We were done with shopping and we still had half the day left so we bought tickets to Butchart Gardens.

Robert Pim Butchart, a pioneer in the thriving North American cement industry, was attracted to Canada’s West Coast by rich limestone deposits. In 1904, he developed a quarry and built a cement plant at Tod Inlet (on Vancouver Island) to satisfy Portland cement demand from San Francisco to Victoria. Jennie Butchart became the company’s chemist. Close to the quarry, the Butcharts established the family home complete with sweet peas and rose bushes.

As limestone deposits wee exhausted, Jennie made plans to create something of beauty in the gigantic pit. From farmland nearby, she had tons of top soil brought in by horse and cart and used it to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. Little by little, the quarry blossomed into the spectacular Sunken Garden.

Between 1906 and 1929, the Butcharts created a Japanese Garden on the seaside, an Italian Garden on their former tennis court and a beautiful Rose Garden. Even the trash cans were beautiful!

Many other gardens were added in later years by descendants.

Everything was beautiful!

Victoria   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Vancouver/Cruise Check-In   20, 21
Cruising Day   21, 22, 23

Ketchikan   23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Icy Strait Point   33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
Juneau   42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50
Skagway/Haines   51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56

Hubbard Glacier   57, 58, 59, 60, 61
Seward    62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89
Anchorage   90