Photo Friday – Playing Outdoors

 

The kids learned how to play chess last Summer and were excited to actually practice their skills on this huge chess board at Butchart Gardens in Victoria BC.  You can read more about our trip in my post on Victoria

The Castles and Gardens of Victoria BC

One of my favorite days on our vacation this past summer was our day in Victoria BC.  It is interesting how you end up with your favorite days.  Is it a combination of the perfect weather, attraction, mood, or something altogether different?  I propose that it is a combination of all those things plus a little something else too.   Expectation.  We had been saving and planning for our Alaskan Cruise for almost two years and we had carefully picked all of our excursions.  When you put that much planning into a vacation you can’t help but have some expectations about how you want your trip to turn out.  Our Alaskan Cruise was fabulous so don’t get the wrong impression here.  However, the day we spent in Victoria we had no firm plans and it was a fly by the seat of your pants kind of day, and I think because there were no expectations attached to it I was able to fully enjoy the adventure that unfolded before us rather than hoping it was all I had anticipated. 
Staying in Victoria after we got off of our Disney Alaskan Cruise was always the plan, but we weren’t sure on what we wanted to do there.  Once we had checked into our hotel we browsed through the in room booklets that tell you about the area.  One of the places that stood out to us was Hatley Castle. 

Hatley Castle was the home of James and Laura Dunsmuir.  James was the son of Robert and Joan Dunsmuir.  Robert was a coal baron, railway developer and politician in British Columbia in the 1800’s.  His son James took over his father’s business and in the early 1900’s built this home for he and his wife to spend their retirement days in.
On the day that we arrived we got there early before the castle opened for tours.  However, the ground's keepers were busy at work and encouraged us to explore the gardens to our heart’s content.  They said that one of the peacocks had just had babies and if we looked carefully we might be able to spot them.  Leah and I took them up on their offer and eagerly set out to discover the baby peacocks.  The gardens are separated into many different areas highlighting the different garden styles of the times.  There was “The Bog Garden” near the creek bed, “The Chinese Gardens”, “The Rose Garden”, “The Italian Garden” and the place Leah wanted to see the most “The Green House.”  We rambled over bridges and through garden gates.  We did happen upon the new baby peacocks, and beyond the furthermost gate we even discovered the green house, which was locked.  We learned that every fern, flower, and plant had been transplanted to this area and perhaps the only native thing in the garden were the tall pine trees. 

Once the castle opened we then took the hour long tour of the inside.  Upon the death of James and then Laura Dunsmuir the home went to the state of British Columbia.  The home then served as the headquarters for the Royal Cadets Training Academy.  Currently it is part of the Royal Roads University Campus and is still used to this day for classes and university administration offices.  Our tour was of the ground floor only and some of the rooms were not available for us to go into because of summer classes being held.  Because it is a working university rather than a museum the inside restoration was not as grandiose as you would have hoped from looking at the outside.  It was very beautiful and we learned some unique history.  They have used the building as a set for one of the X-Men films and during WWII this was a possible place for Queen Elizabeth II and her family to escape to if the fighting became to intense where she was in England.

Once we finished our tour of the castle we decided that in order to get the full picture and history of this place we needed to also visit Craigdarroch Castle.

Craigdarroch Castle was built by James’ father Robert.  This castle was a museum that was fully restored to the time period of the late 1800’s when it was built.  Unlike Hatley Castle that is surrounded by gardens and nestled near the shore this Castle is smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood of homes surrounding it on either side.  There are no gardens or grounds and is not nearly as romantic on the outside as the other.  Once, you step inside though you are not disappointed.  This home is grand and glorious. With the self guided walking tour map you are able to make your way through each room and read about the history of the pieces in that room.  They even had a walking map tour for the kids with an I spy kind of feature where you must locate the item pictured in each room.  Sometimes this was easy, other times it was hard and well hidden.  The kids enjoyed their scavenger hunt which left me peacefully able to dream and fanaticize about all of the history and grand parties that must have taken place in this home. 


Steve and I decided that touring both castles is the only way to do it right.  You get a much better idea of the full magnitude of these impressive homes when you see them together.  I wish that they sold a combination tour package that gave you some sort of discount if you buy both at once, but they don’t.

We ended our day with a tour of Butchart Gardens. It was late enough in the day that we didn’t have the heat and the crowds had thinned a bit.  The transformation of this once rock quarry turned into sunken gardens is an unbelievable sight to behold.   The gardens are beautiful and there is much to explore within it’s grounds but between these and the gardens of Hatley Castle my favorite was Hatley Castle.  I found the gardens of Butchart to be much more formal and less intimate than the ones of Hatley Castle.  Perhaps it was because of the thousands of people vs. Leah and I being the only ones at Hatley.  The dirt paths vs. the paved clearly marked walk ways of Butchart, or the many secret gates that kept us intrigued as to what we would find next vs. the intricately detailed map that laid out our path before us.


By the end of our day we were fully exhausted but also filled with so much fascinating history and beauty. This was by far much different than our previous trip to Victoria.  If you ever find yourself on Vancouver Island I would not miss out on the opportunity to spend your own day touring these stately mansions.



I'm linking up with The Tablescaper "Oh The Places I've Been"

Trip To Victoria B.C. ~ When Everything Goes Wrong

Empress Hotel

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Recently Laura and I went on a short getaway to Victoria, BC. However, the highly anticipated mommy and daddy adventure from the kids, turned into quite an adventure of another sort. The plan was to fly to Seattle and rent a car to Vancouver then take a ferry to Victoria. We would stay at a bed and breakfast just outside of town for a bit of local flavor. Now, before we went we knew that the area would be in for a bit of snow because I tend to watch the weather of our future destinations very carefully. What transpired was a record breaking snow storm. The trip to Seattle was without event. But once in Seattle it was apparent that the snow preceded us. Anticipating the weather we wisely upgraded from a compact car to an all-wheel drive SUV. Additionally, our drive to Vancouver was uneventful although it was somewhat slow going due to the snow. We called ahead to the B&B, as I am somewhat of a freak about making sure that lodgers know if I expect to be late. (I was caught with out a room in Reno late one night because an employee decided to rent out his last room and there was no vacancy in the entire town that weekend). So, despite a late arrival, our adventure was going along swimmingly.


       Bed and Breakfast Markham House                     Downtown Victoria on a Snowy Day

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The next morning we awoke to an amazing site. The light dusting on the ground turned into about 4 inches overnight. While we were eating breakfast our hosts informed us that shortly the roads would be plowed and we'd be able to go into town for some sightseeing. Now since Victoria is at sea level it doesn't see much snow and we were counting on that for our winter getaway. So we bargained for none of this. Keeping our heads about us we made the best of a bad situation and spent the day in Victoria and, may I add, had a wonderful time. The snow was beautiful and other than bundling up a bit more than usual we were able to enjoy the city. Here's my first tip: If situations conspire to rob you of your expectations... Work on the fly and make new expectations. Traveling is so much about attitude that I cannot say it enough. I have friends that are far more adventurous travellers than we are and in far more remote places with much less predictability than I usually experience. And they would freely agree that flexibility is key to enjoying yourself despite your predicament. Butchart Gardens (not the best in winter) was definitely out of our plans now. Nor was taking a long drive to see the countryside. We did take in an interesting little tourist trap, Miniature World Museum a warm place inside with miniature displays from the development of the Canadian Railroad to Cinderella’s Castle and Santa’s workshop. We had High Tea at the Empress Hotel, and toured both the Parliament and the Royal BC Museum. Since the snowstorm came back in the evening we made it an early day and went back to our B&B, Markham House in Sooke. Again, the next morning we awoke to find another 4 inches of snow on top of the previous layer. This time our gracious hosts were worried that should things continue on their present course, we may find it difficult to return to Seattle in time to catch our return flight. An early departure was in order. We thanked them for their concern and settled our account and drove out to the ferries. Of course throughout this ordeal I had been keeping tabs on Seattle with the radio. They, too we're having record snowfall and since they really did not experience this often, there was only 50 snowplows servicing the entire city. As a result they were only able to keep the freeways and major thoroughfares clear. Closures were rife in the city and although, still running, SeaTac airport was expecting difficulties ahead. But, as we crossed the ocean and got back to the Canadian mainland, everything looked great and we began to wonder if we had over-reacted. Well, there was no turning back now.                  Royal B.C. Museum                                       High Tea at the Empress Hotel

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It was onto Seattle. As the day wore on and night began to fall so did the snow. And the closer we got to Seattle the more the difficulty they were having keeping the roads clear became apparent. Laura had used the iPhone earlier to "Hotwire" a hotel for us for the night. Hey! Just because we were in dire straits it was no reason to over pay for a hotel room. We also had our GPS with us to provide the way to the hotel. But the going was not easy. I was reminded of disaster movies in which there's a long line of cars fleeing the stricken city while only a few brave intrepid souls were heading into the jaws of certain doom. Much to my chagrin, we were one of those few. The closer we got to the city the icier the roads got and I noted that every half mile or so was a spun out car resting askew on the side of the road. I thanked my wife and God for the foresight of having gotten the 4WD SUV. Once we found our hotel and took an exit from the freeway things went from bad to worse. Like I said before, there were not enough snowplows to keep the city running and the snow was piled high on the road with small grooves worn into it from the occasional idiots like us driving through it. We pulled into the parking lot and found it to be every bit as icy as the freeway. One guy began to slide while pulling into a space and nearly collided with another car. He just let the car sit where it stopped and left it there all night. Rather than turning into a space I decided to pull into one that was straight in. It worked and I was happy. And so we settled down in a warm hotel room. I checked our airline’s status and they were offering free changes to later flights for those who were stranded. We came to realize that we maybe in Seattle longer than we had expected (remember flexibility?). Calling the airline proved futile. They were swamped and after 45 minutes on hold I gave up and decided that we'd have to go to the airport and assess the situation from there. So nothing to do but get a good night’s sleep. Here's my next tip: For those of you sleep deprived worrywarts out there, understand that I am among your ranks. But I have long ago learned the value of a good night sleep and it's ability to add a fresh perspective on a dismal situation.. So go to sleep and worry tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 The next morning I got up and looked out the window. The near collision car was still there in its exact place and surprisingly there wasn't an extra layer of snow all over everything. We checked out and headed out to the truck. Much to my shock there are things worse than a mound of snow covering your car. Freezing rain as it turns out can turn your auto into a novelty ice cube. And that is what we found. A SUV completely covered in about a quarter inch of solid ice. I had to laugh. Tip #3 Anyone? Laugh in the face of adversity Once I forced open the driver’s side door (praying that it would not break as the rental car company told me that I had a $1000 deductible due to the snow.) I started the engine, making sure that we stood outside of the truck (I feared carbon monoxide from the nearly sealed engine compartment.) With all defrosters engaged we waited until the ice could finally be chipped off. Now here's a fun activity should you ever find yourself in this predicament. Open the doors and roll down the windows. See how the ice stays in place as if it were an opaque doppelgänger of the actual window? Cool, huh? Now take your finest karate stance and slam your gloved fist through the plate of ice. (You did remember to drop the window didn't you?) Now that was a great time that you can repeat for the rest of the windows. Tip #4: Find enjoyment in small things, it helps you bear the large difficulties. The Parliament Building

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So now we were off to return the rental car. Tip #5: Hold your tongue. Proverbs 12:18. It is one thing to have the GPS AND your wife giving directions (sometimes conflicting) but add into those slick roads and detours and you have a recipe for divorce. To explain to you exactly what that supposed short drive was like would make an already long story unbearable. Suffice to say, we got the rental car and our marriage back intact. Upon entering the airport we were greeted by a crazy long line of people seeking to change their flights. We toyed with the idea of doing the same but the board was showing the flights as on time. We decided to wait it out. It was 11am and our flight was not until 7pm but what else were we going to do? We camped by the gate that we were to leave from later that day. The plane that was due for the 1pm flight was there and while we waited, I swear, we saw icicles grow on the plane as we sat. Laura said "There's no way that plane is getting off the ground." And sure enough the flight was cancelled. Another long line formed at the gate of people wishing to exchange their tickets. Quietly, I engaged an airline employee in conversation and learned that they were making every effort to make sure that the 7pm flight (ours) would fly. Now I'm not normally much of a gambling type. The decision was find a room in an increasingly dwindling hotel market and stay in Seattle for what would probably be two more days or have patience and faith that they would get that plane off of the ground. I don't know if it was faith that God would get us through this thing, fatigue or temporary insanity but I inexplicably opted to sit for hours in an airport eating airport food and being bounced from gate to gate while planes all around us grew icicles so long they looked like the private jets for ZZ Top. Eventually at about 9:30pm we boarded our flight and headed for home. Seattle Tacoma Airport

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#6 The final tip: patience and perseverance. James 1:3-4 “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”