Victori-as Part 4: You Can Learn a Lot of Things from the Flowers

Especially in the month of May! The number one tourist attraction in Victoria is The Butchart Gardens, and rightfully so.

This was Thatmom's first trip to any type of "gardens" and she remarked that it was exactly what she would imagine a garden to look like. It was so visibly stunning that I'll let the pictures do most of the story telling, just inserting a bit of explanatory narration.

As I've noted earlier, the weather was a bit uncooperative while we were in Victoria, but it made the gardens less crowded than they normally are. And the gardens were happy to provide umbrellas for us. Plus, cloudy weather makes for excellent pictures.



The garden is divided into several sections. Probably the most famous section is the "Sunken Gardens" which was actually where the gardens began. The area originally served as a rock quarry for Robert Butchart's cement factory. When the rocks were gone, his wife Jennie turned the empty quarry into this gorgeous garden which reminds me of something out of Alice in Wonderland.













Behold, our subject, tourist americanus:



It appears we've been spotted.






And even more Wonderland-y, The Butchart Gardens features a carousel.



And catering to me (obviously) I'm fairly certain these were brought in purely for my amusement. (Yay totems!)




I know we have super tall trees in California, but there's just something about the view looking up that makes you feel so insignificant.



And around every corner there was a hidden pond. Since it wasn't too crowded, it made us feel like our own private hideaway.





At one point, Thatboy and I followed a little path and found ourselves the only two people enjoying a view of this peaceful inlet.





This is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken.



There were dancing fountains that could give the Bellagio a run for it's money.




And other fountains.







And my favorite natural wonder - waterfalls. I never tire of watching them. It must be how Thatboy feels about watching the waves in the ocean.





I'll end this with the most important part of the gardens, the flowers. Vibrant and beautiful, it was as if each petal was painstakingly crafted. (Or as if the Queen of Hearts had her cards on duty to make sure it looked so.)





























Up Next: Our last meals in Victoria!