Victoria, BC

Again lovely weather greeted us for the next leg of our journey, a 30 mile cruise from Poet’s Cove to Victoria, BC.  We tied up at a fantastic slip at the Causeway Floats with a beautiful view of the Empress Hotel and the Legislative Assembly as Victoria is the capital of British Columbia.  Chloe and her friend Emily had arrived in Victoria the night before so they were at the boat within minutes of our arrival.  Jeff and Leann were also scheduled to arrive today but not until the late afternoon and so we decided to take a guided bike tour of the historic city.  The bike ride was less a historic tour and more a full-fledged two hour workout and so we arrive back at the boat ready for some R&R.  Jeff and Leann arrived just before we needed to head out for dinner via a short walk to Il Terrazzo, a wonder brick Italian restaurant in the historic downtown.  

We had a busy day scheduled in Victoria, with our first activity being the must see Buchart Gardens, a former limestone quarry turned floral garden which receives over 1,000,000 visitors each year.  The gardens are spectacular even for those who are big into flowers and because many of the gardens and lakes are sunken into the landscape due to the former quarry operations, there are spectacular vistas where one can take in large sections of the gardens.  After two and half hours at the gardens, it was back to the boat so the ladies could change for afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel, a popular tradition where daily over 400 guests enjoy tea, tea sandwiches, scones and preserves in the lobby of the historic Empress Hotel constructed initially in 1908.  Our activity filled day concluded with dinner at the 10 Acre Kitchen, just down the street from the Empress and the boat.