April 15, 2010 by Rae

Boots in the Juan de Fuca Strait

There is no logical or explainable reason for this, but one of my bucket list items was to one day touch the waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait, one of the most contested boundaries between the US and Canada. There is a mythical quality to such places as they provide truly clear borders. Here I am in Canada; there I am in the US. It doesn’t feel like political whim because there is a flowing fence between the two nations.

Even though you can see the Strait from Victoria, I decided to push west a bit to get a clearer shot of it, so Mrs. H suggested we drive to French Beach Provincial Park, where the cobblestone beach is unique. It was a perfect idea and I am once again grateful to have had a local guide.

rest area between Jordan River and French Beach

walking down to French Beach

skunk cabbage

salmon berry flower

April 14, 2010 by Rae

A Coastal Drive and the Ross Bay Cemetery

The final thing Mrs. H wanted to show me today was her old stomping grounds along the water front. It was a beautiful drive and exactly the sort of thing I miss out on when I don’t have a local guide. She also recommended I check out Ross Bay Cemetery, where many prominent Victorians are buried, including Emily Carr a writer and painter. I didn’t find that grave, but I did photograph quite a few interesting ones.

Today was a rich, full day. Thanks, Mrs. H!

April 14, 2010 by Rae

The White Heather Tea Room

Mrs. H wanted to round out the Butchart Garden excursion with an introduction to a traditional English high tea. Neil Z commented last night that he had an amazing high tea experience at the White Heather Tea Room. A quick check of other reviews convinced me to try it out. We ordered the ‘Big Muckle Giant Tea’ and were not disappointed!

I didn’t think to bring in my camera, so here is an idea of what our spread looked like, on three plates set on a tiered stand:

we didn’t have that huge plate of shortbread in the foreground 🙂

They have a large selection of teas, including Balmoral, their version of the Earl Grey and jasmine tea I discovered in Edmonton. Yuuuuum.

The homemade fare is worth describing in detail. Let’s see if I can remember it all. 🙂

Tier One (the bottom plate):

-scone (cranberry or apricot ginger) with Devonshire (sweet whipped) cream, raspberry preserves, and/or lemon curd;

-mini quiche with sundried tomatoes;

-a bite-sized cheese thing with roasted red peppers (yuuuuuuum);

-fruit slices (apple and orange).

Tier two (middle plate):

-a mini savory scone with the most amazing smoky sweet salmon I have ever had;

-rolled sandwiches (egg (which I didn’t eat); ham with relish; and cucumber with cream cheese on marbelized rye (yuuuuuuum)).

Tier three (top plate):

Dessert!

-an incredible cranberry brownie (that had a distinct coffee aftertaste);

-lemony blueberry pound cake with icing;

-a cheesy cracker thing with a bit of apple on top (one of my favourite things today);

-delicious crispy and buttery shortbread (I’ll admit to dipping it in Devonshire cream mixed with raspberry preserves!);

-a little tart filled with lemon curd and topped with Devonshire cream.

I wound up taking most of Mrs. H’s desserts home and will enjoy them with regular tea before bed. 🙂

It didn’t seem like much food until we started on it. The portions were small, but there were a lot of them.

High tea at the White Heather Tea Room is definitely an experience I will never forget. Thank you for the recommendation, Neil!

April 14, 2010 by Rae

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens is probably the best known Victoria attraction. They were planted in the early 20th century in what used to be a limestone quarry. While this sounded ‘nice’, I knew it would not be my best use of nearly $30, so I was going to skip it, but Mrs. H insisted on taking me there.

We had a wonderful time and I greatly enjoyed myself, more than I would have had I gone on my own since Mrs. H was able to tell the names of a lot of the flowers.

My favourite gardens were the Japanese and the Sunken and my least favourite was the Italian. I like Japanese gardens because they feel very natural for all their formality, with soft ground covers, ponds with bridges, and rocky paths. The Sunken Garden was a formidable feat of horticulture; transforming the lunar landscape of a limestone query into a Technicolour world straight out of a fantasy. I don’t like Italian gardens because they are too stiff and formal, very hard with stone underfoot and statues all around.

These are the best pictures I took:

Mediterranean garden

angeliques (type of tulip)

trillium (the provincial flower of Ontario)

the snail fountain

forget-me-nots

you walk along this dark path only to emerge…

in a whole new world! I was *awed*!

camelias

this chimney is all that is left of the cement factory that used to be on the property

camelias

pansies

these are wire animals covered with moss

checkered or snake lilies; the petals have a snakeskin pattern

more moss-covered wire animals

hyacinthes

a moss-covered wire frog

English daisies

seed field

look closely; this yellow tulip has a red petal!

the frog fountain

approaching the entrance to the Japanese garden

sturgeon fountain

the two ravens were breaking off twigs to build their nest

these lamps made me smile

moss-covered ground

a wall of bamboo

bamboo walkway

Butchart Cove

crane fountain

magnolias

another frog fountain, this time at the star pond

star pond

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard taking a nap in the star pond

entrance to the Italian garden

Italian garden

Visiting Butchart Gardens was a pleasant way to wile away a few hours, but it still feels way overpriced to me, impressed as I was by the way the old quarry was completely transformed.

April 13, 2010 by Rae

First Impressions of Victoria

Victoria has thus far presented herself as the graceful fair lady I expected her to be.

Of all the major Canadian cities, only Victoria ever stood out as a possible forever home city for me, if only for its climate. I have wanted to walk her streets for a long, long time. I have now visited the capital city of all the provinces and territories I have visited and only have Yellowknife, St. John’s, and Iqaluit left.

Mrs. H and I pulled into town mid-afternoon and she directed me to her favourite hotel, a Traveler’s Inn located in a convenient location. I quickly left her to take a nap while I set off on foot to scope out downtown, about fifteen minutes away.

I was surprised by how many people were out and about and I found the crushing crowds a bit shocking. I haven’t been surrounded by so many people since the last time I was in downtown Vancouver, almost a year ago! It was exhilarating, with all these different types of people from all social classes hurrying about and the most amazing smells spilling out of the restaurants. I was a tad overwhelmed, but it was pleasant because Victoria isn’t that big. I wouldn’t have done so well in a truly populous metropolis!

I bought an ice cream cone and enjoyed it as I scoped out the major landmarks I hope to visit in the next few days. I will be doing a lot of exploring on my own, but Mrs. H will also be showing me ‘her’ Victoria.

Some parts of downtown felt very old, like what I imagine streets in the 17th and 18th century might have been like. Other parts felt very modern. The city has a nice skyline where the diverse architectural styles complement each other. I look forward to exploring!