Coast and Gardens

Wednesday August 3rd.

The Hotel gift shop sells a small amount of groceries and yesterday we bought some milk and breakfast cereals. Nancy was up first from her comfy lounge sofa bed and went off to the Guest Service Area and brought back complimentary coffees.

Breakfast over we all meet up and set of for a ride around the scenic coast line. We don't get far before we have our first stop at the pretty Cook Street Village for a coffee break at the Serious Coffee coffee shop.

We drive around the beautiful coast line taking several scenic stops along the route. There's some seriously large impressive properties along this route.

Eventually we strike across the narrow headland and take the route to Butchart Gardens The gardens landscaped by Jennie Butchart in 1904 in  a quarry scowled out by her husbands company.

The Entrance to 55 acres of landscaped gardens

It's lunch time. The Dinning room is full with a 20 minute wait so we backtrack a short distance to the conservatory self serve cafe.

Wart Hog

It's really warm in the gardens the sun is really beating down now. The gardens have a well defined routes to walk with lots of seating in shady areas. We decide out aging knees are not up to taking the steps down into the gardens at the bottom of the quarry so we take the circular route around the top level that give good views down .

down in the quarry depth.

The Ross Fountains

At the Ross fountains we sit and watch the changing water patterns for a while. I wonder if the fountain has been moved as I couldn't remember it being so far. Nancy laughs and said 'Well it was 21 years ago and we were much younger and fitter then. Actually it was 31 years ago and the day after my Dad had suddenly died in Jersey back home in the UK. That day was a bit of a blur for me especially as I realized Dad would have loved these gardens.

'Himself' had to fight the kids off for this photo shot! Well this is the only horse Madmoose Ilett is likely to ride this trip!

an eagles shadow in the sun.

lovely cooling water.

Japanese Gardens

Star pond in the Italian Gardens.

This is  the end of the gardens route and finishes in the Italian gardens with a popular gelato stop, which of course we took advantage of. A wander through the gift shop to get some souvenirs before a straight run back to Victoria.

Tonight we walk the short distance to the Empress Hotel . It's the Historic luxury  hotel next to the Parliament Building on the Harbour water front. We walk through the hotel to the impressive Bengal  Lounge. There's an a la carte menu but also a curry buffet. I haven't had a proper curry for such a long time. Time to indulge I think.

Crab cakes starters for Nancylee.

The hotel has several wings and this is a walkway from one to another.

An outside courtyard area.

The Parliament Buildings or Government House

a massive ancient Yew tree at the front of the Parliament frontage.

Totem on Parliament Lawns.

After Dinner we take an evening horse drawn carriage ride through the City and back along the water front. The driver was telling us some fascinating history about the City and especially about the  building of the Parliament and the Empress Hotel. Oh and  Hughie the horse knew his way round the route without the driver watching him.