Pacific NW love part II: Vancouver Island, Canada

As with relocating to a new country there is a lot of catching up to do. Seeing friends and family has been such a great joy, but my goodness, can it take a lot out of me! I have been traveling nonstop for a long time, so traveling is the last thing I really wanted to do, yet a few days away with my mother sounded like just what I needed, so we loaded the car and left Portland for a little more Pacific Northwest adventuring. First stop: My future home of North Seattle. 

I found a great little bed and breakfast called The Dibble House in Ballard and we explored and saw some of my friends before heading for the Olympic Peninsula. 

We drove the lovely US 101 highway up the East coast of the Olympic Peninsula to Port Townsend, Washington and boarded the ferry across the watery expanse to Victoria, Canada. 

While there we walked around the pretty neighborhoods, explored the city, ate some killer Italian food (Pagliacci's is where it's at!), swam and hot tubbed, visited several vineyards, and caught up after so much time spent away. 

We went to the prestigious neighborhoods in the Eastern part of Victoria, where there are grand victorian homes, elaborately landscaped estates, and even a few castles. The Craigdarroch Castel, situated upon a hill in a glamorous neighborhood, was built by a wealthy businessman who wanted to show off his riches with opulent building practices, and that he did! 

The next building of interest was the Government House, home to the Lieutenant Governer of British Columbia. For privacy reasons the home itself was not open to explorers, but his property was kindly made into a park of sorts. There are thirty-six acres of varied landscape. Each garden is individually named and has it's own feel, while they all connect making it a large, flowing outdoor experience. There is a rose garden, an oak forest wildlife preserve with hiking, protected redwoods, an herb garden, a lily garden, and British Columbia's native plants garden, to name a few. The grounds are cared for by a team of volunteers.

At the edge of one of the gardens we ran into an artist working away at creating a replica of an important, old totem pole that has been word by time and weather. From a giant tree taken from an off site location he was carving and sanding away! 

I was born and raised in Portland, I have lived much of my life there and yet this was my first time venturing across the border of our friendly neighbors to the North. It was a great time of exploring, seeing the stunning beauty that this region has to offer, and having a good time with my dear mother.