A Castle

You can feel the British influence in Victoria BC. And the people who live there are proud of their connection with England. Like when we were in England, we visited a castle. On Wednesday, we visited Craigdarroch Castle. I liked the laid-back attitude of this tour, in contrast with the guided castle tour we had in England. We were able to explore on our own and ask questions as we went along--up four floors, then back down another set of stairs. The woodwork in the castle was amazing. There are still 17 fireplaces inside. The mantels and vintage tiles were cool to see.

The castle was used as a hospital for some time as well as a music conservatory.

Bianca counted at least five pianos in inside. They had an old Steinway that has the strings running the opposite direction. Guests "with ability" were allowed to play. Bianca played a song she's recently written that she'll be playing in her recital next week. (You can tell Portia's heard the song a lot because she sang along the whole time.)

We stopped at a local restaurant called the Shine Cafe afterward for lunch. Their specialty was Eggs Benedict and omelettes. Here's Bianca showing off the rhinestone dangly music note earrings she chose at the Castle Gift Shop as her one souvenir for the trip.