The Garden City

To celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary, the hubs surprised me with a spontaneous weekend getaway to quaint and beautiful Victoria, BC.   We hopped a seaplane early Friday morning and headed North to check out our neighbors. 

 Our first stop was the majestic Fairmont Empress where we said a swift hello to the ghosts,  dropped our luggage and set out to explore Butchart Gardens.   

Butchart Gardens is a 30 minute drive from downtown Victoria and is well worth the drive! The gardens were started by Jenny Butchart in 1904 and are a National Historic site of Canada.   

 Our first stop, the breath-taking Sunken Gardens, are surrounded by deep expansive walls (from the old quarry) that cradle annual flower beds.  

This is also where we found the beautiful Ross Fountain, gorgeous flowers and lots of bzzzzy little bees.    

 Following the trail and sweet smell, we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful roses that date back to the early 1930's.      

Next, we strolled amongst Japanese maples and lovely reflecting pools, towards the Japanese Gardens.

Our final stop, the Itailian Gardens.

Needing a little rest, we headed towards the Dining Room Restaurant to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea. 

We relaxed as we sipped Bachelor Button tea, enjoyed savory cucumber sanwiches and marveled at Italian Garden views.  It was a lovely anniversary!

Our wishes granted...

and bellies full, we headed back to downtown Victoria.  Where we soaked up the sun on the lawn of the majestic Parliament building overlooking the inner harbour.  

With a little color to our cheeks, we trotted back to the hotel to prepare for dinner at Ulla, a little place located on Fisguard Street near Chinatown.

Ulla boasts a innovative menu with a great presentation and spectacular drinks.  

My sweetie enjoyed the Island Beef and I had the delicious Shortrib Steak. 

After dinner, we explored Chinatown...

and enjoyed a little dessert.

Overall, we had a fantastic first day in Victoria and I can't wait to share with you the rest of our adventures tomorrow!  

Til' then...au revoir.