TLCTravels

On the way back from Vancouver island, we visited Sydney, BC for some dinner and to spend some time at the beach. We drove around and stopped by the Glass Beach to look for some sea glass. Pictured below is me with my telescope, looking for valuable sea glass. Lol. Actually,   The sculpture, titled "The Lost Airmen of the Empire," was created by Victoria sculptor Illarion Gallant.  It's a tribute to pilots, navigators, and other air crew members who were stationed at the air base.   The reason why there is so much sea glass on the beach is because back in 1950, there was a glass factory on the water. It burnt down and all the glass from this factory has settled on this beach after years of waves washing it. The Glass Beach is between Beacon Park and Bevan Fishing Pier. I was hoping to find some colorful pieces instead of matte transparent glass but it's there for the treasure hunters. Have you been to Glass Beach and have found sea glass? If you have, please drop me a...

When we were in Victoria, BC to visit the Malahat Skywalk, we stopped by Chinatown to look-see. It only spanned 3 blocks but I heard it used to span 6 blocks. For 50 years, it was the largest Chinatown in Canada. I couldn't believe that because I grew up near Vancouver's Chinatown. Today it is on Fisgard Street, Government Street and Herald Street. Here is a painting on a building that shows old times. It looked like Chinatown but it didn't have the vibrancy of a hustling, bustling community like in Richmond or Vancouver. One notable feature is the Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Victoria. We walked into a bakery and no one came to greet us, however we saw the price of an egg tart. At $3.00 each, no wonder why there were no customers. Egg tarts usually sell for $1.50 in Vancouver. The good thing about Chinatown in Victoria, BC is the distance away from Hastings Street and the drug addicts, homeless and encampments in downtown Vancouver.

After many, many years, I returned to Victoria, BC to show Cindy, the ever famous Butchart Gardens. Cindy had always wanted to see it but I wanted to see the world before coming back to Victoria, BC where I spent a boring summer working on a Co-op term with the defunct BC Systems Corporation. This was the Government branch that printed all the Government letters, BC Health statements and more. On the my first year in the Co-op program, I worked as a computer operator for BC Systems Corporation.  Butchart Gardens is renowned and always on a shore excursion with cruises that sail and stop in Victoria, BC. It was easy to drive from the Victoria ferry to Butchart Gardens. We wanted to see the spring bloom at Butchart Gardens. One of my favorite flowers around. The allium. We went pretty early in the Spring so a lot of flowers did not bloom yet. There is still plenty to see including the fountains, totem poles and the various gardens throughout the park. Did you know before Butchart Gar...