Bonnie and I went to Victoria!
This last weekend Bonnie and I headed up to Victoria, British Columbia for a mini-vacation. We had a great time! We got up Saturday morning and took the 2.5 hour boat ride on the Victoria Clipper. Once we arrived, we walked over and checked into our room at The Fairmont Empress. I was happy that even though we were pretty early (it was only around 11:30am), they were still able to put us into a room. We dropped off our stuff and started walking down the main street (Government Street) to find some lunch and get an idea of what the town has to offer, how it's laid out, etc.
We stopped into the Irish Times Pub and found a comfy spot. I got a local beer (it started with an S, but can't remember the name) and Bonnie, of course, got a sampler. Bonnie had a crab salad and I had the Irish stew since it was recommended by our friend Heather. The stew was tasty and overall we enjoyed the lunch. Once we left the pub, we walked through Bastion Square and stopped into a couple shops. I did find a Threadless t-shirt that I like, but didn't pick it up. I may end up ordering it, though.
After that we headed back to the room to figure out what we wanted to do that afternoon. We decided that we wanted to go and see the Bug Zoo. We saw several types of insects, scorpions, spiders, ants, etc. and had a good time. In the gift shop afterward, I was excited to see that they had some chocolate-covered insects. For some reason, I've always wanted to try both chocolate-covered and straight-up seasoned and sauteed insects. Bonnie questioned my sanity as I picked up a small pack of bugs. We started getting a hankering for ice cream so we went to a shop that had some open tables and shared a banana split. It was super delicious. It's hard to remember the last time I even had a banana split. I also ate the chocolate-covered insects (I'm sure pictures will pop up on Facebook soon). The worms were actually pretty tasty since they were wafery in texture. The full-grown crickets weren't quite as tasty because the wings were kinda tough to chew through. Getting Bonnie to kiss me at all for the rest of the day was a challenge since she kept imagining bug guts between my teeth. :)
After that we pretty much just wandered around the town and checked out some more stores. We stopped at the Central Bar & Grill to enjoy a couple of cocktails. We noticed that a friend had made a recommendation on a place to eat in Victoria so we called and made reservations. After leaving the bar, we went to a bookstore so we could pick up some magazines for the boat ride back to Seattle. At this point, we figured it would be a good idea to head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner so that's what we did. We were still a bit ahead of schedule so we popped into a Blenz and had a quick cup of coffee.
When we showed up to the restuarant, Il Terrazzo Ristorante, we realized quickly that getting reservations was a super smart idea. The place was totally packed! Fortunately, we only waited a few minutes for our table to be ready. I ordered off the fixed menu whereas Bonnie picked out something from the main menu and we picked the bottle of wine that was recommended for her meal. This wine was really tasty! Fortunately we got a picture of it so we can try to find it again. The appetizer that was supposed to come with my meal had run out while my order was being run so they let me pick out a different appetizer. I picked out a salad that had bacon, capers, spinch, portobello mushroom and some other stuff. Holy moly, it was one of the best salads I've ever had. It all tasted super fresh, the mushroom had an amazing texture that wasn't mushy or too tough, and bacon is always a bonus. Our entrees were also very good and we traded at one point so we could try each other's meals. I was still supposed to be receiving a cheese plate so we didn't completely stuff ourselves with the main course. We managed to pack away the cheese, though! Cheese and wine is always a great combination. We walked out of there feeling very satisfied with our dinner choices. Thanks to Keith Logan for the recommendation!
We headed back to the hotel and decided to take advantage of the pool and hot tub. Not much to say about that. Pretty much we swam around a bit in the pool until the hot tub was free and then enjoyed that until we felt we were going to melt. That's it for the first day!
We took full advantage of the 11am check-out time and slept in as long as possible. We handed over our bags since we didn't have to be at the clipper until 4:30pm and hit the streets. The first thing we wanted was a breakfast so we started hunting around for that. We were having a bit of trouble finding somewhere that served breakfast that looked appetizing, but then Bonnie remembered seeing a bunch of restaurants in Bastion Square. We headed through there and found The Local Kitchen. We sat in a nice shady spot outside and enjoyed omelettes and mimosas.
We then wandered into Baggins Shoes which has tons of Converse and Vans shoes. We weren't necessarily looking to buy anything, but I did find some of the patterns on the shoes interesting. We were in the mood for some coffee so we walked down the main street and into Caffè Artigiano. I was really pleased to see that they had traditional macchiatos so I had to have that. We wandered around aimlessly for a bit before deciding we should go check out Miniature World. I scoffed at the price and we got outta there. It was $13.05/person and I didn't have enough cash or my AAA card on me that would've gotten a discount. Maybe next time.
Instead, we went through the gardens at The Fairmont and through the few shops they had inside. Bonnie found a really beautiful pink sapphire and diamond ring that fit perfectly, looked great, etc. etc. you know the drill. :) Unfortunately it was $2,500. A little bit out of our budget right now. *grin* We then headed over to the Royal BC Museum. We decided not to go in because we just didn't feel we'd have enough time to really see what all we wanted to see. That's another thing for the next time we're in Victoria. Instead, we wandered through the gift shop and the gardens outside. While walking along, Bonnie noticed a sign that indicated a children's zoo was nearby. She had read somewhere about a petting zoo in Beacon Hill Park so we headed that direction. Once we found the park, we had to ask a couple people to point us in the direction of the petting zoo, but we eventually found it. We spent a good amount of time in there and the baby goats were pretty darn cute I have to admit.
We headed back to the main part of town and ended up back at Central Bar & Grill to enjoy a couple Bellinis since we had seen them being served as we were leaving the day before and they looked tasty. Once we had those, we decided to finish off with a chocolate cake shot (Frangelico and Vodka with a lemon slice). Bonnie was fantasizing about getting a caramel apple at this point so we found the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company and picked one up. It was not only caramel-covered, but chocolate-covered also and had nuts and mini-marshmallows on it. It tasted really good. I was afraid it would have too much going on, but all the flavors went really well together. How do you go wrong with apple, caramel, chocolate, marshmallow and nuts, right?
We headed down to the clipper dock while she enjoyed her apple, got on the boat, and rode back to Seattle. We got in around 8:30pm and were home by 9pm. Overall, the trip was very reasonably priced and we had a great time just wandering around and seeing a new place. We look forward to going back again and doing some of the activities we missed the first time around or didn't know that were being offered. Being only a couple hour boat ride away, it's a great weekend getaway.
We stopped into the Irish Times Pub and found a comfy spot. I got a local beer (it started with an S, but can't remember the name) and Bonnie, of course, got a sampler. Bonnie had a crab salad and I had the Irish stew since it was recommended by our friend Heather. The stew was tasty and overall we enjoyed the lunch. Once we left the pub, we walked through Bastion Square and stopped into a couple shops. I did find a Threadless t-shirt that I like, but didn't pick it up. I may end up ordering it, though.
After that we headed back to the room to figure out what we wanted to do that afternoon. We decided that we wanted to go and see the Bug Zoo. We saw several types of insects, scorpions, spiders, ants, etc. and had a good time. In the gift shop afterward, I was excited to see that they had some chocolate-covered insects. For some reason, I've always wanted to try both chocolate-covered and straight-up seasoned and sauteed insects. Bonnie questioned my sanity as I picked up a small pack of bugs. We started getting a hankering for ice cream so we went to a shop that had some open tables and shared a banana split. It was super delicious. It's hard to remember the last time I even had a banana split. I also ate the chocolate-covered insects (I'm sure pictures will pop up on Facebook soon). The worms were actually pretty tasty since they were wafery in texture. The full-grown crickets weren't quite as tasty because the wings were kinda tough to chew through. Getting Bonnie to kiss me at all for the rest of the day was a challenge since she kept imagining bug guts between my teeth. :)
After that we pretty much just wandered around the town and checked out some more stores. We stopped at the Central Bar & Grill to enjoy a couple of cocktails. We noticed that a friend had made a recommendation on a place to eat in Victoria so we called and made reservations. After leaving the bar, we went to a bookstore so we could pick up some magazines for the boat ride back to Seattle. At this point, we figured it would be a good idea to head back to the hotel and get ready for dinner so that's what we did. We were still a bit ahead of schedule so we popped into a Blenz and had a quick cup of coffee.
When we showed up to the restuarant, Il Terrazzo Ristorante, we realized quickly that getting reservations was a super smart idea. The place was totally packed! Fortunately, we only waited a few minutes for our table to be ready. I ordered off the fixed menu whereas Bonnie picked out something from the main menu and we picked the bottle of wine that was recommended for her meal. This wine was really tasty! Fortunately we got a picture of it so we can try to find it again. The appetizer that was supposed to come with my meal had run out while my order was being run so they let me pick out a different appetizer. I picked out a salad that had bacon, capers, spinch, portobello mushroom and some other stuff. Holy moly, it was one of the best salads I've ever had. It all tasted super fresh, the mushroom had an amazing texture that wasn't mushy or too tough, and bacon is always a bonus. Our entrees were also very good and we traded at one point so we could try each other's meals. I was still supposed to be receiving a cheese plate so we didn't completely stuff ourselves with the main course. We managed to pack away the cheese, though! Cheese and wine is always a great combination. We walked out of there feeling very satisfied with our dinner choices. Thanks to Keith Logan for the recommendation!
We headed back to the hotel and decided to take advantage of the pool and hot tub. Not much to say about that. Pretty much we swam around a bit in the pool until the hot tub was free and then enjoyed that until we felt we were going to melt. That's it for the first day!
We took full advantage of the 11am check-out time and slept in as long as possible. We handed over our bags since we didn't have to be at the clipper until 4:30pm and hit the streets. The first thing we wanted was a breakfast so we started hunting around for that. We were having a bit of trouble finding somewhere that served breakfast that looked appetizing, but then Bonnie remembered seeing a bunch of restaurants in Bastion Square. We headed through there and found The Local Kitchen. We sat in a nice shady spot outside and enjoyed omelettes and mimosas.
We then wandered into Baggins Shoes which has tons of Converse and Vans shoes. We weren't necessarily looking to buy anything, but I did find some of the patterns on the shoes interesting. We were in the mood for some coffee so we walked down the main street and into Caffè Artigiano. I was really pleased to see that they had traditional macchiatos so I had to have that. We wandered around aimlessly for a bit before deciding we should go check out Miniature World. I scoffed at the price and we got outta there. It was $13.05/person and I didn't have enough cash or my AAA card on me that would've gotten a discount. Maybe next time.
Instead, we went through the gardens at The Fairmont and through the few shops they had inside. Bonnie found a really beautiful pink sapphire and diamond ring that fit perfectly, looked great, etc. etc. you know the drill. :) Unfortunately it was $2,500. A little bit out of our budget right now. *grin* We then headed over to the Royal BC Museum. We decided not to go in because we just didn't feel we'd have enough time to really see what all we wanted to see. That's another thing for the next time we're in Victoria. Instead, we wandered through the gift shop and the gardens outside. While walking along, Bonnie noticed a sign that indicated a children's zoo was nearby. She had read somewhere about a petting zoo in Beacon Hill Park so we headed that direction. Once we found the park, we had to ask a couple people to point us in the direction of the petting zoo, but we eventually found it. We spent a good amount of time in there and the baby goats were pretty darn cute I have to admit.
We headed back to the main part of town and ended up back at Central Bar & Grill to enjoy a couple Bellinis since we had seen them being served as we were leaving the day before and they looked tasty. Once we had those, we decided to finish off with a chocolate cake shot (Frangelico and Vodka with a lemon slice). Bonnie was fantasizing about getting a caramel apple at this point so we found the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company and picked one up. It was not only caramel-covered, but chocolate-covered also and had nuts and mini-marshmallows on it. It tasted really good. I was afraid it would have too much going on, but all the flavors went really well together. How do you go wrong with apple, caramel, chocolate, marshmallow and nuts, right?
We headed down to the clipper dock while she enjoyed her apple, got on the boat, and rode back to Seattle. We got in around 8:30pm and were home by 9pm. Overall, the trip was very reasonably priced and we had a great time just wandering around and seeing a new place. We look forward to going back again and doing some of the activities we missed the first time around or didn't know that were being offered. Being only a couple hour boat ride away, it's a great weekend getaway.