Sunday, September 1, 2013

The Butchart Gardens

Holy wow. I walked through the whole thing twice and gaped the whole time. Sunken garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, Mediterranean garden, a huge bank of dahlias (mostly taller than me and many with blossoms bigger than my head) where I spent an inordinate amount of time...it was worth every penny. An easy journey by public transit, the Butchart Gardens are about 20 km north of Victoria, and it was nice to see other parts of the city and countryside on the way up the Saanich Peninsula. The story behind the gardens is that the wife of a local businessman started landscaping an old limestone quarry at their property to make it less unsightly, and the whole thing expanded from there. I'm so glad I went to see it. For me, my camera, and my love of flowers and gardening, it was a bit of a paradise. Here's a ridiculous number of photos, honed down from the 180 that I took while I was there:


































It's been a heck of a trip, and this definitely felt like its crowning glory. So much beauty all packed into one place. Now I'm going to head off to find some dinner and take one last walk around the harbor and soak up the liveliness of this city all evening before I head home tomorrow.

Cheers, Victoria, you've been rad. 'Til next time, then.

1 comment:

Anna said...

Just wanted to drop a note to say I am really enjoying your newly invented blog. I have been reading this blog for some years, and enjoyed it before, and am liking hearing more about your life.

Especially enjoyed the post about online dating--after many "adventures" in that realm over the years, I met someone really special to me last winter <3. Best wishes with it!

Also, your new camera really shines in the photos! They are amazing. Congrats on that gift to yourself.