We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning in a harbor on the southern end of Vancouver Island. We had arrived in Victoria, capital of British Columbia. This city, one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest, is a stunning display of history, architecture, and gardening skills. It is actually known as “The Garden City,” and this is evident in the care of perfectly manicured private homes, as well as in all the public places, which display captivating arrays of plants from around the globe.
We partitioned our day into several different tour options for exploring the diverse aspects of this city. Some toured the city via bicycle, others went on historical and architecture tours led by local experts, and still more of us went to explore some of the secret gardens hidden within the private and public lands of Victoria.
We ended our day with an evening cocktail hour at the Robert Bateman Center, where we chatted about our explorations and enjoyed looking at the stunning artwork of Bateman and other artists similarly inspired by nature, conservation, and preservation.
