The one place I really wanted to visit on this trip was Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It has been on my bucket list for many years now and I was thrilled that they had an evening excursion that accommodated my work schedule. First we got a excellent bus drive through the city and that definitely made me want to come back and spend some more time here.

The point of the whole trip was the gardens though and wow did they live up to their press. We have been to gardens all over the country, but this was really special maybe because they are so old or because they have been lovingly tended by the same family for over 100 years. It started with Jenni in 1904 who moved to a relatively remote area with her husband who started a cement plant and she ended up with a huge pit in her back yard. She started bringing dirt in and by 1912 had the beginnings of a garden. The pit is actually one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Frankly I could go on and on about how beautiful this garden is, but instead I will share the pictures. Over time it has expanded and some really cool fountains have been added, including a small moving fountain that may have inspired the Bellagio fountains. Simply beautiful.

I took so many pictures and really you couldn’t take a bad one and still I didn’t really capture the spirit of the gardens. The gift shops were also absolutely fantastic and I splurged a little there as well.

Two of my favorite things were a full working carousel and the moving fountains loved those. At one point it looked like an angel in it’s pattern and I loved it.

All the fountains were really cool.

It’s easy in a place like this to miss the beauty of individual flowers but I tried my best to capture some of those.

It was a wonderful day and a terrific way to end the cruise. Our next stop was Seattle and then I flew home where I only had a couple of days work and then thankfully Labor Day weekend. I loved the cruise with Mom and was so grateful to be able to go. Three bucket list items checked for me and lots of quality time with Mom! Next up I try to recreate my garden experience in our new RV spot!!

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