We spent last week in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada with my parents for a much anticipated family vacation! The trip up was long (freeway closure in Portland due to Bridge Pedal and very slow stop-and-go traffic in Seattle) and we just barely made our ferry up in Tsawwassen ~ but we did, finally met up with my mom and dad, and it was smooth sailing from there to Victoria. On our first full day we went to Butchart Gardens. I hadn't been there for 20-some years and was really excited to see it again. We toured almost the whole place, had some of the best soft ice cream we've ever had, and did a little souvenir shopping before taking the bus back to our hotel. A great first day!