The bus arrived at 8:15 a.m., and we were off to Vancouver
Island. The bus driver was very
informative, talking constantly as he drove the bus through the downtown area,
then south past the airport and on to the ferry terminal an hour away. The city of Vancouver is very neat, very well
organized, very clean, without litter and graffiti. The presence of a large Asian community is
very noticeable. As the bus drove out
Cambie Street, the driver informed us that a subway line had been installed the
under the street prior to the 2010 Olympics, and as a result, development was
underway around the stations. Indeed, we
could see dozens of buildings under construction near the subway stations. The area had formerly been residential, and
houses near the stations were empty, with signs indicating that new buildings
were planned.
At the ferry terminal, the driver informed us that the ferry
transported both large vehicles and cars, as well as bicycles and even foot
traffic. The ferry held 410 cars and 34
large vehicles, including busses and even semi.
The bus pulled into the second deck, and passengers went upstairs to the
fifth and sixth decks for seating and refreshments. While on the ferry, I stepped outside to take
some photos, and at one point, I noticed a young Muslim woman trying to take a
self- photo; I took her camera and took the photo for her.
Then her companion, another young Muslim woman, came up, and I took both of
their photos. Then they permitted me to
take their photos with my camera as well.
At the appointed time, passengers reboarded the bus, and when the ferry
arrived at the terminal on Victoria Island, the driver was on his way to
Butchart Gardens. Travel time for the
ferry was about 1.5 hours.
The driver described Butchart Gardens, now more than 100
years old. It was formerly a shale
quarry, and after the shale played out, the wife of the owner decided to
install a garden in the pit and surrounding areas. Now, after 100 years, the gardens are a
national shrine. Inside, the bus driver
explained that passengers would have two hours to visit the gardens, and we
were off. We wandered about and I took
photos of the beautiful scenery. It
truly is amazing how a former mine pit has been transformed into a beautiful
site. While I was taking photos, again I
saw the two young Muslim women taking photos, so I took a few photos of them
with their camera, and then again, they permitted me to take a photo of them
with my camera. I talked with them for a
moment, and it turned out that they were visiting from Oman, attending a
conference in Vancouver. I was able to
tell them about our one day in Muscat, Oman, on a cruise in 2010. After wandering about, we stopped for gelato
before reboarding the bus to Victoria.
The bus driver took a scenic route to Victoria, driving along the coast. Eventually, the bus arrived in Victoria for a loop around the downtown area before stopping at the stately Fairmont Empress Hotel. A large, imposing red brick building, the hotel was constructed more than 100 years ago. It sits across from the Parliament building, constructed about the same time by the same architect. After checking in, we went to our room, which seemed to be an original room, with little upgrading since construction. With high ceilings, and a ceiling fan whirring, the room seemed to be out of a historical movie. The bathroom was tiny, with very old fixtures, and even the furniture seemed very old. We found it all charming.
After our luggage arrived in the room, we took off quickly to walk the downtown area of Victoria for some photos of the old buildings along the two main streets in the downtown area. Government Street and Wharf Street, along with adjoining streets, were constructed 50-100 years ago, and had been renovated, forming a very picturesque scene. Most of the shops were tourist shops. I took photos until the sun set, and then we returned to our room before going out again to dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the marina sitting just in front of the hotel. After dinner, I took photos of the Parliament building which was outlined in lights, forming a very pretty scene.
Repacking before bedtime; luggage must be ready the
following morning by 7:30 to return to the mainland and then to the ship.
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