Everyday Gems
Celebrating the everyday gems of life, from nature and art, to travel - and creating our best lives…
V is for Victoria…
Delightful, charming Victoria, the perfect spot for a mini break when celebrating my friend Debra’s birthday last month.
Literally, less than 20 miles (as the crow flies) from the island of San Juan where I live in the PNW of the U.S., Victoria couldn’t be more different - even though we share the same weather. Flying from Friday Harbor, where we don’t even have a stop light - to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, CA, is quite the contrast, especially considering the small distance between us. You might as well have put me on an eight-hour flight to England, that’s how different it felt and how wonderful!
A quick flight, landed us at the Victoria International Airport in Sidney, a 35 min drive from downtown Victoria. We taxied into town, checked into our lodgings at the Hotel Grand Pacific, and decided we were famished. As we had both been talking in the taxi about wanting Eggs Bennie on this trip, we checked the hotel restaurant menu, found they had it and headed straight down for a delicious brunch on the terrace, overlooking the harbor. Perfect start to a perfect trip! It wasn’t until later, we read that Victoria is known for its Eggs Benedict (who knew?!) and many restaurants offer various versions of it as a favorite staple.
After lunch we decided to go take a peek at the Empress Hotel, the grand dame of Victoria, known for its fabulous High Tea and its long reign as the it hotel in town. Massive renovations by the Puccini Group in 2016 changed the style and layout of the place, giving it an updated swagger while still keeping its beautiful Edwardian character. The gorgeous Bengal Lounge where Debra & I had enjoyed high tea many, many years ago - was no longer there sadly, but we quickly found the Q Bar & Restaurant, a stylized homage to Queen Victoria, where we decided we would definitely come back for a drink later on.
We then wended our way, about a half hour walk, through lovely Beacon Hill Park, where we saw languid ponds with fountains, people picnicking, children playing, and the exotic sounds of peacocks and Celtic music wafting in the air. Pretty Art Deco era apartment buildings met us on the other side of the park before we landed on Cook St, our antique store destination. We knew there were two antique shops there but what we didn’t expect was how charming the area was and how friendly the locals were in this little neighborhood called Cook Street Village.
We perused Surroundings, an airy little shop filled with the right amount of antique furniture, home goods, linens, lovely kitchenware and other fun accoutrements, then walked further down the street looking for our next antique shop. On the way, we saw a charming pub called The Beagle, a greengrocer called The Root Cellar (worthy of a spread in a magazine it was so beautiful), a picturesque curbside florist called Seaberry (love that name) and a health food store called LifeStyle Market carrying the exact herbal tincture I was looking for. Several enticing eateries rounded out the street, making it a place I would definitely like to spend more time. We each found a vintage treasure at Kay’s Korner and after a nice chat with the owner, and another nice chat with a young man on the street, we got a taxi back to the hotel and we were on our way. Time to put up our feet for a bit before heading out for the evening.
Staying on the harbor made it easy for us to walk to the essentials on our quick trip - shopping, dining, The Royal BC Museum, the handsome Parliament Buildings and more. Even the flower-filled gardens that surround The Empress Hotel invite you into a living postcard of color and phenomenal beauty - free of charge :) We headed over to Government St, the main downtown shopping area with everything from tourist souvenir shops to nicer stores carrying Irish goods and chic European linen fashions. Government Street, now a pedestrian mall, also offers restaurants, galleries, an historic tea shop, tobacconist and book shop, and a little further down, a small but impressive Chinatown. Being just a couple blocks from the water, you get little vistas of shimmering blue as you look down the side streets and there is the ever-present cawing of seagulls to remind you that this is indeed a seaside town.
A couple of nice finds on Government St., then it was time for that drink at Q Bar. Even from the pictures I saw online before our trip, I knew I would love Q. The cool abstracted modern portraits of Queen Victoria (by artist Julie Coyle) that line the walls, the original dark ornate woodwork of the room, the stylish oversized lighting and the relaxed seating, felt current, luxe and historical all at the same time. We found a spot with a great view of the room and the harbor, ordered our drinks and nibbled on the warm gourmet popcorn provided. A songstress singing Dylan, a handsome man in an urban kilt across from us and an international crowd of travelers made for a great atmosphere and some good people watching. Our drinks hit the spot and we reveled that this cosmopolitan city was literally 20 miles away from the very quiet island that we both live on. It seemed miraculous and impossible at the same time.
We decided to go back to the hotel for dinner at Fathom, as they had a lovely terrace with fountains and a view of the harbor, plus a very nice menu on offer. A delicious dinner of Mahi Mahi for me and salmon for Debra, followed by a blood orange creme brulee for her birthday dessert (compliments of the hotel), was enjoyed while watching the sunset and enjoying the warmth from our own fire pit. We were satiated - and happy with our first wonderful day in Victoria.
The next morning, we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel while we sorted out our plan for the day. As we’d accomplished most of what we wanted to do the day before, we really only had the Royal BC Museum on our list and a walk along the waterfront before catching a taxi back to the airport in the afternoon.
The natural history museum was featuring an exhibition called Angkor, the lost empire of Cambodia, with an accompanying IMAX film on the subject. As Angkor Wat has been a dream destination on my must-see list for a very long time, I was excited to see the 120 works of art and artifacts on view and learn more about this mysterious place and its history. Many beautiful sandstone statues of smiling buddhas and other deities, interesting artifacts of jewelry and household items brought this lost empire to life. Being a jewelry history girl, I was thrilled to see a sandstone matrix for casting jewelry with a bronze bracelet (far right image) and a very large ornate silver earring from the Angkor period (second image, earring on the left). Watching the IMAX film completed the experience, sharing what life might have been like there, how massive the city and empire was and what might have caused its demise. Fascinating!
We finished our time at the museum with a stroll through the Dinosaurs of BC and a visit to see Sue: the most intact and best-preserved T rex ever found. The top floor of the museum also hosts one of the best views of the Harbor, The Empress Hotel and the beautiful Parliament Buildings (see lower left image). The view alone is worth the admission.
We then walked along the waterfront, looking at the craft stalls there, watching the cute little green and white Harbour Ferry boat leave the dock with a fresh load of tourists, then went in search of a snack before heading to the hotel to collect our bags and get a taxi back to the airport. Wishing we had more time in Victoria - but feeling immensely happy with our brief visit and all we got to experience in this charming city. A longer return trip is a must!
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time but found out that our flight would need to make a detour down to Seattle, as our island airport in Friday Harbor had just been closed due to a small crash there (landing gear didn’t come down on a small aircraft - no one hurt), so because of this, and needing to be cleared by customs before disembarking in the U.S., we had to fly to Seattle to go through customs. Crazy, but in the end, it was a lovely flight down there and a stunning sunset flight back north to the San Juan Islands. We decided it felt like a bonus :)
Victoria is a little gem of a city, small enough to easily get around - but with its grand facades, feels like a cosmopolitan destination filled with delightful treasures. A must see!
-Wendy (aka: gemsatourguide)
For more info about Victoria, etc… check out the links below.
Q Bar / Hotel Grand Pacific / Fathom / Royal BC Museum / Victoria Tourism / Julie Coyle Art / Surroundings / Kenmore Air
-All images my own.