For about twice the money I could have gone to Disney World. Well, paid the admission for a day, certainly wouldn’t cover the extras. But for this money I got no rides, “Small World”, or teens in mouse outfits. I got plants. Many of the plants had flowers. They had pretty colors, nice shapes, lots of petals and even some bugs crawling around on them. They were a sight to see. That is, if you could plow your way through the gray hair, groups from Japan and Brazil, children run amok, and 400 millimeter lenses barring the way like guard posts at an old Soviet border crossing. But, it was worth it.
Robert and Jennie Butchart, the latter the primary mover and shaker, began the development of Butchart Gardens prior to 1908 in Mr. Jennie’s former limestone quarry. Women do love to remodel and this was a really big project. Well it paid off, for now, all these years later, it is THE attraction on Vancouver Island. Lots, this word meaning vast hoards in Canadian, visit this place daily. Much of it isn’t really that natural, hybrids and all, not the ones with the little gas and electric engines, but mixed up genes with the result that what use to only be little tiny flowers could hurt you if they fell on your head. Many of the colors simply did not appear real. Not possible. They are so bright and glowing that it is like getting slapped in the eyes. Hard!
It would all be a bit more natural if they didn’t put five thousand light fixtures all over the place so they could make more money showing the plants at night, something God did not intend, except by anything brighter than a full moon. So you better take close ups. A few grand vistas are available to the careful framer. I don’t know if that is me or not but I tried. It would also be a little more tolerable if they didn’t charge quite so much for food. I think they purposefully bring in huge busloads of people from what must be Chinatown in Victoria or even across the strait in Vancouver. They do this to clog up the paths making your journey through the gardens a four to five hour epic adventure requiring food servicing somewhere along the way. Nice people, though. Smiling and clicking. I apologize if that was too much a stereotype. But I must confess. This is my second visit. Ever up this way again and I would probably do it again. Even Anthony Bourdain will eat an In-and-Out burger off the semi-secret menu.
Papa and Nana On the Go 
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