Farewell, Victoria

I had a couple of last stops in Victoria, BC, before heading back home for the States!



Here I am outside the BC Parliament Buildings near the Queen Victoria statue.



This is home to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.  After meandering around outside, I went inside to meander around.



There were lots of awesome stained glass windows!



Then I stopped by Victoria's Chinatown.



It's a small, not-too-much-happenin' kind of place.



Victoria is a cool place, though!  I had a rockin' good time in BC, Canada, but it's now time to bid it farewell till next time! 

What makes a man happy

What makes a (little) man happy?



Food.  And lots of it!



For lunch, I had some wraps from BJ's Bakery.  They were quite tasty! 



Then, for dinner, I went to Szechuan City Buffet.  The food was pretty much standard Chinese fare and then some.



For example:  They had an icee machine!  Granted, it churned out some not-quite-frozen-enough stuff but it was still awesome!



And will you look at that!  Rice crispy treats at a Chinese buffet.  How awesome is that?!  Food makes my world go round!

Cool castle Part II

Also in Victoria, BC, is Hatley Castle, which was completed in 1908.



It was originally a residence for James Dunsmuir and his family, but now serves as the administrative center of Royal Roads University.



Hatley Castle was featured as the X-Masion in two X-Men movies -- that's how awesome this castle is!



Also awesome were the expansive gardens surrounding the castle.



Shoobedoobedoo...



I had a grand time strolling through the gardens.



And to top it off, I took a picture with this cherub dude!  Awesome!

Cool castle Part I

I visited the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, BC.



The "castle" -- more accurately, a large Victorian mansion -- was built between 1887 and 1890.



It was built for Robert Dunsmuir, an industrialist who made his fortune from coal.  He lived in the castle with his family.



Fake sweets and treats!  Yum!



This room was pretty awesome -- just look at those awesome green walls!



This is where the Dunsmuir ate their morning and afternoon meals.



In its history, the castle has also been used as a military hospital and by Victoria College.  Such a cool castle.  Next I'm going to Hatley Castle!

Fast food feasts

My big friends and I went on a fast food tour of Canada.



We first feasted at McDonalds, where we ordered poutine and sandwiches.  What, you ask, is poutine? 



This is poutine!  French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy!  It was super awesome!



Later we went to A&W.



We got fries, onion rings, and teen burgers.



Then we went to Dairy Queen!  The fries came with brown gravy.  Canadians sure love their brown gravy.  I love brown gravy, too.  Brown gravy rocks!

Grand gardens galore Part II

There were tons of awesome, colorful flowers at the Butchart Gardens.



It was such a relaxing place!  I laid on leaves.



I stood on flower pots...



 ...and wells...





I pondered awesome thoughts while in the Japanese garden...



Everything was just super awesome at the Butchart Gardens!  I give this place two green hands up!