🇨🇦 Victoria Day Trip Adventure (with Lessons Learned!)

🚢 Ferry Experience 9:00 AM ferry (pre-booked, $135/car). Left at 7:40 AM but hit major traffic! 🚗💨 Gate closes 30 mins before departure—we arrived at 8:28 AM, barely made it (8:33 AM check-in). ⚠️ Pro Tip: Arrive 1 hour early, especially during rush hour! 🌸 Butchart Gardens 40-min drive from Swartz Bay. Tickets: ~$79 (2 adults + 1 child). Highlights: Stunning floral displays (hyacinths in full bloom!). 🌷 Japanese Garden = mini Kyoto! 🎎 Rose Garden not blooming yet (best in May/June). Time Needed: 1-2 hours. 🏰 Hatley Castle (X-Men Filming!) 20 mins from Butchart—free entry but closed for filming (huge production trucks everywhere!). 🎬 Could only snap exterior pics—still cool! 🦞 Fisherman’s Wharf Lunch Red Fish Blue Fish: Fried cod/halibut + chips = solid! 🐟🍟 🏛️ BC Parliament Buildings Free entry + sat in on a debate! 🎤 (Left early due to time crunch.) ❌ Craigdarroch Castle & Glass Beach Castle: Arrived at 4:00 PM (closed). Silver Lining: Stumbled upon Moss Street—epic cherry blossoms! 🌸 Glass Beach: Skip it! "Glass" rocks are fake. 🚫 🚢 Ferry Drama (Again!) 7:00 PM ferry → 1-hour delay due to mechanical issues. 😫 Finally departed at 8:30 PM, arrived mainland at 10:00 PM (exhausting!). 💡 Final Thoughts: Victoria deserves at least 2 days—too rushed as a day trip from Vancouver! #VictoriaBC #TravelFail #ButchartGardens #WhistlerAdventures #CanadaTravel