On Oysters, A Dive Show And A Chance Meeting

Victoria Tea Festival

It was raining and the fog was thick when we drove into Victoria. The Trans-Canada highway going right through the downtown core made the drive easy. Our first stop was the Visitor Centre to pick up our information package. Followed by checking into our hotel. The Gatsby Mansion is comprised of three houses and the main hotel. There’s the B&B, the Cottage (that’s where we were lodged) and the Judge’s House (apparently haunted) at first glance the room looked cozy and adequate, so we dropped off our bags, and went directly to the Victoria Tea Festival (more on this here) where we spent a good chunk of the day.

Royal BC Museum

The Royal BC Museum was just a short walk across the street and we were eager to take in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. The photos were amazing, all of which were backlit in a darkened room that highlighted the intense colours and depth of field (some looked 3D). The 10 yr old and under category was truly impressive. To think that children are taking National Geographic quality images is mind-boggling and also inspiring. We wish we had pictures to show you but taking photos of the images was prohibited so you will have to go and see for yourselves or take our word for it. The exhibit runs until April 9th (2012).

Santiago’s

When we were done, we felt a bit peckish but we also needed to regroup at the hotel before we headed out again. We ended up at a little Mexican joint called Santiago’s. It was close to the hotel and we figured we would have a bite and go out for dinner later on.

Nachos!

We shared a plate of nachos, very tasty, with artichokes and bacon. By the time we were done and back at the hotel, it was 6 o’clock. We relaxed for a while, read the visitor’s info package and decided to walk around a bit.

Towards Chinatown

The city at dusk was very pretty and would get even more beautiful when night fell and the lights came on and lit up the gorgeous architecture of downtown. We walked down Government Street towards Chinatown window-shopping while searching for a place that would draw us in for a drink and some dinner.

Pubs

Passing a couple of stylish looking pubs packed with people the idea of a couple of pints started to sound really good. Tim’s favourite beer in the world is Smithwicks, which he had not enjoyed for quite a while and a freshly pulled Guinness is very hard to beat. So we bellied up to the bar and indulged our craving. Perusing the menu we noticed that they had fresh oysters on the half shell. Oysters in a pub are not something we would usually order but the waitress guaranteed us that they were super fresh (how could they not be with the ocean only 300 yards away) and one of their best sellers.

Oysters and beer

For those of you who may not have indulged in freshly shucked oysters on the half shell you have been missing one of the world’s most delicious mouthfuls. A good oyster, of which there are many varieties, is a delightful combination of texture, sweetness, saltiness and a subtle taste of the sea. They should never taste too fishy or funky and are best garnished with just a drop of Tabasco, fresh horseradish, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of mignonette. Mignonette is a sauce made of cracked black pepper, finely diced shallots and red or white wine vinegar. Do not load your oyster up like a hamburger. The idea is to just lift the delicate flavour with a splash of your chosen garnish. Thankfully our waitress did not steer us wrong and before we knew it we had a second order in front of us, dinner was served.

In our room

Back in our room Tim noticed one of the windows was broken and a piece of glass was missing. He stuffed a towel in it to stop the freezing wind blowing through. I was feeling a little chilly so I decided to have a bath in a very inviting looking claw foot tub.  I turned the taps on, the water was ice cold, I waited a few minutes but it was still cold. No hot water! Tim called the front desk, all calls being forwarded to the main hotel after 5 pm, they offered to put us in a lesser room in the haunted house.  We declined and went without a shower the next morning. After explaining the condition of our room to the manager he apologized profusely and told us not to worry about the bill. He told us that the business had been on the market for quite a while and had finally sold.

New owners

The new owners will be taking over on March 1^st and will be taking care of all the maintenance that has obviously been neglected for a while. We will definitely give it another try when we’re back.

Nicer weather

The next morning we awoke to much nicer weather and looking out at the beautiful inner harbour from our room we were eager to get out and explore this gem of a little city. It was about 10 am when we received a text message from our friends Kathy and Carol from Vancouver. They were on the ferry on their way to Victoria for a couple of days. This was a nice surprise and we made tentative plans to meet them later for coffee.

Empress Hotel

We had reservations for afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel. The Empress is Victoria’s grandest old hotel and they are quite famous for serving an afternoon tea in the truest Victorian style. They even serve their special blend of tea in a Royal Dalton china pattern made exclusively for the hotel. As we have already mentioned we had spent the better part of the day before at the Victoria Tea Festival where we sampled an incredible amount of tea and in fact, bought a box of the Empress blend.  Taking that into consideration and the fact that afternoon tea for two would run us just over $100. We decided to give it a miss this time and cancelled our reservation. The hundred bucks we found out later that day would be spent on something very cool that we could use and enjoy every day (details coming in yet another post).

Pacific Undersea Gardens

Instead, we went to the Pacific Undersea Gardens (closed after 50 years in business). If you read the reviews on Yelp you might avoid it altogether but we decided to give it a chance. Maybe it was because we were expecting the worst that it wasn’t half bad. You walk onto this big boat anchored in the inner harbour and walk downstairs until you are under the water in a glassed-in viewing area. There is an enclosure around the boat but the sea life that you see is typical of this part of the country. At one end you get a chance to touch a sea cucumber, an anemone, a starfish and other little creatures.

Live Dive Show

The Live Dive Show is included in the entry fee so we sat in the small auditorium and watched as a man in scuba gear appeared and told us about the different fish that can be found in the Pacific Northwest. He then proceeded to pick up a sunflower starfish, an octopus and, even a wolf eel and brought them close to the window for everyone to see. If you think you’re going to go to an underwater show on the West Coast and see clear blue waters and flashy tropical fish, this isn’t for you but if you go in wanting to learn and observe, this could be a good experience. When else will you have the chance to poke a sea cucumber (insert dirty joke here) or come face to face with a wolf eel? Once we were done checking out the things that lurk in the deep we set out for Chinatown.

Fan Tan Alley

We walked down Fan Tan Alley is recognized as Canada’s narrowest street, at its narrowest, it measures 0.9 meters (that’s a bit less than 3 feet for our US audience). It was originally a gambling district, with shops and opium dens. Now it attracts tourists with its art gallery, Chinese café and funky shops. We came out on Fisgard Avenue when we got another text from Carol; they were just around the corner on Government Street.

Sitka

We met them at the gates to Chinatown and then meandered around in search of an independent coffee shop where we could savour an excellent espresso and catch up. All of us really enjoy good coffee and supporting small independent shops that usually take more pride in making a good cup than the chains do. We ended up at Sitka, a shop that would not be out of place in lower Manhattan. Sitka is an uber-hip clothing store catering to stylish surfer types. The store was decorated in West Coast wood, with a couple of vintage motorcycles parked amongst the racks and a half pipe in the back. Tucked up front was a cosy little espresso bar that was perfect for us to settle into and enjoy a delicious cup of joe. It was a great way to end our time in Victoria, with friends over a tasty cup of coffee.

West Coast style

Victoria is a great blend of West Coast style, small town/big city living with a strong emphasis on an outdoors lifestyle (Canada’s fittest city). The city is festooned with gorgeous architecture and parks and is well maintained and clean. The Pacific Ocean surrounds you with its magnificent coastline and within minutes you can be out of the city and enjoying some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Simply put, Victoria and the scenery of Vancouver Island is a must if you are planning a trip to Canada’s West Coast.

* Disclosure: Although we did get free entry to the attractions we checked out, the opinions in this post are honest and our own.