B. C. Road Trip (8): The Butchard Gardens

I would like to start this post with this sentence that The Butchard Gardens is a big rip off! If you want to stay away from being robbed, then don't go to that place. Everything that you want to see could be seen free of charge someplace else.

When we got there there were two cars ahead of us in the line to the gate. As soon as I stopped a girl ran toward us and said that she could help us. We didn't even get the chance to see what the admission fee was. My credit card was charged even before I see how much I was going to pay!

We then parked and entered the gardens. Soon I found out that these gardens actually had been a limestone quarry and then owner, who apparently had been much wiser than me, had turned it to different gardens with the help of gardeners from around the world and Canada and made even more money that he or she used to through the stone business!

The place was so busy which at times you had to wait for the other to go away to take a photo or simply get by. There is absolutely nothing new in this place but I cannot deny that the place is very well-made, tidy and organized. It has a big gift shop and two cafes and a restaurants. We wanted to get something for our lunch so walked back and forth a few times between the three eating places and eventually ended up with small sandwiches and little bit of salad!
In total this visit cost the two of us almost $95 and we left with nothing new in mind and half-full stomachs. We are just lucky that the food did not make us sick!

(Photo: This is what is called Italian Garden in that place but as you see there is nothing but a row of regular flowers that you can see in any neighbourhood and a grassed area! But these people know how to empty your pocket so they have a little ice cream and gelato shop in the building you see in the photo and you can by certain scoop twice or three times than the normal market price! That is the Italian Garden!)