Butchart Gardens

May 19, 05: The ferry ride from Port Angeles, USA to Victoria, B.C., Canada was fun. It was windy, cold and drizzling all the way. It took about 3 hours for us to cross the strait and only about 15 minutes to clear Canadian custom. We took a cab to the Swans Hotel. It still was early in the morning so we decided to run to the bus station to get tickets to the Butchart Gardens. The bus ride, about 1 hour reminded me of the bus excursion we had in Hawaii: winding roads through tree-lined and forested areas. 

The Gardens were a very nice place. Flowers were in bloom everywhere. All kinds of colorful, carefully cultivated flowers sectioned into many dedicated areas/gardens. British-style gardens of flowers, plants and Japanese intimate ponds, Koi fish, bonsais, flowers and small deserts of cacti, bamboos, ... We had lunch at the Butchart Pavillion. It was a very British event with crumpets and formal teas. We asked the Canadian waitress with a crisp English accent to take our pictures which we found out later to be a bit underexposed. 

We returned to our hotel later in the afternoon. After a short nap, we walked several miles to the Coast Hotel to have dinner at the famed Blue Crab restaurant. The service was impressive. The foods were good but not exceptionally so.

Seattle: start of the Alaska cruise

May 17, 05: We flew to Seattle. Nowadays, air travel is just like cattle-car of years past. The flight was packed. Mercifully, it was a short flight. It took a while for us to get a taxi to our hotel near the Space Needle. We tried to check in but the room was not ready, yet. The Hampton Inn clerk was a bit absent-minded. We left our luggage at the counter and walked to the Pike Place Market. We passed by the Space Needle. It was a bit shadier than I'd thought.

May 18: Richard came by early waiting for us in front of the hotel. We checked out and went with him to Port Angeles. It was a bit farther than I'd thought. We had a nice dinner with his wife. Their house in the country is spacious. He'd drop us off at the Coho MotorCoach to Victoria, B.C.