TimeSharing Today | Nov / Dec , 2022 Page 22
OWNERSHIP & TRAVEL
A day in Victoria , BC
Sun setting on Active Pass Light House , in the Strait of Georgia as viewed when passing on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay , BC , ferry route . Photo credits : www . shutterstock . com
By George Leposky , editor
At the end of a two-week work trip to visit ski resorts in the mountains of British Columbia , I extended my journey for a quick visit to friends in Victoria , BC , the provincial capital on Vancouver Island .
From Whistler , high in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains , l drove the Sea to Sky Highway ( one of the world ’ s most scenic drives ) from sky to sea , down to Vancouver .
A city with a reputation for dampness and chill , Vancouver on this Sunday morning basked in the genial glow of a warm summer sun . I repressed the itch to explore the city because I had a sea voyage ahead .
Pausing briefly to drive through Stanley Park , I watched raccoons begging treats from visitors at a scenic overlook , and passed a cricket match in progress . Then I drove through downtown and followed an expressway to the Tsawwassen ferry landing .
Over the bounding main
The car ferry crossed and recrossed the Canada-U . S . international boundary through the Strait of Georgia to a channel winding among a cluster of islands , leading to the Swartz Bay ferry landing north of Victoria .
Bald eagles soared overhead . At the channel entrance stood Active Pass Light House , the keeper ’ s quarters , and a tall flagpole with an enormous Canadian maple-leaf flag flapping in the breeze .
Choosing wisely
How can one spend a single day in Victoria ? Tourist attractions include the provincial Legislative Assembly , the Royal BC Museum , the Maritime Museum , and a bunch of others — but we didn ’ t go there .
After a brief glance at the harbor and a short visit to Chinatown , we set out for The Butchart Gardens , a worldfamous 55-acre ( 22-hectare ) botanical garden nearby in Brentwood Bay , BC .
On this property , the Butchart family began in 1904 to develop a cement plant atop a rich limestone deposit . After the limestone was depleted , the family built a sunken garden , and then gradually expanded the scope and variety of the displays . The site ’ s moist , temperate climate enables some 900 different kinds of plants to flourish .
At the season of my visit , in early July , the rhododendrons were winding down but still magnificent .
Returning to Victoria , we stopped at a local supermarket to purchase the guest of honor for a fish barbecue . We told the fishmonger we wanted a salmon . “ Which one ?” he asked . “ We have a dozen different kinds .” I don ’ t recall what we chose , but it was delicious .
Going home
That was my last night in Canada . The next morning , July 4th , was Independence Day in the United States .
I arose early , took the ferry back to the mainland , and turned in my rented
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