Vancouver Island

I ventured over to Vancouver Island today. It was rather further than I thought, taking 4 and a half hours each way but the ferry ride is picturesque and I saw all the sights that I set out to see.

The downtown area of Victoria is very pretty with a couple of grand hotels that look like castles. The old town faces the waterfront and the weather was again spectacular so everything looked bright and shiny.

The highlight of the day was Butchart Gardens. For every gardening enthusiast this place is a must-see. It is a century old garden in the site of an old quarry, although you would not know it as the water features and plant arrangement cover any leftover industrial signs. There is also a quaint Japanese garden and an incredible array of colours and flowers at this time of year.

Vancouver Island is pretty big and there are some other points of interest that I would have liked to explore if I had more days here but I must leave some things for my next visit to Canada.