Victoria and Vancouver

Victoria and Vancouver - June 2017

The Ruby Princess berthed at Victoria at 7pm on Friday 23 June and we said farewell. Bev and Dave waved from their balcony as we walked along the wharf accompanied by a customs officer. Required checks were completed, passports stamped, and we were taken by taxi to our downtown hotel. Very centrally situated, we set out to explore. Being Friday evening, all the bars were doing a roaring trade, and an Irish one would have won a prize for the loudest music! Chose a competing English one for a relaxing drink. 

The next day we went to the Butchart Gardens. What a beautiful place. It covers 55 acres and began as an idea Jennie Butchart had to beautify the worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband Robert Pim Butchart’s nearby Portland cement plant. The Gardens, through the skilfull mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees and flowers often collected by the Butcharts during their extensive world travels, expanded over the years to include Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, and a Sunken Garden which is breathtaking. I shall let the photos show you………

Among beautiful roses

Day viewing beautiful Butchart Gardens

Cafe, shops etc

Begonia House

Sunken Garden

Fountain playing to music

Paul in rose garden

Many varieties of roses

Attractive border

Paul admiring Oldsmobile

Victoria was founded in 1843 as a Hudson Bay trading post, and in 1850 a Robert Dunsmuir found a rich seam of coal on the island, and mined it. He used some of his fortune to build a lavish home Craigdarroch Castle, which still stands today and is a designated historical site. There are other attractive buildings, and Canada's oldest Chinatown. We saw several cars of the 1950s -60s and think there must have been a rally on.

Victoria BC Town Hall

There was a Jazz Festival on with an outdoor stage in a park just along from our hotel, so we enjoyed listening to some very cool music there.

Chinese school

Entrance to Chinatown

St Andrew's Cathedral

On Sunday we went to Mass at St Andrew's Cathedral which had some beautiful stained glass windows, and an enthusiastic singing congregation, accompanied by an organist and two young flautists.

We then went by bus to the ferry terminal at Swartz Bay and enjoyed a scenic one hour trip among the islands across to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal near Vancouver.

Our AirBnB apartment in a nice suburb in Vancouver was well appointed and spacious with a lovely seating area outside in the garden. It was well situated for us to get around as there were bus stops going in all directions only five minutes walk away. We enjoyed our time there. 

There was a portrait artist in Stanley Park when we were walking through there, so he did a sketch of Paul which was quite good. Photo attached.

Ferry across False Creek was very cute, like a toy boat. Was blown away by the Granville Island Public Market, and the range of produce at the delicatessen stalls. Felt as if I was back in France! Several buskers / entertainers added to the atmosphere, and the yachts in the marina made us envious!

There was a Claude Monet exhibition at the Art Gallery so was very pleased to view it. 

Had a wander through Gas Town about 4pm, and saw the steam clock doing its thing.

Shall let the photos tell the story.........

Paul displaying sketch!

Artist at work - Stanley Park

Vancouver Skyline viewed from False Creek

About to board False Creek ferry

Ferry at Granville Island

Vancouver CBD skyscrapers

Red and white 150 yr Canada memorabilia

Paul in Vancouver pub

Relaxing garden area at our Air BnB

Delectable cheeses

  

Any type of pasta you could wish for!

Scrumptious cherries in season

Marina at Granville Island

Monet water lily painting

Emily Carr exhibition painting
In the Forest

Pictures From Here exhibition - tri-panel photo

Beautiful Vancouver port scenes

                        

I set these photos out as I want them, but when I press the Publish button, they appear differently! Hope you have enjoyed viewing. Until next time... Au Revoir ! (Many of the signs in Canada are in both English and French)

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