When K and I need to touch foregn soil but we haven't got the time or cashola (or both) to spare for a major trip, you know what we do? That's right, we drive to Canada. Or in this case, drive four hours up Highway 101 across the Olympic Peninsula, leave our car in Port Angeles, and take a 90 minute ferry ride to Victoria, B.C. It's what we did this last weekend and, if you can do it, you should to.
We arrived on August 6th in the evening close to 7:00 pm, and walked with our rolling luggage along the pleasant waterfront to the fine old Edwardian hotel, the Fairmont Empress (built 1908). The Black Ball line docks, literally, 300 yards from the hotel. It was a nice sunny evening and in the upper 60's. We checked in and made a late dinner reservation at Aura, a restaurant in a hotel on Laurel Point that we'd read about in Fodor's. It was a mere 15 minute walk along the Inner Harbor. Strolling back after a pleasant dinner (J: duck, K: mussels) we passed in front of the Houses of Parliament, all lit up (the houses that is). The next morning, after breakfasting in the gorgeous Empress Room (English style sausages, yesss!), we booked our bus trip to the Butchart Gardens despite the steady rain (glad they had bushels of umbrellas located everywhere). We spent several hours enjoying the various features there, especially the Sunken Garden (developed out of an abandoned quarry), the Japanese Garden, and the Italian Garden. Back in town, we shopped a little before having afternoon tea at the Empress--a 100 year old tradition at the hotel. In the evening we went to dinner at Matisse, a small French restaurant on Yates Street that served wonderful Char for me and scallops for K. I would have called it a "quiet little French restaurant" if a table full of cruise-ship Texans hadn't been next to us. In the morning we breakfasted again in the Empress Room (can't get enough of those sausages, or the amazingly ornate interior--all carved wood, panels, and turn of the century oil paintings) then boarded our ferry at 10:30 for the easy crossing back. All in all, a delightful little jaunt that gave us that wonderful feeling of taking a big trip without having to go far at all.
Here are some pictures.
Saying farewell to the U.S. (Olympic Mts. in the background):
K, en route:
We arrived on August 6th in the evening close to 7:00 pm, and walked with our rolling luggage along the pleasant waterfront to the fine old Edwardian hotel, the Fairmont Empress (built 1908). The Black Ball line docks, literally, 300 yards from the hotel. It was a nice sunny evening and in the upper 60's. We checked in and made a late dinner reservation at Aura, a restaurant in a hotel on Laurel Point that we'd read about in Fodor's. It was a mere 15 minute walk along the Inner Harbor. Strolling back after a pleasant dinner (J: duck, K: mussels) we passed in front of the Houses of Parliament, all lit up (the houses that is). The next morning, after breakfasting in the gorgeous Empress Room (English style sausages, yesss!), we booked our bus trip to the Butchart Gardens despite the steady rain (glad they had bushels of umbrellas located everywhere). We spent several hours enjoying the various features there, especially the Sunken Garden (developed out of an abandoned quarry), the Japanese Garden, and the Italian Garden. Back in town, we shopped a little before having afternoon tea at the Empress--a 100 year old tradition at the hotel. In the evening we went to dinner at Matisse, a small French restaurant on Yates Street that served wonderful Char for me and scallops for K. I would have called it a "quiet little French restaurant" if a table full of cruise-ship Texans hadn't been next to us. In the morning we breakfasted again in the Empress Room (can't get enough of those sausages, or the amazingly ornate interior--all carved wood, panels, and turn of the century oil paintings) then boarded our ferry at 10:30 for the easy crossing back. All in all, a delightful little jaunt that gave us that wonderful feeling of taking a big trip without having to go far at all.
Here are some pictures.
Saying farewell to the U.S. (Olympic Mts. in the background):
K, en route:
J, en route and doing some preparatory reading:
Our ferry:
Arrival:
Approaching the Empress:
Houses of Parliament to the right:
A window into the Sunken Garden at Butchart:
Sunken Garden:
K and I at the Sunken Garden:
Pond in the Sunken Garden:
A random gate, Butchart:
The Japanese Garden:
The Star Pond (Butchart):
Gate into the Italian Garden:
Totem Pole at the Fireworks Overlook, Butchart:
An alcove in the Empress lobby (all Goth'd up):
Farewell to the Empress:
Didn't I tell you it was about 300 yards away? An easy stroll for a pregnant lady:
~CD
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