Day 22 is spent exploring the beautiful city of Victoria. Our destinations include Craigdarroch Castle (above and left); the Inner Harbour; the Parliament Buildings; the British Columbia Provincial Museum; the Empress Hotel (for a buffet meal in Kipling's Restaurant); and the McPherson Playhouse (for an Alan Ayckbourn play).

Captain James Cook (left), who made the first recording landing on Vancouver Island in 1778

The dome of the Parliament Building (right), is topped by a gilt figure of Captain George Vancouver

A statue of a young Queen Victoria graces the gardens in front of the Parliament Buildings

(left) Jeanette stands between the shields of the two Canadian provinces we have travelled through: British Columbia and Alberta; (above) The Empress Hotel

Day 23 sees us making two visits to the stunning and extensive Butchart Gardens, located about 13-miles north of Victoria; the first visit fills the morning, whilst the second is in the evening when the gardens are illuminated. In between these two visits, we explore Victoria's coastal scenery on the way to Mile "0" of the Trans-Canada Highway and enjoy another good value meal at an ABC Country Restaurant

The Butchart Gardens were started in 1904 by Mrs Jennie Butchart,

in order to convert an ugly lime quarry made by her husband's cement factory