Caching in Canada 2

Day two of our stay on Vancouver Island brought just a bit of rain as the droplets in this starfish picture testify. Saw lots of these critters and their purple cousins along the shoreline.

Naturally we also saw lots of boats.

After caching along the coastline, we headed to Butchart Gardens where we spent nearly two hours. Because I have so many pics for that, I'll put those in a separate entry. After Butchart we headed back to Victoria where we had dinner and then did some virtual caches along the Inner Harbor, which was within walking distance of our hotel.

With a virtual cache, you email a picture of yourself in front of the location or send the answer to a question about the local history that might be on a nearby plaque, etc. This type of cache is common in heavily populated areas. Since there's not an actual container to find, there's no chance of the cache getting muggled, or taken by non-cachers. Yes, all of you Harry Potter fans, that's Rowling's term for those who do not belong to the magical community, and it has made it's way into the GCing lingo.

While strolling along the Inner Harbor, there is no way to miss the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings. The Empress opened in 1908, has 477 rooms, and has hosted royalty and celebrities from all around. Afternoon Tea is still a tradition enjoyed by so many tourists that the hotel claims to serve more tea than hotels do in London, England. We passed on that activity--not really our cup of tea.

If looking at the Empress and then walking to your left, you'll see this picturesque courtyard. The pic is crooked because there were so many people walking by I had to snap quickly.

I only recently learned about the madrone tree with its distinctive red bark. We have a few scattered here and there in NW Oregon, but we saw lots of them on Van Isle. Very pretty and unique looking.

Victoria has been the capital of British Columbia since 1868, and the Parliament Buildings opened in 1897. Was funny. We took lots of shots of the buildings, and in two, there are transportation methods indicative of the period the structure was built. You could hardly turn around without seeing either a horse-and-carriage tour like the one below or a bicycle rickshaw giving a tour of the city.

Well, I'll end part 2 here. More coming soon.