout the gardens. As you depart, there is a wonderful indoors orchid garden to view. This was a wonderful way to spend 5 hours.

As we did not have to be back onboard until 11:30pm, we decided to continue to explore back in Victoria. We took the express shuttle back into the city, and visited the historic Empress Hotel. Known as “The Empress”, the hotel opened in 1908 and the chateau-styled building is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels. It is also the namesake to Marshall’s favorite gin – Empress 1908 Gin – created by a former bartender at The Empress. Victoria Distillers’ now world-famous gin uses “1908” in the name, to honor the hotel. We enjoyed a tasting, some snacks and the view out to the harbor. Their popcorn, almost as famous as the gin, is seasoned with charcoal, garlic salt and sugar.

After libations, we grabbed a cab and headed to Victoria’s Chinatown for some dim sum. Our delightful server at The Empress recommended a landmark restaurant, almost as old as the hotel, Don Mee’s. You enter at street level but the restaurant is upstairs, with huge dining rooms, white table cloths and a doting wait staff. We enjoyed steamed pork dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken and a very unique to us, Crispy Ginger Beef. We’ve had orange beef before, but this was next level. It was prepared perfectly, had a hint of spice, and was savory and sweet at the same time. We enjoyed our meal very much.

After dinner, we walked awhile, along Victoria Harbor. People were strolling and biking and there was a wonderful atmosphere. Eventually it started to get dark so we decided to hail an uber and head back to the ship. We were back onboard by 9pm. We had a great day in Victoria and hope to return some day.

Tomorrow: Vancouver, BC, Canada