In Victoria, British Columbia, there is “a garden that love built.” My husband Jason and I got to visit it recently while on an Alaskan cruise. I had heard that Victoria, which is called the Garden City, had beautiful gardens and was also known as a great place for afternoon tea with its British heritage. I chose the Abkhazi Garden shore excursion for its perfect mix of both. Little did I know that I would also hear a beautiful love story that endured World War II and culminated in the garden in which I sat drinking tea and eating scones!
Prince Nicholas Abkhazi and Peggy Pemberton-Carter met in Paris in 1922. He was an exiled Georgian prince whose family had escaped the Bolshevik Revolution, and she was an adopted orphan, who had been born in Shanghai. Peggy and her mother lived and traveled around the world, and a trip to Paris brought her together with Prince Nicholas. The two enjoyed walks and visiting galleries together. When Peggy and her mother left Paris, they continued to stay in touch through letters and occasional visits.
World War II then changed everything. Prince Nicholas fought with the French Army and was soon captured, spending the rest of the war in a German prison camp. Peggy was also held captive in Shanghai. After surviving the war, Prince Nicholas and Peggy decided to be together for the rest of their lives. They met in New York and were married in November 1946. The newlyweds then moved to Victoria, where they built their home and garden, cultivating it for the next forty years until their deaths.
In 2000, The Land Conservatory purchased the property to preserve the beautiful garden and the Abkhazis’ legacy of love. Today, visitors can enjoy walking through the garden and the teahouse. For more information, visit https://www.abkhaziteahouse.com. If you are visiting Victoria or on an Alaskan cruise that stops there, I highly recommend it as much as for the endearing story as the garden and afternoon tea!
“Me too,” Ava agreed with Vivie. She already knew her brother loved the German widow from his constant trips to the mailbox and by the way he looked when he talked
about his unlikely relationship with the woman whose husband he befriended during the war when he worked with the German POWs at Fort McClellan.
The Final Song, Chapter 2
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