Alaska ports of Call – Victoria, Canada, Butchart Gardens, Spaghetti Factory and Big City
The fourth and final stop on our Alaska cruise was in Victoria, Canada, which is a requirement for cruises originating from American ports to include a foreign port to satisfy an obscure – and old – maritime law. I don’t think anyone understands why it’s still done, but the law is the law.
Victoria is just a short jaunt away from Seattle, so it provides a good place to begin/or end an Alaska cruise. The stop in Victoria is only four hours long during a cruise, but we were able to have more time in Canada by going to the city before we even boarded Anthem of the Seas the week prior.
My father-in-law lives near Port Angeles, Washington, so we rode the ferry to Victoria intending to visit Butchart Gardens, which is probably the major tourist draw of the region. We were fortunate to have already visited the gardens, because there wouldn’t have been enough time for an excursion during the cruise stop, though we saw tour buses headed there after five p.m. on Day 7 of our sailing.
Going to Butchart the previous week gave us plenty of time to explore – and better weather, to boot. The cruise day was gloomy and rainy when we went to Victoria, just a continuation of the iffy weather we experienced except for the day in Juneau. Typical Alaska weather, all in all.
I had visited Butchart Gardens during a family vacation to the Vancouver world expo in the summer of 1986. Basically, the only thing I recalled about that visit was the stunning nature of the flora – and the crowds that flocked to the gardens during the warm summer months. I suspect that the place is probably open year-round, but August is a good time to go, as we discovered.
What I hadn’t recalled from decades ago was how the Gardens were about a forty minute drive from the heart of Victoria, which wasn’t a problem with us on our non-cruise excursion, but must’ve been a hindrance to those poor cruise ship refugees who’d figured they’d have plenty of time to see what the Butchart estate had to offer.
One part gardens, one part history museum and one part Amusement Park, Butchart Gardens is quite a place. I’m not sure admissions are limited to capacity, but I’d imagine on the most crowded of days that the sidewalks could approach standing room only. As someone who regularly walks in his own neighborhood and has been known to admire a well-kept yard, Butchart Gardens is one of a kind.
To start with, the attraction is almost as big as an entire suburban neighborhood and is divided into several distinct sections: there’s the Sunken Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden and Mediterranean Garden, connected by pathways and adequate signage. There’s a multitude of signs among the flowers themselves which try to explain what you’re looking at.
Some of the flowers and trees you may recognize. Many of them you won’t. What is undeniable is the explosion of color that emanates from practically every step there. And you’ll no doubt be impressed that there aren’t any weeds in the beds, either. How is that even possible – lots of herbicide? We did notice some of the staff brandishing lawn mowers and trimmers, but what about the rest of the tasks? Pruning must be a full-time job for a virtual army of people there. Do they accept volunteers? Do they give tours?
I’m guessing there probably must be some kind of guided jaunt through the gardens, though most people, like us, probably set off on their own to see where their senses take them. The paths are well defined and there are a few areas where you’ll have to climb stairs, but on the whole, you can’t describe a visit to Butchart Gardens as anything but an exhilarating experience.
It beats whale watching, put it that way.
Your camera will probably get tired of taking pictures and your legs will give out before you’ve taken in the totality of the Butchart experience. “Which flower is that?” “Is that a shrub?” “Is any of this poisonous?” “Am I gonna get a rash from being here?” I suppose these are natural reactions from being totally emersed in nature’s color like when you’re at Butchart.
We visited each of the gardens, and didn’t hurry, but it simply wasn’t possible to engender everything there. From the Butchart website: “It all began with one woman’s vision and passion — With a former quarry as a canvas, Jennie Butchart envisioned transforming this space into a beautiful garden haven, overflowing with lush greens and colourful blooms. The result of her vision is The Gardens, which are still family run to this day.” … “Today, The Butchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada. You’ll find remnants of the original cement plant and millions of bedding plants in over 900 varieties awaiting you as you wander The Gardens.”
As previously noted, there are interpretive signs positioned to present the outlines of the story, but the tour is up to you as far as pace and breadth is concerned. Butchart is a must-see for amateur gardeners and gardening enthusiasts alike. By the looks of it, the region’s international visitors must enjoy the place, too. There are a healthy number of languages being spoken there.
If you get hungry, there’s food, too, though our only stop was for Gelato at a booth. Yum.
On our “personal” excursion, we finished the tour in a little under three hours and headed back to downtown Victoria to see and sample the flavor of the city and catch a bite to eat. Victoria is similar to other large cities at its core, though may be a bit cleaner than American counterparts.
The streets aren’t as crowded, nor as long as American thoroughfares. We only saw a few homeless people and there weren’t any beggars. There were a healthy number of booths set up with local vendors peddling tours. And there was one mobile contraption that doubled as a bar crawl, complete with a bachelorette party noisily making themselves heard while clinging to the seats. Wild stuff. Did any of them remember it the next day?
We noticed there was an “Old Spaghetti Factory” (OSF) franchise on one corner near the city center. We’d only known the Spaghetti Factory from visits in Southern California, so it seemed as good a place as any to grab some grub. Note – we tried to revisit the OSF again during our brief return to Victoria from the Cruise Ship on Day 7, but it was too crowded the second time. We grabbed a bag of Misithra cheese (a traditional Greek whey cheese made primarily from sheep’s or goat’s milk, or a combination of both, often blended with whey from the production of other cheeses like feta and took it back to the ship.)
I had Parmesan Chicken. It was delicious, with a generous but not excessive amount of mozzarella and parmesan and Romano cheese, resting on a bed of spaghetti with Marinara sauce. I once labeled the OSF as “The Old Rip-off factory” because its portions were so meager, but that’s no longer the case. The meal came with a Caesar salad topped with grated parmesan, and spumoni (or ice cream) for dessert. Reasonably priced considering the location, too.
Our server seemed interested in our questions and did her job well.
Be sure to note that the prices in Victoria are in Canadian dollars. We used American dollars at one location and the change came back in Canadian dollars, which to me, looked like Euros. Very colorful, for sure.
One note about Victoria – the city itself is very walkable. A good portion of the available attractions are within easy hoofing-it distance, and if you get tired, you can always hire a guy to pull you along in a passenger contraption with two seats and two wheels. That guy must be in great shape!
The shops, in my opinion, were typical of most American cities, with touristy knick-knacks, shirts, Canadian flags and many things that said “Victoria” on them. Just like I’d remembered from 1986.
At around six o’clock we made our way back to the ship, at almost the same exact time as we’d left Victoria on the ferry boat back to Port Angeles the week before. So we got to sample what Victoria had to offer and still made it back for our final evening on Anthem of the Seas, enjoying the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen a final time.
Alaska Cruise Review Part I – Why cruise to Alaska? Let us count the ways. Bring a calculator
https://www.golfintheusa.com/1448-2/
Alaska Cruise Review Part II — Alaska ports of Call – Sitka is all about wildlife with culture and history thrown-in
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-ports-of-call-sitka-is-all-about-wildlife-with-culture-and-history-thrown-in/
Alaska Cruise Review Part III — Alaska ports of Call – Skagway; Waterfalls, gold miners and a taste of the old west
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-iii-alaska-ports-of-call-skagway-waterfalls-gold-miners-and-a-taste-of-the-old-west/
Alaska Cruise Review Part IV — Alaska ports of Call – Juneau. Alaska Capitol, Tracy’s King Crab Shack and Whale watching
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-iv-alaska-ports-of-call-juneau-alaska-capitol-tracys-king-crab-shack-and-whale-watching/