Vibrant Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia

First, thank you so much to everybody for the Happy Wedding Wishes!  Tim and I are plunging into the planning and more details will be coming soon!

Parliament

Now to Victoria!  You hear the rumors, you see the pictures, but nothing prepares you for the experience of certain places.  Victoria is one of those places.  Tim and I were both astonished by how much we enjoyed this vibrant city.  We arrived on Monday the 6th and immediately searched for the closest Oyster bar for some shucking.  We were craving some fresh seafood.

Inner Harbor

We were not to be disappointed.  Down the street from Parliament, we found the The Oyster.  Here we sat down for Victoria’s best deal – A Buck a Shuck for 12 delicious slippery sliders.  It was a perfect intro to the town.

Alternative Transportation in Victoria BC

Harbor Races

Victoria is a place of tastes, smells, gardens and tradition.  Everyone appears to be in a good mood, probably because they love where they are.  Tim and I discovered Solstice, our  newest favorite coffee shop, on Monday and settled into a productive work week.  In between meetings and calls, we explored the streets, smelled the flowers that overflow the gardens – even in September, and took many, many pictures.

Exploring the City

Captain George Vancouver Watches the Harbor from the Dome

Rose of Victoria

The Empress

Our walks took us from the funky Ocean Island Hostel, where a curry dinner was $6.75 to the Empress Hotel where a cup of tea was $10.00.   Throughout the city, we were charmed by the Canadian locals, who were always laid back and down to earth, no matter what the venue.   When we asked if we could walk through the luxurious Bengal Lounge at the Empress, the tuxedoed maitre d’ grinned and told us to “Feel free to have a look around, mates”.

Carriage Rides in through the City

Mad Hatter

The culmination of our Victoria retreat was on Friday afternoon when we packed up from work early and sat down for tea at the White Heather Tea Room.   Even Tim couldn’t resist the crook of the pinky finger while sipping the house blend, Mad Hatter.  The Big Muckle Tea for Two included fresh baked scones with preserves, lemon curd or devonshire cream, cheese biscuits with salmon, quiche tarts, Ham sandwiches, Egg sandwiches, Cucumber Sandwiches (no crusts of course), shortbread, lemon tarts, pound cake and cheese crackers with pears.  Yes this was for two people.  It took us 3 days to finish all the leftovers.

The Big Muckle

Though we covered most of downtown by foot, we feel like we’ve only caught a glimpse of this diverse area.  Next time we’ll stay for a month…at least.