Pictures from Vacation

This past May, we went on a cruise to Alaska - hands down, one of the most BEAUTIFUL places in the world! On the way we stopped in Victoria and went to the Buchart Gardens. I'd been told many times how lovely the gardens were, how amazing, gorgeous, etc . . . but it's hard to imagine a place when you have NO idea what to expect. I had NO IDEA what we would see, besides gardens (and honestly, I thought - how stunning can a garden be??). :) Well - turns out it really IS one of my favorite places I've ever been - and I've been a lot of places!!

Unfortunately, I don't remember much of the story behind the gardens, other than they use to be some sort of quarry and it was like a big hole in the earth. Then a woman (Ms. Buchart??) came along and looked at this hole in the ground full of rocks and saw this garden . . . and she set about to make it so. (Obviously not on her own - it's HUGE - but it was her idea initially.)

Anyways - should you ever be in British Columbia, and happen to be on Victoria . . . go visit these gardens. :) I posted a lot of my pictures on flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/elisabethnixonphotograhy/sets) - but these are a couple of my favorites. (Someday I hope to get to the REST of the Alaska pictures but for now, it's just flowers...)